Children are active and have a natural urge to play and exercise. Sitting still for a long time is not what children want. Moving about and playing is essential for mental and physical development. But kids start to sit early, in kindergarten, in school, and at home when doing homework for school, in front of the TV, and on the computer.
Given that even the youngest sit for a long time, it is never too early for a good ergonomic children’s chair. A good child-friendly chair can be preventive or reduce postural damage and helps to protect the child’s back.
Regardless of whether the kids are studying, writing, reading, surfing the Internet, or playing, the right children’s desk chair is an absolute must. But a kid’s desk chair must be chosen carefully. After all, an ergonomic desk chair that is not only comfortable to sit in, but that also looks great, can entice the child to enjoy sitting at the desk and having fun learning and doing schoolwork.
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Ergonomic chair and desk combo
Both parts are specially designed for the little ones. They are adjustable in many ways to find the ideal sitting and working position for your child. The high adjustability allows adapting to the child’s growth so that the Play and Study combo can be used for many years.
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What to look for in a kids desk chair
Chairs for the youngest come in bright colors and exciting designs, but the color and appearance are just a matter of taste. It is much more important though, that the chair is ergonomic and designed in such a way that it takes into account the physics of the small occupants.
It is essential that a kid’s chair is individually adjustable to the size and physique of the child. In particular, the following need to be adjustable:
- Seat height
- Backrest height and tilt
- Armrest height
The chair should also have a rocking mechanism, which means that the seat can be easily moved forwards and backward and helps to sit dynamically. It is advantageous to have a synchronous mechanism, which means that the inclination of the seat and that of the backrest are synchronized.
A good kids chair promotes dynamic sitting
A couple of years back, the standard recommendation was: sit still, sit straight, and don’t move. Fortunately, people have come away from this and it is no longer recommended to sit motionlessly. We know that this monotonous and persistent posture is bad for the back muscles and the permanent one-sided stress leads to incorrect posture.
Today dynamic and active sitting are what’s recommended. Dynamic sitting means that you no longer sit in one position but move in the chair.
This active sitting has many decisive advantages. If the body is constantly performing small movements while sitting, these exercises and strengthen the muscles in the back and along the spine.
How to adjust the kids’ desk chair
Basically, setting the desk chair height for children is not much different than adjusting a chair for an adult.
Kids sit for many hours every day, in the morning at school, at home doing homework, gaming on the PC, or on the console. They quickly forget the time around them. Sitting in an upright and back-friendly posture is particularly important for them so that bones and muscles develop healthily. A crooked slouching posture will cause discomfort and in the long run a poor posture and back problems.
- Make use of the entire seat, that is, sit in the chair so that the lower back touches the backrest. There should be about an inch of space between the inside of the knees and the front of the seat pan
- With the feet flat on the floor, adjust the seat height so that the angle between the upper and lower legs is 90 ° or slightly more. This allows the hips to be in an upright position and to support the natural S-curve of the spine assuring the bodyweight is evenly distributed and the lumbar region is relieved.
- Let your arms hang loosely in your shoulders. Place your arms close to your body and form a right angle between your upper and lower arms. The armrests must be adjusted so that the lower arms rest horizontally.
- Adjust the desk height so the desk surface is in line with the armrests and they are virtually an extension of the desk surface.
- Set the monitor distance so ist about an arm’s length from the eyes and the upper edge of the monitor is slightly below eye level.
Children grow, so every few months you have to check again whether the height is still good and adjust the kids’ desk chair accordingly. A good kid’s desk chair is adjustable and grows with it, so to speak. This is the only way to maintain the best possible sitting position. Nevertheless, make sure that kids do not sit in the same posture for too long and that there are also enough breaks, and that kids spend enough time outdoors and play with friends.
Safety of kids desk chair
A good children’s swivel chair must be safe! Safety should never be neglected when it comes to furniture or toys for children. Buy a high-quality product with safety certificates that assure you that the products have been tested safe to use and are free of hazardous materials. When unpacking and assembling the chair, inspect that everything is well processed, that there are no protruding sharp edges, no bad weld seams, and no other weak spots where one can get hurt. You should pay particular attention to the following.
Risk of tipping over
Since children do not like to sit still and may fidget around in the chair, it is particularly important that the chair always has a stable position and must not fall over, even when it is wobbled and rocking.
The standard chair base today is the “Five Star Base” it is either made of reinforced nylon or in heavy-duty chairs aluminum or steel. Pay attention to the width of the base, the wider the base and the more area it occupies, the firmer the stand.
Braked castors to prevent rolling away
The rollers (castors) of a chair may have different Castor Braking Systems depending on the kind of chair and where it is used.
Most swivel desk chairs are Free Wheeling, i.e. the chairs always roll either with or without occupant (loaded and unloaded).
For children’s chairs we recommend: Brake Unloaded. This means that the chair rolls when occupied (loaded) allowing free movement, but automatically applies the breaks when one gets up. This has the advantage that when the child gets up and wants to sit down again, the unoccupied chair does not accidentally roll away.
For very small kids, chairs with wheels may not be suitable.
Weight Rating
The safety of a chair also includes observing the chairs’ maximum load weight rating. A chair that is designed for small, lightweight people will break if a person who is too heavy takes a seat on it. Be sure to pay attention to the weight rating instead of just the age rating given for some chairs.
Gas lift
It is also important that the gas lift spring matches the weight of the chair user. A lightweight child may not be able to lower the chair height without help. The chair must sink slowly, even if a light person sits on the chair. Under no circumstances should the chair go up when the height adjustment lever is operated.
Risk of pinching or trapping fingers
Some modern chairs have a variety of adjustments. Armrests can be adjusted in height, the angle of the backrest can be adjusted, and the height of the chair can be adjusted. Wherever there are moving and adjustable parts, there is of course the risk of getting your fingers or limbs trapped. Inspect there is no risk of fingers or limbs being trapped. Only by chairs that are safety certified.
Harmful solvents or chemicals
All kinds of chemicals and solvents are often used in the manufacture of many fabrics, upholstery materials, or foam padding. Make sure that a new chair does not smell too bad and that the “new smell” quickly fades away.
Some substances can be released by sweat and trigger undesired reactions when in contact with the skin. In the case of cheap products in particular, the safety of the substances is often neglected. Pay attention to environmental labels and make sure no harmful substances are used in the manufacturing process.
Need kids desk chair armrests
Many children’s swivel chairs, as well as adult office chairs, have armrests. The armrests serve to put down the arms and relieve the shoulder and neck area. The armrests also function as a kind of tabletop extension. But whether armrests really make sense for children’s chairs remains a matter of dispute. Basically, it depends on the child’s individual preference whether it likes them or whether they are more of a hindrance.
So what’s the best kids’ desk chair?
There is no such thing as the best kids’ chair! There are many points to consider when choosing the right chair for children. In addition to age, the size and weight of the child must also be taken into account. Not every model may be the ideal choice for your child because children develop quite differently. Make sure you buy a chair that matches your child’s level of development. Some chair models may not be suitable for very small children, for example, chairs with casters or armrests may not be the best choice for toddlers. Older kids are probably big enough to sit comfortably in an office of gaming chair for small people often big enough tIn general, the simpler and the fewer gimmicks a child’s chair has, the more suitable it is. Always explain to your child how to use the chair properly and where there are any risks.
