How to Choose a Safe Seat for Your Baby to Eat with Kirsti Vandraas

: Ever wonder why some high chairs seem to “work” for starting solid foods while others leave your baby slumped, feet dangling, and frustrated? In this episode, I’m joined by physiotherapist and ergonomist Kirsti Vandraas to break down what a safe, supportive baby seat should actually do. We cover the key features that matter most for independent eating—like a stable base, an adjustable footrest, and a setup that lets your baby move their arms freely. Kirsti also explains why high chair designs and safety standards can vary between countries, and what parents can do to create a safer, more comfortable eating setup at home. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. Why high chair expectations differ in the U.S. vs. Europe, and how that shapes designs that bring your baby right up to the table for family meals (often without a tray). 2. How straps and restrictive setups can get in the way of functional movement at meals—and when kids are developmentally ready for more freedom in their seat. 3. Why a truly adjustable footrest matters for stability and torso control, supporting an upright “ready-to-eat” posture from your baby’s first bites. Shownotes for this episode can be found here: Links from This Episode: • Get a free $80 tray for the Stokke Nomi High Chair or the Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair (or free $70 Tripp Trapp cushion) when you purchase either high chair using the code BLWTEAM here • Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: and save $50 when you sign up using the code BLWPOD50 • Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: Other Episodes Related to This Topic: • Episode 7 - Why Your Baby’s High Chair Needs a Footrest • Episode 488 - Best High Chairs for Baby-Led Weaning • Episode 490 - Tripp Trapp vs. Nomi High Chair: Which One is Better? 🌱 🌱🌱🌱 🌱 Not sure about which foods to offer your baby next? Get your copy of my original 100 FIRST FOODS list on my free online video workshop called BABY-LED WEANING FOR BEGINNERS. 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 Want guided help on how to make all of the 100 FIRST FOODS™ safely for your baby? My program BABY-LED WEANING WITH KATIE FERRARO has a 100 FIRST FOODS daily meal plan and everything else you need to start solid foods safely with baby-led weaning. CLICK HERE TO JOIN and use the code BLWPOD50 to save $50 when you sign up. 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Be sure to follow @babyledweanteam on Instagram and our Baby-Led Weaning YouTube channel for more information about helping your baby transition to solid foods safely. 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 If you learned something from this episode and like this podcast, your review means the WORLD to us and helps other parents find this important evidence-based infant feeding info. Click here to leave a review on Apple podcasts or rate this show on Spotify podcasts and thanks for being a part of this amazing and supportive baby-led weaning community! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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How to Choose a Safe Seat for Your Baby to Eat with Kirsti Vandraas is an episode from Baby-Led Weaning Made Easy by Katie Ferraro.

This episode is 35:08 long.

This episode was published on Feb 12, 2026.

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