Non-slip shelf liner helps keep toddlers in their chairs

From Sara:

A clever hack I picked up from our child care center: Toddlers just learning to sit, unstrapped, in chairs (especially small molded plastic chairs) benefit from a piece of non-slip shelf liner to keep them from sliding off as quickly as they wiggle.

[This gives new meaning to the saying "glued to their seats." -- Ed]

Tags: Parenting, Toddler

Comments

[hedra]

This also works for when they're in a regular strapped-in high chair, if the seat is slippery enough to cause them to lose optimal position, especially the sideways slide.

Bonus, for self-feeders, if you cut it to the right size, the seat-cover tends to collect a lot of the feeding debris. These rubberized mesh mats are machine washable, so I just bought a roll of the stuff, cut a bunch of squares of it out, and kept a stack with the bibs. I could gather up the liner, shake it over the trash, and then toss bib and seat-liner in the laundry. Makes cleaning up one less gooey/icky step! (Still have to wipe up, but not as much need to gather up the chunks of soggy cheerios and mashed fruit bits!)

[Kate]

Not just for kids, though. It's good for washing a dog in a slippery tub or sink.

[Nancy]

We use shelf liners under the cushions on our kitchen chairs. It keeps the cushions from sliding around as my toddler squirms in his seat.

[Alisa]

A yoga mat works well too for sliding babies. All you have to do is cut it to fit the seat. When we've gone out to eat, I take it with me, so he doesn't slide in the restaurant ones either.

[hismoose]

I used it for my kids in our slippery high chair seat and in the stroller. Also under their strap-on high chair booster seat to both protect the wooden chair it was strapped to and to add stability. I also used pieces of non-slip liner in the tub or sink when washing squirmy babies.

I also used squares of the stuff as small placemats under the plates and bowls of self feeders. The liner was grippy enough to keep their dishes from skittering across the high chair table-shelf as they learned to spoon up their food.

Now I've got even smaller squares of liner in the bottom of the fold-out cup holders in the car. They keep the bottles, cups, mugs, and cans from rattling around, and in the case of narrow bottles, keeps them from shaking free while we drive. And finally, I use a strip of the stuff underneath my computer keyboard to keep it from shifting around.