J.D.
I have had a counter high table for the last five years and i love it!!! I have two girls, 10 and 2 and have never had a problem!
My husband and I are shopping for a new table and we like the counter high style. We do have 3 children 5 and under, we are concerned that the high chairs may pose a danger for our smaller children.
Does anybody have any experience with this type of table, does it work for you and your family, do you like or dislike it, have you had any problems? Any input would be appreciate it, positive or negative.
I have had a counter high table for the last five years and i love it!!! I have two girls, 10 and 2 and have never had a problem!
We have one and don't like it and we hardly use it. We bought it because we thought it looked good and sat in the chairs for a total of 3 min (possibly less) and liked the idea that we could push the high chair up to the table. Our, now, 3 year old likes climbing onto the chairs because they're tall. We're actually in the process of looking for a regular table again.
The pros:
It looks good
Not so formal
Table is tall so it first feels comfortable
The cons:
Chairs are uncomfortable. I'm 5'3" and since my feet don't touch the ground, I don't have much stability, except for the stability bar of the chair. My husband is 6'4" and he tells me that he doesn't like that his legs are at an angle to the floor (knees are not parallel to the ground) hence using his toes to keep stable.
My recommendation would be for you and your husband to sit at the table and have a lengthy conversation - about anything. Make a conscious effort to listen to your body and your movement (adjustments) while sitting at the table. If you like the feel... go for it :)
We have a pub height table. It's taller than a counter height. It's been a mixed bag. My youngest (21 months) pushed away from the table and the chair tipped over. He was OK. But it was frightening at the time. None of the kids have trouble getting into the seats. I was surprised with how quickly they adapted. Ours is a square table. Even with our large family that shape feels cozier. The thing I like least is setting and clearing the table. When I had a short table, the kids could participate more in the preparation and clean-up involved with eating.
I have one and we (kids 2, 5, 7) do not like it. It is not comfortable, they fall off when playing, it is too high from seat to table top, it is difficult to find a place for it to fit...I could go on, but I won't. It is ok for now because it's paid for, but please, think safety!!!
We just got rid of ours because it was not good for our 2 boys we have a 3 1/2 and 18month the older one did fine, but my younger one he wants to climb the chairs because they have rails on them and resemble a ladder. they were very good and stable chairs but there was a time or two that they tipped and we were there to stop it from falling on him. They can't get in their chair by themselves and if they try they get stuck and when they try to get down its the same thing. We had a bar height table so it was higher than a counter height. We loved it but llife is easier without it. Take them to the store and see how they react to the it.
we have one. I have a 2 yr old and a 9 month old. obviously the 9 month can't climb yet. My oldest is a monkey, he climbs up in the chairs alone and has never fallen or come close to tipping over. he is a good kid, but like i said...he is a monkey. I really like it. there is a lot of clearance for the kids to play under b/c they are often in the kitchen w/ me while i am getting meals ready. i DO however also have a little table/chair set from ikea for lunches and snacks and such. Surprisingly, THAT one he has fallen off of.
I guess it is just a personal preference. Ours the seat is really right at rump height...so literally for me, i just lean back into the chair...i am only 5'3" so i don't think adults would find it difficult to sit in like the earlier response...
My biggest issue with thtese is you can't just pull up an extra chair - if you want more seating, it HAS TO be counter height. I like just being able to pull a table up from anywhere in the house if we want to add another guest.
It's hard for kids and elderly people, and anyone with an injury, to negotiate these tables, because you have to climb up to them. Last year, I tore a tendon in my ankle and had a very hard time getting onto these chairs. I don't think they are practical as a primary table.
My 2 1/2-year-old nephew in a split second pushed away from the table and fell straight back in a counter-high chair. It's a long way to fall - he ended up at the urgent care center as a precaution, but fortunately he's OK. My sister is now looking for a regular-height table. She says the regular chairs are just more stable because they're low to the ground. I know she got the counter-high table before they had a child but wouldn't do it again. She also didn't like it when he was younger because no high chair they found goes that height so he was always lower when they tried to eat together. Best wishes with your decision!
We bought one when our kiddos were 6, 3 and 3 and have LOVED it. We haven't had any problems with it. Our younger two did use cooshie boosters both at our old and new table to lift them higher. No one has fallen out of the chairs or anything like that and we've had it for 4 years now.
We have a 3 y/o and haven't had any problems with it. I would say that I'm a little hesitant to change and that going from a standard table to the counter height was a little adjustment. I actually wanted to take it back the first 2 months. I like it a lot now and I really like how our highchair just scoots right up under it.
We have the countertop hieght table and love it. That said, we definately had a few problems with our children (now 2.5 and 5) when they were younger. Specifically, they had a more difficult time getting into the chairs. We solved that by having a small table for the kids in the kitchen for about a year. Snacks and less structured meals were taken at the kids table. More structured meals were taken at the family table. We just had to help them up.
we have a bar heighth for our family of 3 (our daughter is 9). We really liked the style of them, too, but we wish we would have gotten a regular table heighth. We don't use it often because it's hard to get in and out of. It's just not conducive to family time. I couldn't imagine if we had small children -- that would be worriesome for me.