MouseBandit Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I know it is important to have proper posture and sitting position when learning to write (and when writing in general), but how critical is it for the preschoolers and kindergarteners? It would make schooling so much easier (I think) if I could do some or all of it with my K3 at the dining room table so my 1yo ds wouldn't feel so left out, but is that going to present major problems in her ability to write properly? If I put her little table out there, he will be all over it in a minute, and that clearly won't work at all. I have been trying to do "school" during his naptime, or at the little table in a room where he is gated off but can see us, but now that I am expecting again, I need naptime for my rest, and I hate having him feel so isolated and left out. Thanks! Tracey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Have you thought of a booster seat? We do have most of our work at the dining table as well and my dd sits on her sister's seat which is a Stokke. However, it puts her at the right height for writing. I saw a booster someplace that was for older children, but I cannot recall where I saw it. I am going to look around and see what I kind find at thrift stores and consignment stores. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MouseBandit Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 We do have a booster seat - I was worried I guess about the feet flat on the floor thing. I found our little table and 2 chairs on craigslist for $15, so you might try there! THank you for your thoughts! Tracey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anabelneri Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I've had enough Montessori & Suzuki training to believe that proper positioning matters. We don't have a Stokke (I've drooled over them for years!), but my 3yo sits comfortably at the table on a tall stool. We have this one from Ikea, and she uses the low step as her footrest. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 We got hauck alpha chairs, like cheap stokke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotAVampireLvr Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 My MIL got us Eurochairs this year. I put felt on the bottoms and the kids just push the chairs themselves to whatever area we're working in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 We got the Euro II from One Step Ahead. It adjusts to the right height and has a footrest (like the Stokke, but MUCH cheaper). http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=536654 Yes, I think positioning is very important. When I got that chair for my son to use for school, he immediately stopped complaining of his hand hurting while writing. I have since gotten 3 adjustable school desks for the kids from public school castoffs (paid $5 each for them!), so the Euro II is now my 2 year old's chair at the dining room table. We were able to get rid of the bulky high chair, and it looks nicer for the dining room anyway. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 We used Stokke Tripp Trapp chairs. They last forever - Calvin still uses his. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momsuz123 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I too have Stokke Tripp Trapp chairs for all three of my kids. I bought one on Craig's list for $100 (she was local). The other 2 on ebay, for around $200 (little less I think). Totally worth it. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birchbark Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 We got the Euro II from One Step Ahead. It adjusts to the right height and has a footrest (like the Stokke, but MUCH cheaper). http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=536654 Yes, I think positioning is very important. When I got that chair for my son to use for school, he immediately stopped complaining of his hand hurting while writing. I have since gotten 3 adjustable school desks for the kids from public school castoffs (paid $5 each for them!), so the Euro II is now my 2 year old's chair at the dining room table. We were able to get rid of the bulky high chair, and it looks nicer for the dining room anyway. :) Boscopup, is tripping a problem with the Euro II? We have Keekaroos, which I love, but we're always tripping over the back of them due to the broad footprint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Boscopup, is tripping a problem with the Euro II? We have Keekaroos, which I love, but we're always tripping over the back of them due to the broad footprint. No, no tripping at all. The back of the seat and the back legs are almost at the same place. It ends up being no different from our regular dining room chairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 We used something like this:http://www.stokke.com/nl-be/highchair/features-tripp-trapp/tripp-trapp-highchair.aspx You can change the footrest every time they grow so they sit always properly during writing. :iagree::iagree: Had the same issue, and my children are small. Started out w/ a school table that could be raised and seats that fit. Realized I was going to spend more money buying new chairs as they grew and use more space with a special table than it would cost or take to have Stokkes and use our regular table. ETA: I found our three Stokkes on craiglist for $50-$75 each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I finally broke down and bought Tripp Trapp chairs. Here's a post I typed shortly after getting them. If anything, I am even more of a fan now!! I wrote to Stokke, explaining that I was trying to purchase 4 of their chairs for kids who were going to be homeschooled in large part to make it possible to have time to continue physical & occupational therapy. I let them know that the therapist (when I asked if they were really worth the money) highly recommended their chairs. They helped me to get 4 at a GREAT price, and they arrived last week. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE these chairs!!! My handwriting-issues kiddo had an instant 1000% improvement! I have also seen a huge increase in the amount of time my kids sit calmly paying attention at the table. I hadn't realized how much dangling legs and being just a hair too low at the table contributed to their restlessness. For anyone who is on the fence and having a hard time justifying spending that much for a chair, it's worth it. I can see now that these chairs really will work for the long term - *I* think they are more comfy than my normal kitchen chairs and am now trying to convince DH that we need them for he and I as well! SO GO FOR IT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I found my Stokke at Goodwill for under $5. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Our kids sat on an unabridged dictionary. I swear it made them smarter. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhockley Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 My dd likes to lay on the floor doing her writing, but she started complaining about her hand hurting too. I had her go sit at the little table (that's actually a little too little for her) and not only did she not complain, her handwriting was better too. She's at that awkward size where little kid tables are too small, but the dining room table is too high. And her bum is too big for a booster. Plus if her feet dangle off the floor she just sits on her knees and wiggles all over the place. I have no idea what to do with her (a $100+ chair is NOT in the budget). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Yes. This is why I felt the need to buy School Desks. You could find small used tables less expensively. You could also get a wooden table with legs and if you or your dh is handy, you can cut off a portion of the legs evenly, thereby making the table shorter. Whatever you do, do it as cheaply as possibly, because they grow so fast! We spent an arm and a leg on our school desks and I don't have a handy dh and I myself am about as handy as Amelia Bedelia. So the desks seemed to be the only option. But those 3 years went by so fast. Now neither of my children want to sit in those desks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MouseBandit Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 Those stokke chairs, and the knock-offs, look pretty awesome, but I'm in the "there's no way my husband is gonna pay $50 for a chair for ANYONE" category, LOL! I, will however, keep an eye out at Goodwill! I could do the $5 thing! Great job on that buy, BTW! Yes, maybe getting them their own little wooden table that we can hack at the legs would be best. I realized as soon as we started using this little one that the top is just slightly padded, but it makes pressing hard with a pencil impossible. So, she has to use a book or something underneath her paper. Not the end of the world, but not ideal. Or, maybe just figure something out with the chairs and booster seat and homemade footrest combination. I am not surprised that the footrest makes such a difference. I remember learning to type, and it made a HUGE difference in my speed. Really impressed me, especially as a slouchy teenager, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Those stokke chairs, and the knock-offs, look pretty awesome, but I'm in the "there's no way my husband is gonna pay $50 for a chair for ANYONE" category, LOL! I, will however, keep an eye out at Goodwill! I could do the $5 thing! Great job on that buy, BTW! I was at a Goodwill in a very tiny town in Alabama. I don't think they knew what they had, lol! I would LOVE to find another! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 We use a little kid picnic table (it has a removable umbrella). We just brought it inside san umbrella and my kids sit there. We got it in the fall last year at Sams for $35. It is really heavy duty and perfect for posture! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I bought a Tripp Trapp chair for each of my boys. They are expensive, but they really are worth it. We use them for school and eating at the table. :iagree: We found a knock-off version at a local store. He's now just shy of 8, and still prefers to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roseyw Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I let my kids work on the big dining room table which we bought from Macy's. The idea was that we would buy a table big enough for having people round for dinner, yet giving the kids a large area for working on for their school work etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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