Purchasing A Dining Room Table With Kids In Mind

Purchasing new dining room furniture can always be an exciting, intimidating adventure, but making purchasing decisions that will grow with your family if you are new parents is especially difficult. If you are about to have a child, or have small children in the house, here are some basics that you should keep in mind regarding your new dining room table. 

Size 

Whether you are an entertainer at heart or a bit of an introvert, once you have children you will likely be hosting many parties. From informal sleepovers to birthday and end-of-school parties, your house will likely see many guests over the next two decades. For this reason you should look for a table that is adaptable to your circumstances. 

Extendable dining room tables make an excellent choice for young families. They fit nicely into smaller apartments, and can expand to fill up a large dining room if you intend on purchasing or renting a house. They also give you the option for more intimate family dinners that you may miss out on if you simply purchase a large table. 

Possibility for Attachments 

Many parents like to save space when their children are young by attaching high chairs directly to the table instead of using stand-alone high chairs. These can be a great option for babies as young as seven months old, until they weigh around 30 pounds, because they take up very little space and bring your little one right up to the table with you. However, they can be difficult to attach to tables that have supports thicker than two or three inches around the edges. If you want to add attachments, you may want a dining room table that presents a thin surface for at least a foot around all edges. 

Safety 

The top priority of most parents is safety. When purchasing a dining room table, there are three aspects of safety you should consider. 

• Tipping. You should make sure your table has either a large pedestal or well-attached legs that will keep it from wiggling or tipping in case your little one decides to climb on top of the table. 
• Sharp corners. Little children often bump their heads on the corners of furniture. To prevent serious injury, you should consider circular or oval tables. 
• Pinching. If you decide to purchase an extendable table, you should make sure that it locks well in all positions so that your little one's fingers do not get caught in any cracks. 

A dining room table is an investment that can last a family a lifetime. When selecting your next one, you should make sure that it will grow with your family and suit all of your dining needs. 

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