A cube chair is the perfect first chair or weaning chair for your child! It can be used from about 6 months. The child can get in and out independently. It has two different seating heights, you simply flip it upside down when your child grows.
What is a Montessori cube chair?
These are really versatile as they can be used as a stool by older children and adults, they can be used as a step stool, and can also be used as a table. The only downside is they can be pulled right up to the table but as the sides are so high, the chair does not side under the table.
A Montessori cube chair is not to be confused with a Montessori cube, which is used to carry out activities that help the child’s psychomotor development. The Montessori Cube chair is a square-shaped chair that is especially suitable as the first chair for babies. It is a chair with a very low seat and three wooden backrests that support the baby’s body, preventing it from falling. This shape makes it easier for the baby to climb up the chair by holding on to the walls and allows him to sit down even before he starts to walk.
What are cube chairs used for?
This type of chair encourages the baby’s autonomy from a very early age because if we allow him freedom of movement and allow him to explore freely, he will soon learn to get in and out of it on his own. Very early on, he will need us to bring the table to him and stay by his side, but he will soon learn to sit down and bring the table to him on his own. The cube chair is a Montessori square-shaped piece of furniture that:
- Converts into a chair or a table (some of them fit together and take the shape of a cube).
- It supports the child’s body when seated to prevent falls.
- Adapts to the age of the child by adjusting the height of the chair base
- Can be used for different purposes depending on the position of each part (it is multifunctional)
In short, it is a chair suitable as a first chair and especially designed and conceived for babies. In such a way that the little ones can sit even before they can walk.
In the Montessori method what is sought is the autonomy of the child from birth and this type of cube chairs are safe and suitable enough so that your little one can use it freely (sit, get on, get off, move it) and without danger. If you opt for a cube chair with a table, you will have to give your child a helping hand at first, until he or she learns to pull the chair up to the table or to drag the table to the chair.
Through exploration and experimentation, your child will see how he or she feels most comfortable using it. And step by step they will perfect their dexterity when it comes to sitting, getting on, getting off or moving the cube chair around the room.
Note: Cube chairs have many playful uses (arts and crafts, drawing, reading…) but they are also practical. For example, they are widely used in the practice of BLW feeding, because the child is seated in a comfortable and safe position without the need for a highchair.
Who can use it?
Any strong sitter will be safe in the cube chair but we encourage that parents do not place users in the seat before they are able to climb in themselves – they’ll get there when their Little Big bodies are ready
We roughly recommend chair use from 7-8 months onwards depending on sitting strength but do emphasise that for early sitters parental supervision should be used to ensure the chair does not slide or tip back when users attempt to mount or dismount.
Why buy a Montessori cube chair?
Cube weaning chairs help to foster independence in even the littlest of babes. A Montessori-style weaning chair is ideal for little ones who want to gain their independence outside of a high chair. There are many reasons that make cube chairs the chairs of choice but today I am going to give you the 5 most outstanding advantages of cube chairs.
- Stability and safety: the cubic shape of the chair makes it one of the most stable on the market, making it almost impossible for it to tip over even if the child’s weight rests on the edge.
- Versatility: the cube chair can become a table, a stool, a doll’s house, a car park or whatever your child can think of. Its design allows it to be used for different purposes. How? Simply by turning the cube upside down.
- Autonomy: they are chairs designed so that the child can move them from one side of the room or the house to the other and turn them around at will according to the use they want to make of them at that moment.
- Space: cube chairs take up very little space. Their shape allows them to be placed in any corner and can even be used as a table (if you turn it upside down) or to fit the different parts together if it is a cube chair with a table.
- Durability: the base of the cube-chair can be adjusted in height, which means that children can use it as they grow and for many years.
