Much more than a high chair: a tool that grows with the child, supports autonomy and strengthens the relationship
This article is sponsored by Stokke. Here you will find a more exhaustive explanation.
In the first years of life, children change quickly: they learn to sit, then to stay at the table, then to actively participate in family life. Still, many objects we use for them – like the high chairs – seem to be designed for a moment only, often reductive and insulating.
Was it an intuition of the Norwegian designer Peter Opsvik to propose, for the first time, a paradigm change: what if there was a chair capable of growing together with the child, rather than limiting it in a fixed and isolated position? A simple but revolutionary idea that has changed the way of thinking about children’s furnishings forever.
So it was that, in the 70s, the idea of the evolutionary chair was born: an object designed to follow the child step by step, adapting to his skills and favoring his autonomy. Not a “children’s chair”, but a real chair, who grows with them.
What is an evolutionary chair
An evolutionary chair is an adjustable seat system that can be used from birth to adulthood. It differs from a traditional high chair because it does not impose a fixed posture or a rigid structure, but turns over time: he changes height, depth, supports, and accompanies the child in its motor and relational development.
The goal is not only to “have it sitting”, but to make it participate, observe, imitate, experiment – just as the educational approaches centered on autonomy suggest, such as the Montessorian one.
Because it is important to stay at the table
The table is not just the place of meals. As we have said many times, it is an environment full of stimuli, where the child observes adults and enters with them, experiences the language and rules of sociality. Being physically present in that context in a way that promotes interaction makes a big difference.
A good evolutionary chair also allows the newborn to stay close to parents thanks to adequate support, and then, growing up, supports the correct posture without limiting the movements.
Freedom and security: a possible balance
Among the strengths of the evolutionary chairs there is the possibility of regular sitting and footrests: the child thus has stable support by back and feet, which favors muscle tone and concentration. It can move, but safely. It can choose, but with clear limits.
The chair is not a container, but an invitation to explore independently. And this also applies to small daily gestures: bringing the spoon to the mouth, looking in a parent, sitting actively.
Tripp Trapp: the original who made school
Although today there are several products inspired by this concept, it is Tripp Trapp – designed by Peter Opsvik for Stokke – was the first evolutionary chair to spread to the general public, the one that gave rise to everything (over 15 million specimens have been produced!). Its simple and intelligent design is designed to last over time and to enhance the relationship between adults and children.
Exhibited in the most important museums in the world as a Scandinavian design icon, Tripp Trapp is built with sustainable materials and designed to be used for life, and has evolved over time to meet the needs of families with accessories that allow it to accompany growth from the first days of life.
But above all, he was born from an educational vision: to put the child in the center, really. Stokke Tripp Trapp has evolved over time to respond to the needs of families with accessories that allow her to accompany growth from the first days of life.
