DIY toddler chair

Lucy is growing like a weed and while she has outgrown her high chair, she is still too small for an adult chair so it was time for us to figure out a solution that works for her and our table. Andy got busy designing a toddler chair that is tall enough for her to sit up to the table and safe for her to climb up and down by herself (the kid loves to climb). We are not experts on kid's furniture (or kid's safety when it comes to furniture) but Andy came up with something that works really great for Lucy. Here is a peek at his design drawings-

His inspiration came from a life guard chair- Andy spent a couple summers working as a beach lifeguard and liked the idea of a wide chair with steps that are easy to climb. As a former structural engineer he knows how to make something sturdy and his goal was to create a chair that is strong enough for a toddler but could transition into a chair/step stool that we all could use in the future.

Of course I had to paint the chair! I added colorful triangles to the seat and painted the steps and arms in different colors.

Then we sanded the paint for a bit of a distressed look.

Needless to say the chair is a HUGE hit! Not only have we been using it at the dining room table but it also works great at our art table in the garage and per Lucy's request, we have been moving it around the house to random locations where she can sit on her perch and play.