Kids Table and Chairs: How to Get the Height Right

Most kids tables are sold by age. Two to five years, three and up. Age is the least useful number on the listing. Two children the same age can sit very differently at the same table, and what decides whether a child stays at a table for ten minutes or an hour is two measurements: the back of the knee and the elbow.

We sell children's tables and chairs, so read this critically. We have tried to write the guide we would want to read, including the parts that talk people out of a set.

The two numbers that matter

Seat height should match the distance from the floor to the back of your child's knee when they sit with their feet flat. That lets the thighs rest level on the seat without the edge pressing behind the knee.

Table height should put the top about level with their elbow when they sit upright with relaxed shoulders, so the forearms rest on the surface instead of reaching up to it or hunching down over it.

This is the same logic the European standard for school furniture uses. EN 1729-1 sizes chairs and tables by a child's height and the height of the back of the knee, not by age, and it sets seat height so the child can rest their feet on the floor.

How to measure in two minutes

1. Sit your child on a firm, flat seat with their feet flat on the floor and their knees bent at roughly a right angle. If their feet do not reach, put books under them until they do.
2. Measure from the floor to the back of the knee. That is the seat height to look for.
3. Ask them to sit tall with relaxed shoulders and elbows bent at their sides. Measure from the floor to the underside of the elbow. That is roughly where the table top should sit.
4. Subtract the first number from the second. That gap, seat to table top, is the number to compare between sets.
5. Write the numbers down and measure again in a few months. Children change faster than furniture.

Signs the fit is wrong

• Feet dangling. The seat is too high. A footrest or a lower chair does more for how long they sit than anything else.
• Shoulders up near the ears, chin close to the top. The table is too high for the chair.
• Hunched forward over the work. The table is too low for the chair.
• Perched on the front edge. The seat is too deep, so they cannot sit back without the edge pressing behind the knee.

The sets we carry, measured

Here are the published heights for the tables and chairs in our range. Compare them with your two measurements rather than with the age on the box.

Figures are as published on each product page. Where a number has not been published, we say so rather than estimate it. Ask us and we will request it.

Fixed or adjustable?

A fixed set is simpler, often steadier and usually costs less. It fits well for a while and then it does not. An adjustable set costs more up front and keeps working as they grow, because you move the table and the chair when the fit drifts rather than replacing them.

If two children of different sizes will share one table, adjustable is close to essential. Set the table for the taller child and raise the shorter child's chair to meet it, which is exactly how the Sapiens Child set for two is designed to be used.

Four more things worth checking

1. The size of the top. A project left out overnight needs room. The All Circles top is 33.5 x 27.5 in; the round and square Costway tops are 23.5 in.
2. A back on the chair. A stool at the right height still loses to a chair with a back when it comes to how long a child stays put.
3. Edges. Raised borders, like the Sapiens Child tables, keep bowls, beads and jigsaw pieces on the surface.
4. Cleaning. A surface that wipes clean, and a cushion that comes off to wash, matter more than they sound on furniture that will meet paint and yoghurt.

Common questions

What height should a toddler table be?

Level with your child's elbow when they are seated on a chair that lets their feet rest flat. In our range, fixed table heights run from 13.5 in to 20 in, which is why measuring beats guessing.

What about the age on the box?

Each manufacturer states its own age guidance on the product page, and that is the guidance to follow for safety. For fit, use the two measurements above.

Do you have Canadian made tables and chairs?

Yes. The All Circles table and chair are made in Moorefield, Ontario, and the Sapiens Child sets are made in Canada. You can see them together in our Canadian made tables, chairs and shelves.

Do you ship across Canada?

Yes. Delivery times and any regional exceptions are in our shipping policy.

True Little North is a small family business in Toronto. We choose everything we sell the same way we choose things for our own children's rooms.