High Chair Injuries at Chicago Daycares

Every day, thousands of Chicago parents drop their children off at daycares across the city, from Lincoln Park to Pilsen, trusting that staff will keep them safe. One of the most common, and often overlooked, sources of serious injury in these settings is the high chair. A child seated in a poorly maintained, improperly used, or defective high chair can fall, become trapped, or suffer head and facial injuries in seconds. If your child was hurt in a high chair accident at a Chicago daycare, you need to understand your rights under Illinois law and what steps to take next.

Table of Contents

• How High Chair Injuries Happen at Chicago Daycares
• Illinois Laws That Protect Children in Daycare Settings
• Federal High Chair Safety Standards and Defective Equipment
• What Daycare Negligence Looks Like in High Chair Cases
• What to Do After Your Child Is Injured in a High Chair at a Chicago Daycare
• FAQs About High Chair Injuries at Chicago Daycares

How High Chair Injuries Happen at Chicago Daycares

High chairs look simple. They hold a child at table height during mealtime. But the risks they present are real and well-documented. In a recent two-year period, there were an estimated 18,500 high chair-related injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. That number reflects a nationwide problem, and Chicago daycares are not immune.

Most incidents involve falls when a child tries to climb into or out of the high chair, when the chair tips over as a child pushes back or rocks back and forth, or when a component of the chair fails. At a busy daycare in neighborhoods like Wicker Park or Logan Square, staff may be managing several children at once during mealtimes. When attention slips, even briefly, a child can fall from a high chair and hit a hard floor before anyone can react.

Most accidents are falls that happen when a child stands in the chair, and they result in head, neck, and facial injuries, including bruises, cuts, and concussions. These are not minor bumps. Head injuries in infants and toddlers can have lasting effects on development, cognition, and motor function. Broken bones, lacerations, and dental injuries are also common outcomes of high chair falls at daycare facilities.

The causes of these accidents at daycares usually fall into one of three categories: staff negligence, defective equipment, or facility mismanagement. A caregiver who fails to secure a harness, a chair with a broken restraint system, or a daycare that continues using recalled equipment can all be held responsible under Illinois law. Understanding which category applies to your child’s injury is a key part of building a legal claim.

Illinois Laws That Protect Children in Daycare Settings

Illinois has a strong legal framework designed to protect children in licensed childcare facilities. The Chicago personal injury lawyer community regularly relies on this framework when pursuing claims on behalf of injured children. The foundation of that framework is the Illinois Child Care Act of 1969 (225 ILCS 10), which gives the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) the authority to license and monitor childcare facilities and to set safety standards that every licensed daycare must meet.

Under DCFS licensing rules codified in Illinois Administrative Code Part 407, licensed day care centers must maintain safe equipment and environments for all children in their care. Play materials and equipment must be durable and free from hazardous characteristics. This standard applies directly to high chairs. A daycare that uses a broken, recalled, or improperly assembled high chair is in violation of its licensing obligations.

Licensed programs must meet or exceed Illinois state health and safety requirements before they receive a license, and state representatives make annual unannounced visits to all licensed child care programs to ensure they maintain those standards. If a DCFS inspection reveals that a daycare was using unsafe high chairs or failing to follow proper feeding supervision protocols, that finding can become powerful evidence in a civil injury case.

Beyond DCFS rules, Illinois negligence law holds daycares to a duty of reasonable care for every child in their custody. When a daycare breaches that duty, whether by understaffing a mealtime, skipping equipment inspections, or ignoring a product recall, and a child is injured as a result, the facility can be held liable for damages. The Illinois Children’s Product Safety Act (430 ILCS 125) also reinforces the obligation to keep children’s products, including high chairs, safe and free from known hazards.

Federal High Chair Safety Standards and Defective Equipment

Not every high chair injury at a Chicago daycare is caused by staff negligence alone. Sometimes the chair itself is the problem. Federal law sets mandatory safety standards for high chairs, and when manufacturers violate those standards, they can share liability for a child’s injuries.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission approved a federal mandatory safety standard to make high chairs safer for both home and restaurant use, and that standard applies to any infant high chair manufactured or imported on or after June 19, 2019. High chairs must meet requirements for stability and restraint systems, and must include warning statements printed on the chair about how to avoid fall hazards.

Despite these rules, defective and non-compliant high chairs continue to appear on the market. In 2026, the CPSC recalled 5-in-1 convertible high chairs imported by Harppa because the high chairs posed a risk of serious injury or death to children because they violated the mandatory standard for high chairs, and were sold without the required attached restraint system, posing a serious risk of falls to children. In a separate 2025 action, the CPSC warned consumers about Babimoni high chairs because the high chairs posed a risk of serious injury or death to babies due to fall hazards, including the ability to tip over, an unattached restraint system, and a tray that could disengage. The high chairs also posed a fatal entrapment hazard because the opening between the tray and the seat was large enough to allow a baby to become entrapped.

When a daycare in Chicago uses a recalled or defective high chair and a child is injured, multiple parties may be responsible. The daycare can face a negligence claim for failing to check recall notices. The manufacturer may face a product liability claim under federal consumer safety law. Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission-ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC. Using such a product in a childcare setting is a serious violation that can support both regulatory action and civil litigation.

What Daycare Negligence Looks Like in High Chair Cases

Proving negligence in a high chair injury case means showing that the daycare failed to meet its duty of care. In Chicago’s busy childcare environment, that failure can take many forms. Some are obvious. Others require a careful investigation to uncover.

Common examples of daycare negligence in high chair cases include: failing to buckle a child’s harness before mealtime; using a high chair with a broken restraint system or cracked frame; placing a high chair on an uneven surface near a window or staircase; leaving a child unattended in a high chair; and continuing to use equipment that has been subject to a federal recall. Each of these failures represents a breach of the duty that every licensed Chicago daycare owes to the children in its care.

Staff-to-child ratios play a role here too. Illinois DCFS regulations set specific ratio requirements based on the age of children being served. When a daycare is understaffed during mealtime, supervision breaks down. A caregiver stretched across too many children may not notice that a toddler is rocking a high chair toward a tile floor. That understaffing is itself a form of negligence, and it is the kind of systemic failure that a thorough investigation can expose.

Daycares also have an obligation to train staff on equipment use and safety protocols. A worker who does not know how to properly secure a five-point harness, or who does not know that a particular high chair model has been recalled, may cause serious harm through no ill intent. But good intentions do not eliminate legal liability. The daycare’s obligation to train its staff is non-negotiable under Illinois law, and a failure to do so shifts responsibility to the facility and, in some cases, its owners and operators.

What to Do After Your Child Is Injured in a High Chair at a Chicago Daycare

The moments after a high chair injury at a daycare can be chaotic and frightening. Knowing what steps to take can protect your child’s health and your legal rights at the same time. Acting quickly matters, because evidence disappears fast in these situations.

First, get your child medical attention right away. Even if the injury looks minor, head injuries in young children can worsen over hours. A same-day visit to Lurie Children’s Hospital or the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital creates a medical record that documents the injury and its timing. That record becomes critical evidence in any future legal claim.

Second, ask the daycare for a written incident report and request to see the high chair involved. Take photographs if you can. The make, model, and condition of the chair matter. If it is a recalled product, that fact alone can be significant to your case. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services maintains a website where families can check whether a licensed child care provider is maintaining their licensing requirements, and the site will indicate if there are violations, provide a report of the violations and any corrective measures taken, the status of the program’s license, and when that license expires. Reviewing that record can reveal a pattern of safety failures at the facility.

Third, contact an attorney before speaking with the daycare’s insurance company. Insurance adjusters may contact you quickly after an incident. Their goal is to settle your claim for as little as possible. You do not have to accept any offer before you understand the full extent of your child’s injuries and the damages you are entitled to recover. Under Illinois law, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims on behalf of minors gives parents time to act, but waiting too long can jeopardize your case. Speaking with a lawyer promptly protects your options.

At Briskman Briskman & Greenberg, we have spent decades fighting for injured families across Chicago, from the North Shore to the South Side. If your child was hurt in a high chair accident at a daycare, we want to hear from you. Call us at (312) 222-0010 for a free consultation. Our firm is located at 351 W. Hubbard Street, Suite 810, Chicago, IL 60654, and we are ready to help you understand your rights and pursue the compensation your family deserves.

FAQs About High Chair Injuries at Chicago Daycares

Can I sue a Chicago daycare if my child fell from a high chair?

Yes, you may have a valid claim if the daycare’s negligence caused or contributed to the fall. This includes situations where staff failed to secure the harness, where the chair was defective or recalled, or where the facility was understaffed during mealtime. Illinois negligence law requires daycares to exercise reasonable care for every child in their custody. A breach of that duty that results in injury can support a lawsuit for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other damages. Every case is different, and the specific facts of your situation will determine the strength of your claim.

What if the high chair was defective? Who is responsible?

When a defective high chair causes a child’s injury, more than one party may share responsibility. The daycare can be liable for using unsafe or recalled equipment. The manufacturer may face a product liability claim for selling a chair that violated federal safety standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Under the Illinois Children’s Product Safety Act (430 ILCS 125), there are additional protections related to unsafe children’s products. An attorney can investigate the chair’s history, check for recalls, and identify every party whose negligence contributed to your child’s injury.

How do I know if the daycare was violating DCFS regulations?

You can check the Illinois DCFS licensing database online to review a facility’s inspection history, any violations cited, and the current status of its license. Violations related to unsafe equipment, inadequate supervision, or improper staff-to-child ratios are all relevant to a high chair injury claim. If a daycare was cited for using damaged or recalled equipment, that record can serve as strong evidence of negligence in a civil lawsuit. An attorney can also help you obtain inspection reports and other documents through formal legal channels.

How long do I have to file a lawsuit after my child’s daycare high chair injury in Illinois?

Illinois has specific rules governing the statute of limitations for personal injury claims involving minors. Generally, the clock does not run against a minor child in the same way it does for adults, but there are important deadlines and exceptions that apply depending on the circumstances of the case. Waiting too long can limit your options. The safest approach is to consult with a personal injury attorney as soon as possible after the injury so that evidence is preserved and your legal rights are fully protected.

What damages can I recover in a high chair injury case against a Chicago daycare?

Depending on the facts of your case, you may be able to recover compensation for your child’s medical expenses, including emergency care, hospitalization, and any ongoing treatment. You may also be entitled to damages for your child’s pain and suffering, emotional distress, and, in cases of severe injury, future medical costs and loss of future earning capacity. If the daycare’s conduct was particularly reckless or willful, Illinois law may also allow for punitive damages. An attorney can evaluate the full scope of your child’s injuries and help you pursue the maximum compensation available under the law. Past results in any case do not guarantee a similar outcome in your matter.

More Resources About Injuries From Unsafe Conditions and Equipment

• Playground Equipment Injuries at Chicago Daycares
• Slide and Swing Injuries at Chicago Daycares
• Climbing Structure Falls at Chicago Daycares
• Falls From Changing Tables at Chicago Daycares
• Crib and Bassinet Injuries at Chicago Daycares
• Door and Finger Entrapment Injuries at Chicago Daycares
• Furniture Tip-Over Injuries at Chicago Daycares
• Trip and Fall Injuries at Chicago Daycares
• Slip and Fall Injuries at Chicago Daycares
• Stairway Fall Injuries at Chicago Daycares
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• Small Parts and Swallowing Injuries at Chicago Daycares
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