Recommendations For Sturdy, Non-Tippy Toddler/Preschool Dining Chairs

[Pestle]

So I've been using cheap Kidkraft flat pack chairs that I had before I opened the day care, plus a couple of nicer chairs I found at an antique mall. One kid threw one of the Kidkraft chairs at me (no, that kid never came back again!) and yesterday a newly-walking kid knocked the other Kidkraft chair over. They cannot survive being knocked over. (Kidkrap?)

What do you recommend for durable chairs? I've had enough of this fiberboard crud.

I do have a miter saw and am willing to give building my own a go, if you have a pattern you recommend. (No band saw, though.)

[Blackcat31]

I too, was surprised by the lack of quality in KidKraft.
I bought a table and 4 chairs off Craig's List.
I re-sold it less than 2 weeks later. It was crappy.

I have a set of oak chairs that I got when I worked for Head Start. They are SUPER expensive to buy brand new and I got mine at a the "garage sale" when they re-located to another facility and bought all new furniture.

Honestly, I couldn't see spending that kind of money but they really are great quality and have put up with alot of abuse.

I needed new chairs for a different area so I bought these from Discount School supply and I like them. They've handled a bit of roughness as well and held up fine but I don't really like plastic/metal so would prefer wood but I also like dollars in my pocket too so... !

[Pestle]

Particularly, the Kidkrap chairs have no splay whatsoever to the legs so they are extra-tippy. I also saw a newer version recently and they're omitting the stretcher now. Garbage.

[Pestle]

I needed new chairs for a different area so I bought these from Discount School supply and I like them. They've handled a bit of roughness as well and held up fine but I don't really like plastic/metal so would prefer wood but I also like dollars in my pocket too so... !

I'll look at those. I usually prefer wood for toys and furniture, but for a piece of furniture that's going to get dragged around, tipped over, wobbled and generally put through a workout on a daily basis, metal and plastic do make sense. It looks like a good design!

[Ariana]

Definitely get something with some splay to the legs like BC suggested above. Some people put tennis balls on the bottom to make them easy to move around and so they don’t destroy the floors. I have Ikea wooden ones and they are super tippy.

[CalCare]

I really prefer the cube chairs for tiny toddlers. Can't be knocked over. I got 2 for cheap and I need at least one more but I don't want to pay retail ;(

[hwichlaz]

I have the ECR4KIDS plastic stacking chairs and table. The chair lets splay out. They only tip when the kids are goofing around on purpose.