Kid Adjustable Table and Chair

• 

  jizmo on 22/08/2025 - 17:32

  +2

  All I know is never buy from Bunnings marketplace, unless you love frustration, lies, long delays to find you'll never get the item and have wasted 2 months of your life.

• 

  jjjaar on 23/08/2025 - 00:33

  +1

  FWIW, the ikea one is just the $179 adjustable legs on a very basic table top. You could build your own top if you wanted or just source something different. I would not recommend having shelves underneath the full width of the table, as you really can’t sit properly with a 15+cm gap between your legs and the top of the table. But you can always get drawers that fit on the side. This frame is good in that it can be widened and narrowed too, so at any point you can change the top to something else, and you can make it wider to suit.

  If the intent is for the desk to grow with the kid, that is, you’ll only really be changing the height every growth spurt, then go for some OLOV legs and a tabletop of your choice. At $12.50 a leg, that’s $50 for all four. But you will notice the difference in sturdiness between the $50 OLOV legs and the $179 RELATERA base.

  If you want to be able to change the height more frequently, especially if multiple times a day, the OLOV are not the right choice for that.

  Unless you find one that also goes as low as 65cm like the IKEA ones, a full size adult table will mean that even one that is height adjustable will still be too high for a child, and they will be sitting with their legs dangling or will be sitting on their legs to raise themselves higher. Not an issue if they will use it every other week, but if this is to be something they will use daily, you really want it to be the right height for them. Otherwise they will end up with back, hip, etc. problems down the line from not being able to sit comfortably with their feet on the floor. And yes, this matters from the ages of 5-10… ask me know I know…

  • 

    tenpercent on 23/08/2025 - 09:47

    ask me know I know…

    How do you know?

    • 

      jjjaar on 23/08/2025 - 10:25

      Because I never fit in adult sized tables and didn’t have anything my own size, and now I have back, hip, etc. problems ;)

      Even now, my sit/stand desk is set below 70cm when I’m sitting, which is at least 6cm lower than the two adult sized ones OP shared.

      Just to add (I know no one asked…) The standard desk height is actually more like 72cm which is designed for someone who is 180cm tall - so even someone of that height shouldn’t be sitting at a desk as high as those OP linked (which is the problem with drawers, as they’ve had to raise the tabletop height to fit the human legs and the drawers).

      • 

        tenpercent on 23/08/2025 - 20:02

        Plenty of people get back, hip, etc problems.

        Totally agree adjustable height desks are great and drawers only to the side. Thanks for the links, btw.

        Ergonomically speaking the desk top should be just high enough that your forearms can rest on the surface with your elbow at 90 degrees or slightly more (assuming your chair is at the right height too).

  • 

    jjj123 on 25/08/2025 - 09:33

    @jjjaar thank you so mcuh for your suggestions, so the $179 RELATERA base is more steady than the $50 OLOV legs? I probably only adjust the height half a year to accommodate kid growth.

    any recommendation for the adjustable chair at ikea?

    • 

      jjjaar on 27/08/2025 - 07:48

      +1

      I’ve never used the RELATERA base but I have my own sit/stand desk that has a very similar design and yes it is very sturdy compared to the OLOV.

      The good thing about a sit/stand like RELATERA is that because you can adjust it more easily, you do. Your kid might like to stand one day and sit the next, and they can with this. Even every six months, the OLOV can be a bit painful to adjust and get all four at the same height.

      Haven’t used any IKEA chairs, so can’t comment on that.

• 

  omguleh on 23/08/2025 - 21:13

  +1

  We got 2 of these for our kids (prep and grade 2) and they are great.

  https://ebay.us/m/k913BE

• 

  Muppet Detector on 29/08/2025 - 03:51

  Is it a bit ambitious to hope a desk can cater for a child from ages 5-10?

  From memory, it seemed like they doubled their size over that period.

  Just think of the desks they sit in at pre school compared to their desk size in grade 5.

  What happens if you use appropriate sized table and chairs for 5-7ish and then either upgrade or use a proper child booster seat on regular sized chairs and tables?

  Probably need a little platform for a footrest under there too so their legs and feet aren't just swinging in the breeze.

• 

  Muppet Detector on 29/08/2025 - 06:55

  I'm thinking that the best place to ask for advice about this kind of thing would be a pediatric occupational therapist.

  They would know about specific height and weight requirements to facilitate appropriate support for a child's skeletal and posture considerations throughout the child's development.

  They would also probably have recommendations for the appropriate furniture etc to achieve this.

  My thoughts went towards an appropriate booster seat as these are what are typically used to assist with making adult sized seating suitable for children.

  I'm thinking of the booster seat used by children in cars to enable their smaller bodies to make suitable use of the seats and safety features designed for adult sized people.

  Shorter adults also use booster seats in cars, especially when operating the car from the driver's seat.

  Another situation would be when a child is learning to play the piano. Piano's and thus their stools are a pretty standard height and usually made of a height suitable for adults.

  Five year olds can definitely learn the piano, but in most circumstances, this is on an adult sized piano and stool. Thus, at least for the first few years, the child uses the booster seat, not only so they can reach the keyboard and have the music at eye level, but also to develop and continue the required posture (for body and hands) to play the piano correctly.

  Of course, when the child advances enough to begin to include the application of the pedals into their learning (about three or so years in), things might need to get restructured a bit or delay in the incorporation of the pedals until such time their height is sufficient to effectively use the adult sized equipment without further augmentation.

  Additionally, a molded booster seat should be relatively affordable to provide support and seating for a child using adult sized furniture.