Always use a high chair's safety restraints, even in a reclining position. Never depend on the tray alone to do the job because it doesn't prevent your child from standing up and possibly falling out of the chair. According to the latest Consumer Product Safety Commission figures, more than 7,000 children suffered injuries related to high chairs in 2005. Deaths also can occur. Most of the injuries resulted from falls when restraining straps weren't used and/or parents turned their backs. The restraints aren't failsafe, and they can provide a false sense of security, which is why your child should always be in view when he's in a high chair. A child can stand in the chair and topple it. He can also slip under the tray and strangle when his head becomes trapped between the tray and the chair seat. Here are some other safety tips:

• On chairs that fold, be sure the locking device is engaged each time you set up the chair.
  
  
• Don't let older children hang onto a chair or its tray, play around it, or climb into it, especially when your baby is in it. The chair could tip over.
  
  
• If your chair's seat is adjustable, don't raise or lower the seat height with your child in the chair.
  
  
• If your high chair seat reclines, don't adjust it while your child is seated in the chair.
  
  
• Don't use the seat's recline feature for infants who weigh more than the maximum (usually 20 pounds).
  
  
• Don't lift or move a high chair with your child in it.
  
  
• Keep the chair away from a table, counter, wall, or other surface from which your child could push off with feet or hands. That can lead to tipping.
  
  
• Inspect the chair often. After your baby has been using the chair for a while, check to make sure it's still in good shape. You'll want to be sure the seat belt buckles and the wheel locks are secure, the chair and its reclining mechanism still lock into place, and any small parts remain firmly attached.

BON APPETIT, BABY Restaurant high chairs are notorious for having broken safety restraints and other defects. One option: Bring your own portable hook-on chair (keep one in your trunk just in case). The Graco Travel Lite Table Chair (www.gracobaby.com), which retails for around $34.99, is the only portable table chair on the market certified by JPMA (Consumer Reports has not tested it, however). Its locking mechanism provides a secure fit on most standard table tops--but not with a tablecloth.