Children sit for hours every day – often on uncomfortable, rigid chairs. But they need movement to stay healthy! An ergonomic desk chair for children can prevent postural problems and back pain. But what should you look for when buying one? Backrest, armrests, or not? Which features promote active sitting and concentration?
Our checklist has the answers! A good chair supports your child's natural love of movement – whether they're learning, doing homework, or homeschooling. This ensures greater comfort, healthy posture, and better concentration. Here's what you should look for!
You can download the "Checklist for Children's Desk Chairs" here for free.
The Aeris Swoppster children's desk chair promotes more movement, better posture, and focused learning. All without static sitting and boredom.
How do you adjust a child's desk chair correctly?
To ensure the desk chair is optimally adjusted for the child, it must have individual adjustment options. It's especially important that the swivel chair's seat height can be adjusted to the child's weight and activity level. These are the most important points to consider:
seat height
Proper sitting posture primarily means paying attention to the correct seat height. Adjust the height of the child's desk chair so that, when seated, there is an "open" angle (> 90°) between the upper and lower leg. It's also important that your child can fully touch the floor with both feet. To ensure this, pay attention not only to the height of the chair but also to the height of the desk (more on this later). A good children's office chair should therefore be continuously height-adjustable, and the lever should be easily accessible and usable. The greater the range of seat height adjustment (e.g., from 32 to 45 cm), the better.
Caution: Under no circumstances should the legs – whether child or adult – be bent at a right angle or even closer when sitting. This impedes blood flow back to the heart. Painful legs, swollen calves, and numbness can result. An open sitting angle ensures blood flow all the way to the feet.
Weight setting
This initial adjustment is where the wheat is separated from the chaff. Especially with children's chairs, individual adjustability to body weight – for example, the spring tension – is essential. Children grow very quickly, and their weight changes accordingly. The important thing is that a child's desk chair should function according to the principle of "one for all" while still offering a high level of seating comfort.
range of movement
A common misconception is that children must sit still. We disagree! Children, in particular, need to satisfy their natural urge to move. Movement promotes neural connections in the brain and thus cognitive development. This makes it all the more important that the desk chair can be adapted to the movement needs of boys and girls. Our Aeris Swoppster children's desk chair is one such example. You can easily adjust the lateral flexibility and spring tension.
It is important that the children's swivel chair can be adjusted to the child's weight and size.
The Aeris Swoppster children's desk chair in review
By the way: In 2024, the Aeris Swoppster was named test winner by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) in their children's desk chair test , comparing 11 other office chairs for children! According to the FAZ test report, the Aeris Swoppster was "the clear favorite of the test children." The FAZ adds: "...the spring in the stool provides a gentle bouncing motion and keeps the child's body moving while sitting. It looks smart, comes fully assembled, takes up little space, is easy to adjust, and has a washable cover available in various colors."
Click here to go to the Aeris Swoppster product page .
2. Does a children's desk chair need a backrest and armrests?
No, a child's desk chair doesn't need a backrest, and certainly not armrests. Armrests should absolutely be avoided! They can cause the child to sit at an awkward angle or increase the distance to the work surface in an unfavorable way. Prolonged sitting in such an incorrect position is particularly harmful.
Ergonomic backrest with lumbar support
If the chair absolutely must have a backrest, then you should make sure that it is height-adjustable and can be tilted. Furthermore, good ergonomic children's desk chairs have a back-friendly, adjustable lumbar support. This part of the backrest can be adjusted to the (S-shaped) curvature of your spine and supports it in the lower back (lordosis) while sitting.
Why should you do without a backrest?
Active sitting is the key to keeping children moving even while seated. This improves blood flow and oxygen supply to the brain. Furthermore, constantly changing positions strengthens back muscles and improves posture, thus preventing back pain. That's why the ergonomic Aeris Swoppster children's stool deliberately omits a backrest. Because no matter how well-padded, how comfortable, or how perfect the lumbar support, a backrest restricts the free, natural movement that children especially need!
Another negative consequence of a backrest: it relieves and supports the back. However, the human body is not designed for this, and the muscles weaken because they are no longer being used. When sitting on a stool, the muscles take over the supporting function, and one automatically sits upright. Therefore, such a desk chair helps children to sit up straight.
3. What should the seat of a child's swivel chair be like?
Basically, you should make sure that the children's swivel chair has a convex seat – like our Aeris Swoppster. Why is this important? A convex seat prevents indentations, thus avoiding pressure points and a rounded back. On such a chair, you automatically assume an upright and ergonomic posture. If an office chair doesn't have a convex seat (or a convex seat cushion), you should absolutely ensure that the backs of the knees are always free and not resting on the seat. Only then is sufficient blood circulation guaranteed – especially from the legs back to the heart.
Tip: If you already have a desk chair without a convex seat, you can do something for your child's health with a convex seat cushion.
A convexly shaped seat surface supports an upright posture.
4. What type of cover is suitable for a child's desk chair?
Especially with small children, there are bound to be a few spills and stains on the chair. That's why the cover should be removable and easy to clean. Ideally, it should be machine washable. But what appeals to children more than a washable cover? That's right, the different fabric colors. Of course, kids have different tastes – girls and boys have different color favorites. Our Aeris Swoppster children's desk chair, for example, is available in pink, blue, green, and gray – each with either a black or white frame. When it comes to the fabric, it's important that it's not scratchy, is soft, and ideally breathable.
5. What is better? A children's desk chair with or without wheels?
Whether with or without casters, the important thing is that the chair is stable and tip-proof. If the office chair has a sturdy base or five-star base, you can confidently buy it with casters. Ideally, the casters of the swivel chair should be easily replaceable with glides.
6. How much does a good ergonomic office chair for children cost?
There's no single answer to that. On the contrary, the most expensive chairs aren't necessarily the best. The cheapest chair isn't necessarily the worst. Therefore, price isn't a reliable indicator of quality. The price range for children's chairs is very wide, from €80 to well over €500. You should therefore focus more on the chair's features and compare them. Very good ergonomic children's desk chairs with excellent value for money are available even in the mid-price range.
Tip: If you're unsure, you can look at independent children's desk chair tests, such as those conducted by Stiftung Warentest, or seek advice from a specialist retailer. The experts there know the advantages and disadvantages of each model.
7. Do you need a matching children's desk to go with a desk chair?
The aim is to ensure children sit in a healthy, flexible, and ergonomic way. However, regardless of the model chosen, a children's office chair is only as good as the desk it's used with. In other words, a suitable desk is often advisable. When selecting a desk, make sure it's continuously height-adjustable. A continuously height-adjustable desk grows with the child and can always be optimally adjusted to their height. Another advantage: For younger children, a height-adjustable desk can easily be converted into a standing desk. To enable an optimal sitting position, the ergonomic desk should also have a tiltable tabletop.
