Ergonomic Chairs and Tables for Children | Review of Kidchamp
“Sit properly,” I told EX and she adjusted her body. It’s important for adults to be in the correct posture, and what’s more, a growing body like hers. Since I was young, I was often asked to sit properly too. It was only as an adult that I better understood the importance of good posture since young. Firstly, sitting in good posture is a good habit to form. Secondly, it prevents future health issues stemming from bad posture. So will ergonomic chairs and tables for children help in posture?
Evidence showed that bad posture in adulthood is often formed from the childhood, and individuals with severe incorrect posture may be associated with the progress of scoliosis. We found that Chinese children and adolescents had a high prevalence of incorrect posture, with girls and older students being an especially high-risk group. Early interventions targeted for students with incorrect posture are urgently needed.
Sciencedirect.com: “Prevalence of Incorrect Posture among Children and Adolescents: Finding from a Large Population-Based Study in China”
Ergonomics for Good Posture
Many know the importance of children and adults having a good posture. That’s probably why ergonomic chairs for adults are selling well when more people work from home. But you may ask, is ergonomics just a fluffy marketing tactic to boost retail price? Does it matter whether we get ergonomic furniture?
According to International Ergonomics Association, ergonomics is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system. In other words from ehs.unc.edu, ergonomics is the study of people in their work/study environment in order to design or modify the workstation to fit the worker/student, not the other way around. The goal is to eliminate discomfort and risk of injury due to work/study.
“Poor posture,” said Dr Lau Leok Lim, Consultant in Spine Surgery at the National University Health System (NUHS), “is a choice, not a condition.”
He said poor posture often arises from poor ergonomic designs, for example an unsuitable study desk; poor habitual routines such as carrying haversacks on a single shoulder; and weak core muscles due to lack of exercise. These issues should be addressed from young, he added.
Healthhub.sg: “Sit Up Straight, Darling”
Options of Ergonomic Chairs and Tables for Children
One day while I was supervising EX in her writing, I reminded her to sit properly again. It then occurred to me that I should get her an ergonomic chair and table since she’s writing more frequently these days. She’s about 4.5 years old now, and she will definitely be writing more in K1 next year.
So I did my online research and found a few options on the market, from the brandless ones from China to the more expensive local brands. My friend got a brandless desk chair set from China, and it’s cheaper than the one I was eyeing from Kidchamp. Would the higher price tag be worth it?
Weighing my Options
So I did a cost-benefit analysis. For China’s set, I had to DIY install it, and if there are minor defects, I have to close one eye. Also, there is no warranty. On the other hand, the Kidchamp’s set has an option to get help to install, and local support for possible quick rectification/replacement. The 3-year warranty is a major pull factor too. I’m also leaning towards Kidchamp in terms of aesthetics. Moreover, having rollers on the chair is a plus point.
As I was agonising between the choices, hubby asked if the desk is for the long term. Yes, I replied, because the adjustable features of the table and chair meant they should last EX through childhood to teen years. So hubby said it’s better to pay more for quality. In this way, the desk set can potentially last longer. So Kidchamp it is!
About Kidchamp
Kidchamp is a Singapore brand that sells quality ergonomic furniture designed to protect the health and growth of children. They carry MagiCube Desk for younger children, and UPDESK for teenagers and adults, and versions of Cres Chair that are suitable for the young to the old.
Kidchamp was founded by a couple who couldn’t find a proper study desk for their two daughters. They were also looking for a desk designed to accommodate their storybooks, toys, and other belongings. The options on the market were either too expensive, or not up to their standards in terms of quality, features, and aesthetics. That’s when they decided to make their own ergonomic study sets and offer them at affordable prices.
Purchase of Kidchamp MagiCube Bundle Set
Order and Installation
I ordered Kidchamp’s MagiCube Bundle Set, which includes the ergonomic kids’ desk and Cres 3.0 chair, on a Thursday (7 Oct 2021), and they were delivered by the following Tues, on 12 Oct 2021. Other than ordering at Kidchamp’s website, you can shop for their ergonomic furniture at Shopee and Lazada. Be sure to look out for all the year-end deals coming up! The current retail prices without applying any platform coupons are:
- MagiCube Desk: S$538
- Cres 3.0 Chair: S$298
- MagiCube Bundle Set: S$718 (S$836 if bought separately, so it’s S$118 savings)
Currently, there’s free installation provided for orders on their website, yay! It took about 30 minutes for the two installers to unpack and set up everything (table and chair). I think it will take my husband at least 1 hour to install everything with the step by step video guide. Also, the warranty doesn’t cover the damages caused during self-assembly due to non-adherence to instructions.
Warranty
Speaking of warranty, a major reason why I got the products from a local shop, all Kidchamp’s ergonomic tables and chairs for children have a 3-year warranty. You can contact them to purchase a 2-year warranty extension within the first year. Note that accessories only have a 1-year warranty unless otherwise stated.
If possible, don’t buy second hand because the warranty only covers the original purchaser.
Defects
Given that this is children’s furniture, and possible bumps and knocks will happen to the products, I could just close one eye to minor defects. However, I am quite anal about defects and like to start on a clean slate. So I contacted Kidchamp about it. Kidchamp was very responsive and helpful, true to the reviews written on Shopee and Lazada. They were quick to replace the defective parts at our place as well.
Just remember to notify them 24 hours upon delivery.
Review of Kidchamp MagiCube Bundle Set
MagiCube Study Table
Kidchamp Desk Chair Set: Close 
Kidchamp Desk Chair Set: Open
To address the issue of ergonomics, make sure that your child’s study desk is at elbow height. “The neck should look straight ahead rather than tilt down,” advised Dr Lau. Parents have to pay close attention as children are constantly growing, and would require their desk heights to be adjusted accordingly.
Healthhub.sg
Features
MagiCube desk is height adjustable, allowing us to adjust the table to EX’s elbow height when she grows taller (reason in the quote above). In this way, we don’t need to keep changing tables to fit her. The crank handle to adjust the desk’s height is at the side. Thankfully, the handle is removable because our 20-month-old kept playing with it.
Another interesting feature of the table is the tiltable desk with a gas lift. A portion of the desk can be tilted to different angles for writing (0°-15°), reading (15°-30°), and drawing (30°-50°). This allows EX to change different postures for different activities, and not remain in one posture for an extended period of time.
I think it’s good that only part of the desk is tiltable, so we can still put things on the non-tilted side of the table. Anyway, for the tilted part of the desk, a book stopper can help hold up the book or paper. More on it at the last section on accessories, scroll all the way down!
The quality (aka durability) of the table is important for us because we are going to use it for a long while. According to Kidchamp, their table only uses eco-friendly materials that are safe for the children’s developing immune systems. The desk is made of a solid wood core (Southeast Asia wood) with a reinforcement layer, and a scratch-resistant surface. Moreover, the child can draw the surface with water-based markers and wipe them off easily. We tried and tested! 😉
Favourites
Other than the ergonomic functions, I like the colour of the table – nordic minimalism with a light touch of pink. Usually, there’s an overdose of pink for children’s furniture. However, being less pinkish is better because EX might outgrow her love for pink in the future. Also, minimalism is less stimulating for the child and blends better into the room decor. However, if the desk is a little bland for your child’s current pop colour loving age, you can consider getting a desk mat to spice things up. Scroll to the end under accessories.
EX’s personal favourites of the table are the sliding drawer to hide her stationery from her younger sister, and the retractable reading rack to hold my tablet. From the comfort of her Cres Chair, she would watch her school’s video clips.
Cres 3.0 Chair
Ergonomic Guidelines
To help you in choosing a suitable ergonomic chair, I’ve summarised guidelines from ehs.unc.edu on what to look out for in a chair:
- The backrest’s height should be adjustable so the lumbar support can be fitted into the low back. The backrest should mirror the shape of the back to provide support. It should also be able to recline independently of the seat pan and be set at a fixed reclined angle.
- The seat’s height should be adjustable until the thighs are parallel to the ground. Also, the seat pan should have a waterfall (rounded) front edge. A rounded front edge distributes the pressure over a larger area.
- The base of the seat should have at least five castors to ensure stability. Four castor chairs are less stable and tip over more easily.
Features
I compared Cres 3.0 Chair against the list above and would say it makes quite a good ergonomic chair for children.
Firstly, the heights of the backrest and seat can be separately adjusted to fit EX’s current height and future growth. I can even adjust the seat’s depth (i.e. how far in or out)! This means we can adjust the chair to fit EX, and not the other way round. Adjustable features mean higher mileage. However, for now, the chair is slightly high for EX’s current height of 99.5cm. Even at the lowest setting, she has to tiptoe a bit when we made her sit with her thighs parallel to the ground.
Another laudable feature of the chair is the dual backrest design. This design follows the natural curvature of the spine and thus reduces pressure on the spine. Furthermore, the saddle-shaped design of the seat aims to evenly spread the pressure points across. The seat felt like suede, and I recommend putting on the complimentary pink/blue seat cover for hygiene purposes and to protect the chair from any spills or whatnots. Get an extra set to rotate for washing. 😉
The base has 6 castor wheels for stability. The crescent-shaped base also reduces the risk of rollover crash from strong load capacity. If you want to stop the chair from moving around, adjust the castors to ‘OFF’ mode. Note that, you can still move the chair around until someone who weighs more than 20kg sits on it.
I turned it to the ‘OFF’ mode, but EX was not heavy enough. So I can still move the chair with her on it, although with quite a resistance. I sat and the chair didn’t move with the ‘OFF’ mode. The auto-lock function is useful because I don’t want to be turning the castors on and off all the time. Not letting the chair move is good to keep the child in one place, but there will be times I want to move it to clean the area.
Review of Kidchamp Accessories
Other than ergonomic children’s furniture, Kidchamp carries accessories that complement the desk — study lamp, book support block, design seat covers, and desk mat.
Book Support Block
Tilting the desk meant the book or paper on it has the tendency to slide down. Hence, the book stopper block makes it easier for us to hold and read the book (scroll up to see the photo of me reading on the block). We secured the block at the edge of the table with tape. The block is not too thick, and so it doesn’t interfere much when EX’s arms are on the table. Just so you know, the block is not hard like a stick but malleable when I bent it. The block also has a thoughtful design with ruler markings on it and a hole to place a pen or pencil.
Current price: S$29.90
Design Seat Cover
Like I said previously, get an extra seat cover to rotate for washing. 🙂 Kidchamp’s seat cover has designs that kids love. EX likes the unicorn design and thus chose it without hesitation. The seat cover comes in three pieces, two for the backrest and one for the seat pan. It is stretchy and slips easily over the seat. Although sometimes our fidgeting caused the seat cover to come off easily. The fabric is durable, anti-dust, wrinkle-resistant, anti-pilling, soft and comfortable.
The cover is easy to care for: Machine washable; Tumble dry low; Iron on warm heat.
Current price: S$34.90
Desk Mat
EX belongs to the age that still likes splashes of rainbow colours. Hence, the desk mat nicely colours up the desk without making it look too tacky. Made of PU PVC, the mat comes in three pretty designs!
The desk mat is customised to the shape and size of the MagiCube desk. It doubles up as a mouse pad too. The non-slip bottom also prevents the mat from slipping when the table is tilted up. Moreover, functional pockets on the mat can hold different items such as small cards, timetables, and A4 size papers.
As a preschooler, EX doesn’t have much stuff to put into those pockets. Even if there are, I’m not too sure if I want to place them in. They might distract her easily distracted mind. For now, it’s a pretty decor item. By the way, she chose the whale design herself when I thought she might prefer the strawberry.
Current price: S$39.90
LED study lamp (Lumito Desk Light)
Kidchamp’s accessories are all good to have but if you ask me to pick one, it’s the study lamp to protect our eyes. I could hear the echo of my mother, “Switch on the light,” whenever she saw me reading, studying, watching TV. So good lighting has been etched in my mind to be important. Like any other table lamp, remember to point the lamp on the walls or desk to diffuse the light source and keep the light from shining directly into the eyes.
Kidchamp’s Lumito Desk Light is a LED desk lamp that comes with a wireless charging pad and USB charging for electronic devices. The LED desk lamp has to be connected to a power source though. So we had to extend our power cord to reach the light on the desk. It would be nice to have an option to charge and unplug the lamp to use it wherever we want. In this way, wires wouldn’t be running around if the desk is not near any power source.
The lamp is sleek and slim with a detachable and rotatable design, thus making it portable. However, be careful the child doesn’t hit or bump into it because it’s not very heavy at the bottom.
Nevertheless, the lamp’s honeycomb lens is designed for a comfortable soft light experience with no blue light. Moreover, it has an anti-eyestrain design and is flicker-free.
What I like about Lumito is the lighting mode function. It has four lighting modes to choose from to write, read, relax, and use a computer. At each of the four lighting modes, we can adjust the brightness to one of its five brightness levels. Best of all, there’s a bonus mode: the light will auto-off after 45 minutes, a good reminder for us to rest our eyes.
Current price: S$99.90
So far, EX likes her new table and chair. I foresee them getting more functional as EX’s needs grow with age.
Invest in a good ergonomic table and chair for your growing child as he or she starts a new school year. They will definitely be beneficial in the event of HBL! Shop now at kidchamp.sg. You can also follow Kidchamp on Instagram and Facebook to be notified of promotional deals.
Looking for more tips on travel, home, and baby? Subscribe to my mailing list and be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube! If you like what you read here, keep it going too. 🙂
Disclosure: This is an editorial review. I was sponsored a portion of the package and was not paid for publishing my experience with this service. Shopee link is an affiliate link. All opinions are of my own and are genuine.
Disclaimer: JoogoStyle and Christina accepts no liability (whether in tort or contract or otherwise) for any loss or damage arising from any use, misuse, inaccuracy or omission of the information or other contents published on this website.