Giving
ccording to an old English saying, necessity is the mother of invention. Well, quite true. The necessity: The need to provide her children with comfortable affordable seating at the dinner or study table. The mother: the world travelled and now Johanneburg based Liz Gakuo. The solution: The Enzi chair, a chair uniquely designed to be used by the child at the table from the age of six months up to 11 years old. From old English sayings to vintage Swahili phrases; the word ‘Enzi’ means throne in this East African language. Liz says that when she became a mother to her two sons – Declan in 2004 and Aiden in 2006 – she took a look at them and decided that only the absolute best will do. She embarked on a search for chairs
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suited for her little princes and on failing to find anything appropriate at the right price, she realised that there was a gap in the South African market for such a product. “My husband and I initially bought the kids the conventional plastic high chair,” Liz explains, “It
be many parents out there who are experiencing the same problem,” Liz recalls, “especially seeing as meal and study times are extremely important to the child’s development and the whole family experience. Although the kids may not be able to participate in the conversation, these times need to be made as comfortable as possible for them so that they do not feel excluded. A fundamental example is the fact that adults can put their feet on the floor while many kids’ chairs do not provide a platform for the child to rest his or her feet on which causes discomfort and impacts on the child’s overall posture.” Other than this platform for the child’s feet, the Enzi Chair has a number of other impressive features. A complete set comes with a swing tray, guard rail and a five-point safety harness for the baby. As the baby grows, one easily adjusts the chair
“The conventional plastic chair worked for a while but I soon noticed how uncomfortable my kids were so I began the rigorous search for an alternative” worked for a while but I soon noticed how uncomfortable they were with their feet dangling and their arms failing to reach the table. I became worried that the slouching will eventually affect their posture.” The search for an alternative was quite rigorous and Liz found the prices of good chairs quite unreasonable. “I thought to myself that there must
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