Can a toddler still use these today?

Many parents do use them for meals. You have to evaluate the stability of the joints and the width of the leg splay first. Modern safety standards require a five-point harness. Antique pieces lack these, so you would need to retrofit a secure strap system before placing a child inside.

I have an old wooden one that folds down on metal wheels to make a little cart, but the hinge is very stiff, should I oil it?

A drop of light machine oil on the cast iron hinge pins will usually free them up. Rust builds up in the pivot points if the chair has been stored in a damp shed or attic. Just go slowly. Forcing the folding mechanism can crack the timber framing around the bolts. Work the joint gently back and forth once oiled.

What is the hole in the seat for?

A circular cutout in a solid timber seat indicates it doubled as a commode. A ceramic chamber pot slid into a grooved rail underneath. This feature is more common on early nineteenth-century country pieces. The pots rarely survive with the frame.

The tray on mine is missing but the wooden arms have holes drilled right through the ends. How did the original front piece attach?

Those holes held a turned wooden rod. It slid straight through one arm, across the child's lap, and out through the other arm. A wooden peg or a leather thong dropped through a smaller hole in the rod's end. This stopped the child from pushing it back out. It was a simple restraining bar rather than a flat food tray.

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Antique High Chairs

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Antique high chairs are elevated seating forms designed to bring a young child to dining table height, typically featuring long splayed legs, a footrest, and a retaining bar or tray.