dirty high chairs

[claudedebussy]

it never fails to amaze me (why - i don't know, considering it's been years...) how restaurants don't bother to clean their high chairs. if they left the tables and chairs in the same condition they'd probably be shut down by elf and safety.

latest case-in-point: john lewis. absolutely filthy high chair and it was the best of the bunch. such that i didn't do my usual pa tight-lipped clean but asked a cleaner if she had a cloth. she had the decency to look embarrassed at the disgusting state of it but certainly didn't go off to clean the rest of them.

so. aibu?

Yes they should clean them, but then again, maybe minging parents shouldn't leave them filthy. DS leaves carnage everywhere when he eats, but I do my best to clean it up afterwards.

I carry a pack of anti bac wipes and clean up after my DCs, and clean before they eat if they need it

When I was young I had a Saturday shop at a major fast food chain and we were always trained to clean the high chairs and I always, always did it, with a clean cloth. I'm surprised other places aren't more vigilant.

Write to John Lewis to complain, you might get a voucher!

I agree they should be cleaned, but I too always clean up dd's mess when we leave somewhere.

John Lewis high chairs are always filthy. On the rare occasions they do clean them they only seem to wipe the tray and the seat. They are unaware that toddlers will smear food on every surface.

Yes I think they should clean them. But surly the parents of small children should clean up after them. I already clean up after my two why don't others?

High chairs in food courts in shopping centre's are disgraceful, it seems no one wants to take ownership of them.

I hate it when families leave a mess behind them - if DS makes a mess I clean it up not expect someone else to

Ach, I thought this was going to be a Good Housekeeping-style thread about how difficult it is to clean a so-called 'wipe-clean fabric' high chair (yeah, I bought it from John Lewis!)

This was a real bugbear of mine when DD was little - it was so rare to find a highchair in any restaurant or cafe that was clean enough to use. I used to take this fabric thingy with me which you could use on almost any chair to make it a makeshift chair for a little one.

I don't think I should clean up after DS - that's the restaurant's job, surely? I don't clean up after myself or DH, and I expect clean plates and cutlery to eat my food. DS deserves the same, surely? Just because he's a bit less skilled at eating tidily, and can't ask for a clean plate/tray to eat off, should he be discriminated against?!?! Oh God I'm turning into one of those parents, amn't I I actually mean it though. If children are welcome, make them properly welcome and not grudgingly and unhygienically so.

Disgusting. YANBU at all.

YANBU!
I wonder why it's deemed acceptable not to wipe highchairs in restaurants! I totally agree with you!

And I also use antibacterial wipes before I dot baby down

Disagree HoopDePoop. My not-quite-a-toddler DGC can make a hell of a mess - especially on the floor - when eating finger foods.
Many's the time I've asked for a dustpan and brush. I'd be far too embarrassed to leave that much of a heap on the floor.

Hoop - I would hope you can manage to eat a meal without it ending up over the table/floor/walls etc

i ALWAYS use wet wipes to clean the highchair after my child has used it! and i pick up any food off the floor etc, ditto i will make sure our plates are in a tidy pile and the table is debris free, yes its their job to take the plates away but i still make sure i leave it all reasonably clean/tidy, its just polite!

if a highchair is diry i wipe it down myself with a wetwipe before i use it.

a highchair should be cleaned and i ahve seen staff in john lewis and other places cleaning them, but often a parent will just put it back, or leave it filthy and the staff cant spot each one and clean it before someone else uses it, particularly if its busy.

yanbu to be annoyed but your anger is missplaced, it hsould be with the people who used it before you and didnt clean it up! its not hard to wipe a high chair down with a wet wipe once you are done with it!

oh and what nannyogg said i have asked for a dustpan and brush etc as well when needed.

It's the straps that bother me. Clearly some places clean everything else, but often the straps are sticky/crusty/solid and generally make me want to heave. Would it hurt to take them out and soak them even once a week? (instead of never). No amount of wiping down by a parent is going to prevent fabric straps soaking up dirt. I have tried. (and I'm always getting told to stop cleaning the floor under the seat by DH and staff, but I'd be humiliated to just walk away from the messes DD used to make)

Thank goodness so many places have cottoned on to the Antilop!

I always wipe down with a Milton wipe no matter what they look like. Other people's children are gross

I disagree with some on here. It's the restaurants job to keep tables and Chairs Caen and the same ges with high chairs too. Customers would not be expected to clean their own tables this applies to high hairs too

The place should of course keep them clean, but if parents made some effort to tidy up after their children that would make the job easier and it easier to keep on top of the ground in type dirt.

Well yes, I'd scoop food off floor, but not wipe the tray afterwards - that's the job of the restaurant, surely?

I'm BLW DS 9mo, he's pretty messy.

Honestly, if small children are welcome then staff should expect and deal with the mess. I eat out to avoid the hassle of cooking and cleaning up - why should having a child, all of whom make a mess when they eat, hence I'm not 'embarassed' by it, make it expected that I should help out the staff?

yy pigletmania

Its attitudes like "why should I clean up after them" which makes so many places not want to cater for children.

Children may make a mess but why expect a stranger to clean up your childs mess? We always make sure the table is left clean with everything stacked on plates as much as possible.

if i drop food on my chair or the table i will pick it up and put it in a napkin or on the plate at the end of a meal. i tend to scrape any leftovers onto one plate as well and just generally make sure the table is easy to clear and then the staff can wipe it down. yes they should wipe tables down etc between customers but i see no need to leave a big mess for them. its simple enough to tidy up a bit yourself and just polite.

ie my dd will make a massive mess with yogurt, she tries to drink it! but i wouldnt leave the highchair covered in yog for the staff to clean i would wipe it up myself.

if i spill a drink i will grab napkins etc to clean it up and aks staff for a cloth and then they tend to help anyway but i see no need to make more work for the staff. these places are often very busy and yes its their job to clean up but there is mess and then there is MESS. i try and make sure we dont create lots of extra work.