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?

Oh right, so the people who clean up after their kids don't chat to them during the meal, now?! Bizarre logic,

And now you are actally admitting to cleaning up afterward...?

I would never expect restaurant staff to have to deal with the full mess that a baby or toddler makes during the average meal. I would always clean it up as best I can with what I have, including asking for a dustpan or cloth and spray if needed (some places hand them over, most say not to worry and they will do it, but at least then they know that there's a mess to clear up). I agree, though, that restaurants should be responsible for ensuring that the facilities are clean and ready to use, and high chair straps are the worst offenders by far.

I have always wondered who leaves wee on the seats of public loos and sheets of loo roll on the floor. I suspect it's people who think that the cleaners are responsible for keeping the toilets clean, and are the same people who think that restaurants should clean up every bit of kiddy mess...

i dont moan at my children for making it a mess, i do encourage good manners and that includes cleaning up after yourself! i wont tell them off for spilling food or make a scene or moan at them, its normal esp for a baby/toddler but i will clean it up afterwards and not expect the waiting staff to do it for me!

its not a case of constantly picking up food and telling them to eat nicely, we just sit and eat our meal as we woudl do at home, with the odd reminder to talk quietly etc if i feel they are being too loud, ditto about table manner as i would do at home a reminder if necessary. and then clean up at the end. so not stressful and not ashamed of how my children eat at all.

my elder ones will automaticaly pick up any dropped bits and help tidy up at the end, just as they do at home, its good manners.

Somerset and sirzy I'm not here to be insulted, for a bunfight. I'm here to discuss high chair hygiene. That ok?

Who says I constantly pick up food and tell them not to drop it? I pick up all the bits off the floor at the end and wipe down. If they were deliberately throwing food, yes I would tell them not to, but not if they are just trying to eat but dropping things.

I've literally just come in from eating out with my kids, granted they're no longer toddlers but I stacked the plates and put all leftovers and rubbish on the top plate. I always clean up behind us in fast food restaurants and did clean the high chair before I left when the children were young. To me it's just common decency to clean up as much as I can.

ceevee it's different because the baby changing stations are in toilets which are cleaned at set times and not after each use unlike highchairs which should be wiped by staff whenever a party leaves.
Plus, of course, urine and feces are more disgusting and carry infection and smell

Oh FFS, so now I pee on loo seats?

Might just hang around to be insulted some more.

This is a discussion forum. Are we just meant to nod and agree with you?

exactly sirzy i am not ashamed at how my children eat, far from it actually we have eaten out with them from a very young age and they have good table manners. i would feel ashamed and embarrased to walk away leaving a big mess. it is just polite to tidy up after yourself!

Don't take it so personally. Nobody said HoopDoop pees on toilet sets, did they?

yes the highchairs shoudl be clean and yes the restaraunt should clean them, but parents shoudl do their bit and not leave them filthy!

Exactly, 5.

Hoop - if you don't like people disagreeing with you then perhaps AIBU isn't a good place to post?

If you admit to thinking its fine to leave mess for someone else to clean up you have to expect people to think you are lazy and rude that isn't very polite.

The problem is though, especially if somewhere is busy it can be a case of family leave next family need the high chair. This means if families leave lots of mess there simply isn't the time for the staff to get to the table and high chair to clean them properly before they are needed again.

That comment about people weeing on toilet seats is just insulting and stupid

I clean up after us. I wipe and bag our mess, but I don't bring anti bac cleaning wipes with me, just baby wipes. I do still expect the highchairs to be cleaned as frequently as the other tables. And they mostly aren't. The straps are usually filthy. And I'm not sure that the staff can't tell which need cleaning. At John Lewis westfield, for example, they all do.

A notable exception is the immaculate high chairs at Mamas and Papas Oxford Street cafe. I would eat off those straps. Well done them.

How much mess are you talking about, sirzy ? I already said I scoop food off floor, but if the high chair tray is messy - which it will be - I won't clean it, because to me it is like cleaning my own plate with a Dettol wipe! Not expected.

I'm at being cast as 'lazy' 'bloody arrogant' and 'people like me should stay at home' but I'm not sure that precludes me from posting in AIBU, I just forget how rude some posters can be on here.

Exactly white. Yes it's right for the patent to do some clearing up but ultimately restaurant staff should wipe highchairs every time like they do for tables and chairs.

I hated high chairs. So hard to clean. We never bought expensive ones but why can't they make even the mid range ones a little easier to maintain. Dark plastic so stains don't show. Removable harness for going in the wash, also dark, and removable padding that is washable in the machine.

agree with 5 , yes the restaurants should clean the highchairs etc but no way would I leave a mess aswell . I never understand people who leave trays of food on tables in fast food places when they often have to walk past a bin to get out . This is a small part of why society is so selfish these days coz a high % won't do anything to help someone else . Sure the workers get paid but they tend to have many other jobs too , a quick wipe from each parent would make a big difference .

It's awful. Supermarket cafe's are the worse for this we have to clean them ourselves before using! And I'm not an antibac everything type of mum either.

I am a cleaner and it's one of my pets hates when people assume I am paid to cleanup after them.

I only have a set amount of hours, and while I am cleaning up after patients who can put rubbish in the bin or who have tables and lockers piled high it takes time away from other jobs that need doing.

Fine, feel insulted at my post. Maybe the people who think that it's a toilet cleaners job to keep the loos clean aren't exactly the same people who think that it's the restaurants job to keep the chairs clean. But the attitude is identical: it might be my / my child's mess, but someone else gets paid to clean it up, so I will leave it for them to sort out.

McHappyPants. Exactly