How on EARTH do you keep highchairs clean???

[Quootiepie]

Mine is soaking in the bath - again after lasagne. It's taken the best part of an hour to take apart, clean and now soak in the bath. The straps are disgusting, all discoloured and it looks about 5 years old, but ive only been using it a month or so! Three meals a day, trying to keep the damn thing clean is making me go mad! Id bin it, but it cost £100... do tripp trapps have the same problem? And if you have one of these stupid padded ones, how on eartn do you keep it clean and hygenic?

Many Thanks! xxx

once agani sobbing over lack of sodding ikea

bounces with excitement - IKEA ONLINE 2007!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want this

Its perfect

oooh I love that Flame.

I got an all singing and dancing mamas and papas one but I bloody hate it.

Ds is still miniscule in it and will be til he is 9yrs.
It's a nightmare to clean with all the gaps and straps and plastic creases.

before I had kids I thought the chicco one looked great, now I have kids and a chicco one and it's sooo annoying, I would even say it's crap

know what you mean about the hugeness of them, dd2 is nearly two and still seems to be just looking over the tray and you can't adjust it

I've got two of the all singing all dancing ones (long story) - trying to sell em/swap them for little ones but not having much luck.

Getting to the stage of cutting my losses, freecycling, and buying something I don't want to hack up with a big kitchen knife.

flame how old is your ds? couldn't you just go for a booster?

I like being able to feed him in the kitchen/lounge if I want to, and its not so easy with a booster (Yes, I know it would be hard with that ikea one too but its sooo pretty and it turns into a high dining chair )

I've got an Eastcoast wooden too, have removed the tray at last so the dried on muck is just on the less visible bits LOL.
Would never recommend it.
Realised fairly soon that what I want in a highchair is:
*Highsided tray for soaking
*Removable plastic (ie light) tray for easy cleaning
*Removable straps that just click off, not unscrew
*No crevices
*Folds flat and stashes somewhere

Oh yeah re crevices, I just spray liberally with bleachy kitchenspray to salve my conscience.

Another for the chicco.
Had it for DS and using it for DD as am too mean to buy another (although may consider the Ikea £15 one after reading this thread).
Agree with others - wash straps in WM once or twice a week and scrub the rest with kitchen spray. Don' use the tray with DD yet as she's too small.

DH takes the covers off, takes them outside and pressure washes them with the pressure wash meant for the paving slabs in the garden. They look like brand new highchairs afterwards!

Lol, I used to have to chisle the weetabix off !!!!!!!!!!!!!

quootie- are you sing a bib with a big scoop in the front to catch as much food as possible? sorry if that's obvious but i find they have reduced the mess big time, especially for us blw mums.

I'm considering chucking a big bit of fleece over the seat - just shake it into the bin then wash?

Our first tripp-trapp, the one which has had three babies and toddlers in it, is appalling. We can't clean it properly as it's lost it's surface. Tried leaving it out in the rain as advised by mumsnet and it just festered, didn't get clean.

I sometimes hide it when people come to visit.

so much for Tripp-trapps having resale value not ours.

You can also cut up an old fleece hooded top to make a long bib or 'porridge apron.' Slit up the back just to the neck so even a 6-12m one will cover a 4yr old's lap, snip off the hood, cut in two and tack the halves on to the bottom of the front to make it really long. Then snip the sleeves off. It's nice and warm too so they don't have to wear dressing gowns and get those mucky.

tripp trapp, easy peasy
Wipe 2 x a day - can even hose it down if it's been a hefty muck session.

PIL's have bought the IKEA one (as shown by Flame) for when ds visits, it seems quite lightweight & could tip easily if a larger active baby was left unattended I think, also not a 5-point harness.

I quite like the East Coast jobbie, very stable & solid, folds away, easy to clean & will last for ever or biodegrade depending how I treat it. dp suggested the scoopy bibs too(doh!),I should have thought of that really. I wish the tray was removable when ds was in it though.

Went to Debenhams in Weymouth recently & they have fabulous high chairs for smaller babes, bit like supermarket trolley seats.