High chair catchy versus floor mat?

[trrk]

Should I buy a high chair catchy or a floor mat for weaning if convenience is the main criteria? Which is easiest to clean? Do catchys actually catch all the mess? Looks quite small.

Could you get the catchy and a cheap shower curtain or a dog for the stuff that goes on the floor?

A dog is seriously the best food catcher! If you have one, you don't need anything else.

If not, a shower curtain or a piece of oilskin fabric, as big as you can fit works beautifully. Bear in mind if you're close to a wall, the wall may need wiping down too, so if you've got beautiful ultra matt paint or expensive wallpaper, you might want to screen that too.

I also found a bibadoo really, really useful.

Oh, and once they discover they can blow raspberries through a mouthful of yoghurt, you may want a rain coat too.

Unless you have carpet, invest in a single microfibre cloth and just use it to clean the floor around the highchair after meals.

In our old house we had carpet under the dining table and just used an off cut of Lino under DD’s chair (booster seat and tray attached to dining chair from 6mo) with the intention of putting it away after every meal. It never went away and I just wiped it with a cloth.
Current house we have laminate and I just sweep up after every meal, kids are 2 and 5, food still goes in the floor

Oh, and once they discover they can blow raspberries through a mouthful of yoghurt, you may want a rain coat too

Raspberryed food in your hair is the worst, especially if you miss bits and it sets

I've got a Catchy for my 7 month old who's doing BLW. I really like it because i can re-offer finger food that he's dropped or rescue cutlery. I wipe it down after each meal and dettol it at the end of the day. I found it easier to keep clean than a floor mat so I'm happier to re-offer food from it and the neighbour's cat (who thinks he lives in our kitchen) doesn't try to sit on it, unlike the floor mat.

I also have Bibado coveralls. The Catchy gets the stuff that he drops over the sides and the Bibado stops stuff going into his lap (especially water).

Have you decided yet @trrk?

We had a mat, which was great until DD started cruising as it was too slippy so we had to put it away. Now I just wipe the mess up off the floor once she's finished... she's generally pretty good in that respect though.

Thanks all for the advice! I think I’ll get the catchy as I like that you can reoffer the food but I guess we may need a floor mat too. No dog but the cat will probably have a go if given the chance. Thanks for the tips about the bibadoos too!

I reoffered food that went on the floor (if it was a chunk of something rather than something sloppy). I had plastic floor mats which were getting cleaned and mopped three times a day so were the cleanest part of my house!