I have a 15 month old toddler. We set up her highchair on a vinyl mat and by the end of the meal it is caked with crumbs, liquids, etc. We ration her food and only give her as much as she can eat, but still...kids are kids right? Cleaning this vinyl mat is a chore. My husband doesn't like to use brooms because the food particles get caught and then it smells, so either he or I get on our hands and knees and wipe the darned thing down with cleaner wipes every night. NOT FUN. Any suggestions?
Use a large beach towel or old blanket over the vinyl mat, then shake it outside after every meal. Unless there is a major spill, you can use the same one for several days. Leaving the vinyl mat will keep liquids from penetrating to the carpet or nice flooring, but cleanup takes only minutes. You can even take the vinyl outside and hose it off if it gets sticky, and let it dry outside too.
How about putting paper down and discarding after mealtime?
get a dog, we never cleaned food off the floor after that! :o)
I was lazy about cleaning our mat (dreading the chore) but I found that when I put it in water, the ick just came off then I hung it out to dry. I shook off the excess in the garden before putting it in the sink.
E.
Hi J.,
I second the dog and newspaper suggestions. The dog will also love and protect your family better then an alarm system. (That is if you love and treat your dog like a family member, which will envolve work).
You seem to be a pretty fortunate mama and wife...Blessings to you all.
Pick up the mat and wash it off in the sink or outside.
Stephanie
Get a dog. Or eat outdoors. Our 2-year-old regularly spills food but our two Labs are standing by to clean it up. Not sure if you have a dog, but if you do, let it in after meal time and you will no longer be on your hands and knees. :)
L.
I discovered the Swiffer Vac. I love it. Check it out!
Do you have someplace outside where you can take the hose to the mat? We to fold away the high chair (dining room was only 6x5 feet... take the mat off the floor and out the back door to the hose! Spray it off and lay it out on the patio for 10-15 minutes to dry....
Hi J.,
We fed our kids in the bathtub when they were younger. Then everything washed down the drain when they took their bath!
Have fun!
Hi there,
I recently succumbed to a very tempting info-mercial on the Swivel Sweeper, for this very reason. I was constantly on my hands and knees wiping up food particles under the high chair and in the kitchen. Yuck! Sweeping was gross, and the swiffer duster still required me bending down to sweep up the particles. I had to have a better solution, so I broke down and ordered the Swivel Sweeper online. www.swivelsweeper.com. It's not much larger than the head of a Swiffer duster, but it's battery operated, and picks up almost anything. I just wait a little while after dinner (i.e. after bath and bedtime) to allow the food under the high chair to dry. Then I swivel-sweep up the crumbs. I don't use a mat under the high chair cuz it's just easier to clean up the hard wood floors under the high chair. If you have carpet, I'm not sure it would work as well, but it still may vaccuum up the crumbs directly off your vinyl mat. I love this little device! It ended up being about $35 (actually $70 for two of them, and I shared one with a friend and we split the cost!). Well worth it! Good luck solving your mess problem--you're not alone!
A.
