At the food court in a mall in Milwaukee, someone had noticed that most of the babies were being fed in their strollers rather than the high chairs provided by the mall. People complained about them being dirty. So, the tv station sent a team of people over to swab the high chairs and sent the swabs to be cultured. They grew from 400,000 to 4,000,000 colonies of bacteria! Ewwwwww! I'm glad my kids don't need high chairs anymore!

They suggested the "Clean Diner", which is a cloth-like thingie that drapes over the chair and your kid doesn't touch the grimy chair! (not trying to sell the thing. It was just one suggestion they had in the news story)

Or to have some wipes and wipe off the chair yourself. I have to admit my kids sat on plenty of public high chairs and I never really worried about the germs, but ewww!

By Kittycat_26 on Friday, November 19, 2004 - 06:42 am:

Some are grosser than others. We've fed Timmy in his stroller or on our lap before when I just could not stomach the thought of putting him in one of those dirty high chairs.

By Karen~moderator on Friday, November 19, 2004 - 07:48 am:

Dawn, that doesn't surprise me, disgusting as it is. Madison (almost 4 now) is too big for high chairs now, but we do use booster seats in public. When I take her into a restaurant when we are finished eating I immediately take her to the restroom and make her wash her hands really well. Which is something all kids need to be taught anyway, but I've become germ-phobic in public. LOL And after she's washed her hands in the restroom, I make sure she doesn't touch anything in there on the way out!

Something else to think of - have you ever sat at a table in a food court in a mall or even places like Applebees, and smelled *that smell* - the smell of a wet dishrag that's been left sitting on the sink for a few days? Makes you wonder how much bacteria is actually being wiped around and around the table tops too.............

OH - and I am now in the habit of keeping some anti bacterial wipes in a ziplock in my purse to have on hand *just in case*. My friend laughed at me last weekend, told me I was *going through motherhood* all over again, but they have come in VERY handy more than once!

By Rayanne on Friday, November 19, 2004 - 08:23 am:

I have one of those things, but it goes in the grocery cart and we use it for the highchairs too. I love mine and am very thankful for it. Those carts and highchairs are just nasty.

By Children03 on Friday, November 19, 2004 - 08:35 am:

My mother-in-law made me a buggy bagg like the ones online and I use it in grocery carts and high chairs. It is wonderful. Plus, it cushions the chair a little too.

By My2cuties on Friday, November 19, 2004 - 09:45 am:

Thanks Dawn, I am going to have to order one, thanks for sharing.

By Boxzgrl on Friday, November 19, 2004 - 09:52 am:

I never used those for DD. She only uses the booster seats now, which i'm sure are just as bad. Maybe i'll carry some Lysol spray around with me, lol! I'm not too much of a germaphobic with DD because I think early exposure to some germs can only build up her immunity but there are things that are extremely nasty such as the high chairs, and fast food play areas. Those are things we avoid.

But, thanks for the info!

By Jelygu on Friday, November 19, 2004 - 12:01 pm:

That is really gross... and Karen, I know what smell you are talking about. Yuck! I work in a restaurant and I can tell you from experience that those things don't get cleaned. They are supposed to be cleaned by each bus boy after their shift, but I never see them do it. Disgusting!

By Nancy on Friday, November 19, 2004 - 02:46 pm:

I always wiped down the chair and table b/4 I'd let dd sit in one.

Another nasty non washed item is the trays that the fast food is served on. I always ask for my food to go and then go sit down.

By Bellajoe on Friday, November 19, 2004 - 04:20 pm:

I used to have the Table Toppers that you put on the tables for the baby or child to eat off of. Those were nice to have. I ordered mine from Rightstart.com, but you can get those at babies r us now.

Melissa, i know what you mean about fast food play areas. I can practically SEE the germs in there! I had never taken my kids to one, and my sis in law took my ds. He came home from the place sick! Next time, they took both kids and i think one of them ended up sick again. I'm sure they never clean off those slides and play equipment.

By Imamommyx4 on Sunday, November 21, 2004 - 09:15 pm:

I had always wiped down the baby high chairs. Then one day I had to do into the play tube after my friend's ds. It stinks in there. So now I make sure dd washes her hands before we leave the play area. She's not gotten sick from them I don't think. But it still grosses me out to think about it.