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looks like a great idea, but i would be afraid that a wiggly child would send their plate flying. Especially if using light weight dishes.

Great idea, but there is NO WAY my toddler would allow it to stay in place. If she was left alone for a minute with it, her plate would be on the floor. It's just too tempting for inquisitive (and defiant) little ones.

6Everetts
www.cooksinterrupted.blogspot.com

I agree, my toddler is up and down from the table 10 times during dinner. Once he figured out he could send his food flying it would be one messy game!

In our house, the placemat/bib would become a toy, thereby defeating the whole purpose of the thing in the first place!

Conceptually, I get it. But practically—I just don't see it working. Maybe my kids are the exception to the rule, but they do not sit still, are always pushing themselves away from the table, turning around to see what the dog is up to, and trying to grab each other's food even though they have the same thing on their own plate.

So really, I just see the plate, food and everything else ending up on the floor instead of just stray bits of food.

But isn't that why we have the dog?

That would actually work for my little gem. She's SO very motivated by her meals, she just stays in place to eat, very little distracts her. She's also fussy enough to be annoyed with falling food, so while we're clearly in the minority, this looks great to me.

that thing looks like a nightmare. i have a reasonably well-behaved child at dinner time and i still can't see the value in this. it's just a bigger mess waiting to happen...

I'm gonna have to agree with the majority here. Unless you have totally SECURED your babe, this just seems like a giant mess waiting to happen. And by secured, I mean straps and duct tape. And maybe some velcro. ;)

ABSOLUTELY NOT. I love my guy, but he's typically trying "magic tricks" with our tablecloth or his placemat... this would just compound the problem. *sigh*

I can see why someone came up with this idea (as I clean the mess from lunchtime off the floor) but it has some issues. The best money I have spent was on the baby bjorn soft plastic bib. It catches all the food that goes down the front (let's be honest if they are going to throw the food, even this bavettone won't help!) and when you are done I put mine in the dishwasher and it comes out perfectly clean. I also throw an old sheet down under high chair for meals, when finished, I pick up and shake out the window. Wash once a week and it is all good.

No way! She'd get up an walk away - taking her plate with her. And an even bigger mess than usual.

I have kids and this STILL seems ridiculous.

I'm with mummymaegs on the Baby Bjorn bibs. They catch most of the food, (like she said, you can't do much about the thrown food), and they're very easy to take care of. I would say best money I ever spent, but they were a gift.

Hahaha, it reminds me of the snuggie! :)
Having just let my son use a spoon to feed himself some applesauce for the first time today, this actually looks like a good idea... except of course for the pushing-back/pulling-out-factor.
Plus, it looks like an oilcloth/PVC BPA-laden toxic no-no. (Their website had no info on materials.)

Not. This goes on the list with leashes for your kids.

The only way to avoid mopping and laundering that I can come up with: strip the kid down to her diapers and set her chair in an inflatable kiddy pool.

My cousin Kameron designed a much more chic version for adults, called Tableclothes. Photos here: http://originalprojects.com/project/77/

df

This would be perfect for my kids except for one who is way too concerned with what's going on around her to sit forward. I can picture her turning around in her chair and having lunch everywhere. I may get one for my three-year-old though..

like the idea - but my son would pull that off the table in a second, along with the rest of his lunch. And then I'm sure he would think it was hilarious. But I have 4 dogs who clean up the floor for me after his meals - so the food on the floor isn't too big a problem for me!! =)

No way - this is indeed an accident waiting to happen - the only way this would work was if it was actually attached to the table - then you're at risk of strangling the child - absolutely useless!

Maybe if my kid did not move at all while she ate.

Ditto on the Baby Bjorn bibs. That plus a yard and a half of roll plastic from the clearance bin at the fabric store for the floor and our carpet is protected.

My little guy would be waving this thing all over with a big smile on his face.

This is similar to how I fed all 4 of my children when they needed bibs. I just made longer than usual bibs and tucked them under their bowl. True, sometimes they'd jerk backwards and end up with a lap full of cheerios, but that happened less than you'd think, and on the whole resulted in a lot less cheerios than usual on the floor. Also, it seemed to make the children more aware of having to stay close to the table, which is good training for the bib-less stage where they need to know how to eat over their plate.

cute idea but umm my kids would have sent everything flying EVERYWHERE! haha