For those w/ Chicco Polly highchair

[bw52]

help me decide on fabric vs. vinyl, please. I've decided we're getting this highchair, but I can't decide on which color. It seems like most people say vinyl is easier to clean, but then I read a review about LO getting hot in there with the vinyl cover. Is this a prob for anyone? And the discovery (which isthe only vinyl I really like seems to be the most expensive at the moment). What color do you have?

Also, can these REALLY not go in the wash? DH keeps asking if they just say that and we can really throw it on. Has anyone tried that? I'm guessing no.

I've also seen some really cute high chair covers on etsy that are custom made to fit high chairs and am considering getting one of those. Has anyone tried that? Do you think that would be a good idea? They're cuter than any of the vinyl patterns (in my opinion) and can be thrown in the wash. I figure I should see how well it cleans up before buying one, though. But I wonder if this would make the chair hotter?

[Momof3Labs]

No way would I do a fabric high chair cover. Do you really want to wash it 3 times a day? Or change the cover 3 times a day (if you own 3 covers) and wash once daily? It requires multiple steps to remove the cover; I can see it growing old very fast.

I have a Prima Pappa with a fabric cover over vinyl, and we used the fabric maybe once then never bothered to put it back on.

[wendibird22]

We have a Chico Polly. Used it with DD1. It has the vinyl. While it is easy to wipe down after each meal (and yes you'll need to) there are a million billion seams and nooks and crannies which are impossible to clean. I would have to take the whole thing apart, flip the cover inside out, and take a toothpick to the crevices to get it clean. Total pain in the rear. Oh and even though it says the tray is dishwasher safe it is way too big to fit in a standard dishwasher.

We probably won't use it for DD2. We have a FP booster that has a tray and will probably just use that. It's all plastic and no crevices for stuff to get stuck in.

[AbbysMom]

We have a Chico Polly. Used it with DD1. It has the vinyl. While it is easy to wipe down after each meal (and yes you'll need to) there are a million billion seams and nooks and crannies which are impossible to clean. I would have to take the whole thing apart, flip the cover inside out, and take a toothpick to the crevices to get it clean. Total pain in the rear. Oh and even though it says the tray is dishwasher safe it is way too big to fit in a standard dishwasher.
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If I knew how to use the "yeah that" icon, it would be here. We have the Polly and HATE it!! It is so dirty and gross. We took it on the lawn and power washed it last summer. That was the cleanest it ever got and the padding under the seat was still gross. We liked that it folded so small but never fold it. If I had to do it again,I'd get this high chair:
http://www.combi-intl.com/Products/Item.aspx?Item=17
I saw it at a friend's house. The seat IS machine washable, the tray DOES FIT in the dishwasher and they are currently using it at the table.

[saddie23]

We have a Chico Polly. Used it with DD1. It has the vinyl. While it is easy to wipe down after each meal (and yes you'll need to) there are a million billion seams and nooks and crannies which are impossible to clean. I would have to take the whole thing apart, flip the cover inside out, and take a toothpick to the crevices to get it clean. Total pain in the rear. Oh and even though it says the tray is dishwasher safe it is way too big to fit in a standard dishwasher.

We probably won't use it for DD2. We have a FP booster that has a tray and will probably just use that. It's all plastic and no crevices for stuff to get stuck in.

We have the Polly and hate it too. It is sooo hard to clean - the straps and buckle are the hardest to clean, but I even have to use a toothpick to clean the tray sometimes because of the seam that goes around the whole thing.

On the plus side, it does fold nicely and for a while we did fold it nightly so that was nice. We have the vinyl and I have never tried to wash it in the washing machine so I'm not sure about that - it does wipe clean enough if you can get in all of the crevices. And I never noticed DD get too hot in the vinyl - she actually seems to like the chair well enough, I just dont!

[newg]

I have a polly and did try to wash it once.........DD had a major explosion in it while she was just starting to eat solids................it took daaaayyys to dry out and......now I just wipe it down and use my vacume to clean out the creases.

the vinyl doesn't get hot.......maybe if it was in the sun all day, but it never is.......
I just read in the BBB that the fisher price high chairs are highly recommended and I probably would have gone with one of those if there were nicer color options when I had to pick one.

[MamaSnoo]

We have the Polly as well, and it was nicer looking than some other options....when it was clean, before DD ever used it. The only way to get it really clean was to haul it outside with hose and scrub brush!

We liked the FP booster much better....and it is way cheap compared to any high chair!! DD moved to the booster around age 12 mos after week bought it for a beach trip and loved it. The tray fits in the dishwasher, now that she is older, we can just pull it up to the table. It is easy to clean and she seems to like it. We did not use it when she was younger and first starting solids, so I do not know how it would be for a LO who does not sit as steadily yet (i.e. 6-8 mos).

For what the Polly costs, we really did not get much use out of it long term!

[bw52]

Well, now I really don't know what to get! I've read reviews about the Chicco being hard to clean, but I've also read that about the Prima Pappa. And I didn't really like the PP, anyway--especially not for $100 more. LO couldn't even reach the tray in there--nor could she in the Graco's. She's about 6.5 months and small for her age. But we really need a high chair she can use NOW. Not one that she'll grow into in 6 months. So I honestly don't even know what to get if I don't get the Chicco. We tried the Fisher Price (I think Precious Planet one?) at BRU and although I tried to love it, I really don't. I've actually gone back a couple times trying to convince myself it's really good, but I just can't. The tray was hard to maneuver and it just doesn't seem that sturdy. (Maybe it's b/c we have the FP Rainforest swing and we're currently on our 3rd motor in less than 5 months?). I guess I'm thinking it's made as cheaply as the swing that keeps breaking. So like I said, I don't know what to do now. The Combi one looks intruiging with a machine washable seat (that's the only thing I liked about the FP one), but I'd have to buy in online, without trying it IRL and seeing as how LO doesn't fit well in many, that's risky.

Sorry. Just thinking out loud. Any suggestions of where to go from here? I'm still considering getting the Chicco, but I'd love to find one that's easlier to clean! I think I've just convinced myself that the perfect highchair doesn't exist!

Ooh...what about the high chair cover? This one: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38876544

Would that solve my cleaning problem and then would it be a good highchair?

[Charlie]

The cover will not help imo. The high chair seat is not really the problem, it's the actual high chair as it has a million cracks and crevices. It always looks dirty. I don't think it will be an issue when you are still doing purees but once your child starts to self feed, it will be. It's a perfectly fine, functional high chair but it's just annoying to clean. Some of my friends with small babies used the Ikea high chair (it's one piece of molded plastic) without a problem. It's also cheap enough that you could always get something else if you really hate it. Another friend has the wooden Eddie Bauer high chair with the plastic tray. I like it and it seems easy to clean. Of course, I haven't actually used it so I can't say from experience.

[Momof3Labs]

The PP and Chicco are both very hard to clean - yes, I've had both. How about the FP strap-on booster that many people recommended to you in your earlier thread on the topic?

[maydaymommy]

Yup. Same story. I have the Polly and would not get it again.

I have put the vinyl cover in the wash and it was fine. I like having 2 tray covers but I loathe not being able to pu it in the dishwasher.

Way too many seams, cracks, crevices, etc to keep clean.

[PAfirsttimemom]

Guess I'm in the minority, but I like the Polly! We got it back in 2006, before DS1's birth. Now we're using it for DS2. I think the only area that is tough to clean is the few cracks and crevices at the footrest. Not a big deal IMO. Everything else wipes up easily (we have the vinyl). I do agree with PPs that it is annoying that the snap-on plastic tray cover cannot fit in the dishwasher, but I'm used to just washing that off after every meal and setting it next to the sink to dry. The seat has been very comfortable for my boys.

[drako]

I have the Chicco Polly as well with no problems. DD is 12 months old and is self feeding. I can't compare it to anything else but I think it is easy to wipe down and clean. The only thing that I notice that is pain is the seam around the tray. It really isn't that much of a pain because I just take a toothpick and get the grime out. Maybe DD isn't a messy eater yet but I have not had problems keeping it clean. Our straps don't get dirty since I put her bib over of it. I really have no complaints at the moment.

[Bella's Mommy]

We have had 4 different high chairs over the years including the Chicco Polly and didn't love it - I had to vacuum it every day and there were still crumbs under the seat and our dog was always pushing it around the kitchen trying to get to the crumbs. So, we dumped it and got the Stokke Tripp Trapp with the baby set. I was a little hesitant that it would actually "hold" a little one securely, but it is fabulous. I would highly recommend it for a baby that is able to sit up. However, you cannot use the "play tray" and the baby set at the same time (even though the play tray web site says you can) - the baby set makes the play tray fit funny (at an angle instead of straight). We did get the Stokke $$ place mat thingy and it sticks to our wood table securely and our baby cannot move it an inch. If your baby is old enough to sit up, I would forget a traditional high chair and get the Stokke which will last forever.

[sujathas]

We got the chicco polly in the "Candy" vinyl print last year for DS1 (now 21 months). The print is great so its really pretty and DS is comfortable in it. However, it does get dirty, and overtime I don't like how DS can't sit up straight in it. Also, with the tray, he really sits quite far from the table and us. I wish we had gotten the Stokke Trip-trap, as the prior writer advised. I think it would have lasted us much longer, been easier to clean, and looked just as good (If not actually better). Also, he could then really "join" us at the table, and also sit up straight.

[GraceH]

I don't think the PPs meant the full big Fisher Price high chair, but rather the compact, easy to clean, booster ( http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3553506 )
I had something similar, but because I wanted something that a newborn could recline in ( http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3687550 )

[lchang25000]

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3553506

We have that and love it! DS started using it at 5.5 months when we started him on solids. Sooooooooooooo easy to clean and much less bulky than a regular high chair. We take it everywhere we go also.

[edurnemk]

We have the Polly and hate it too. It is sooo hard to clean - the straps and buckle are the hardest to clean, but I even have to use a toothpick to clean the tray sometimes because of the seam that goes around the whole thing.



:yeahthat: We have the fabric seat cover, and we have put it in the washing machine in delicate cycle, by accident, but it survived (my mom put it in the wash, since she didn't know you couldn't), before that I washed it by hand, it was a PITA. I'm seriously thinking of selling it and getting a simpler chair for the next DC, somethig with no nooks and crannies. On several occassions I have given up trying to clean the chair itself normally and I just take it outside and hose it down, and still can't get rid of all the gunk stuck in certain unreachable places.

[firemama]

I registered for this Chicco Polly high chair and now I am seriously reconsidering! I didn't realize it was that hard to keep clean - and I am a clean freak! The FP booster seat is such a big difference though. Does it have a five-point harness seat belt? Is that necessary for a 6 month old?