Mum gobsmacked by little known IKEA high chair trick

16 August 2023 , 08:00

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A bargain AND easy to clean (Image: Ikea)

Few people can resist the allure of an IKEA classic. Even the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge loved it, such is its appeal.

Nearly all of us at some point owned a Billy Book Case (maybe you still do?) - or those tea lights that added a certain je ne sais quoi to your humble abode... Another IKEA item which has proved to be hugely popular with parents is the ANTILOP high chair. At £20 it's a rare bargain at an otherwise very expensive time of life.

But as useful as high chairs are, they're also a nightmare to clean. There's just something about baby/toddler food that not only gets into every single nook and cranny, but also seems to dry into a tough-as-nails crust.

Which is why one mum was delighted when she discovered the ANTILOP has a useful and little-known function. In "news I wish had been imparted to me some six years ago", mum and writer Alys Gagnon revealed to Kidspot that the ANTILOP is... Dishwasher safe.

"Please name for me a more annoying, monotonous and repetitive task than cleaning a baby's high chair?" she writes. We're struggling to think of one, to be fair. The discovery hit Alys six years after she first started to use it.

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"I shared this little nugget of information with my husband, Ian," she added. "His response? 'What? Oh my god,' he shouted as he furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes while mentally fact-checking me. We're f*****g idiots,' he said after a short pause. 'Of course! It's plastic!'"

She adds that the legs can't go in the dishwasher, so be sure to take them off before you put the seat on a cycle. The seat and the table are made from polypropylene, a plastic that is commonly used across the globe for many, many purposes including a range of household items like packaging, appliances and more. It is rated as safe for the top rack in the dishwasher. So, go forth and dishwash your grotty high chair.

Zahra Mulroy