Okay, so we’re not really hiding the actual baby – but we are trying to hide some of the evidence that a 33″ monster has taken over the place. One area where the kiddo stuff has always bothered me is in the dining room and kitchen area. We started out with a full size, massive high chair situation and it drove me nuts. Our dining room is tiny enough without a gigantic high chair blocking the flow of traffic. And by traffic, I mean blocking Jer’s path to the box of wine. So, obviously, something had to give.
So, the first thing we did was to ditch the buzz kill high chair in favor of a compact, portable, super easy to clean Fisher-Price Healthy Care Deluxe Booster Seat. We love that thing. I wish I had taken a picture of ours, but I didn’t. Probably because there were bananas or ravioli smashed on the seat. But the seat, like I said is portable, and has been extremely handy to have. When we go to visit family, we just unbuckle two straps and then the seat folds up and even has carry handle to tote it around with. And, unlike the big high chair, it doesn’t have a bunch of places for food to get smashed into. It’s simple as pie to wipe it out each time. It also has two trays and a plastic cover for the tray, all of which are dishwasher safe. Can I get an amen? Amen.
The Booster seat instantly de-babied the dining room. When it’s not in use, we can slide the chair into place and it’s hardly visible. Even if you do see it, it’s so much less of an eyesore that I couldn’t be happier with it.
But we keep other baby essentials close by for feeding: we keep Seventh Generation baby wipes close by at all times. They’re convenient, gentle, non-toxic and perfect for a quick wiping of the face or sticky little hands. I use them to wipe off his chair after he eats as well. We’ve used several different kinds of baby wipes and these are by far our favorites; they don’t contain any synthetic ingredients that can be hard on a baby’s sensitive skin.
In addition to baby wipes, we couple bibs in the dining room for obvious reasons. Toddler + food = huge mess. We’ll normally take his shirt off when he eats but some outfits make that harder than others.
The table has also become the holding ground for pacifiers. Don’t judge – we’re a pacifier-friendly house. But he only really uses one during nap time and when he’s sleeping. He’ll sometimes ask for one when he’s snuggling on the sofa with us watching TV, but that’s typically right before a nap or bedtime. He doesn’t just walk around with a pacifier in his mouth (not that I’d be worried if he did – it’s completely age-appropriate).
I’ve been keeping my eyes open for some kind of solution that would keep things accessible but not make them a focal point. Everything sort of congregated in an ugly green plastic basket on the dining room table. Gross.
After we picked up our vintage kitchen cart, we got an instant stash spot for something that could hold baby junk. A couple of weekends ago, the hubs and I were out walking through flea markets when I stumbled across an adorable little vintage Italian market basket. I’ve been eyeing these baskets on Etsy for MONTHS but I could never justify the $40-$80 price tag (plus $20 in shipping). I stumbled across the basket below in one of the flea markets. I went over and planned to get it because it’s in terrific shape and I wouldn’t have to pay shipping. I checked the price tag and was expecting to read $50-$70. The actual price: $10.49. With 40% off. Yup, that’s right. I picked that baby up for $6 and change – less than half og the shipping cost on similar baskets in worse shape.
Here’s our solution:
We tucked in the wipes container (it’s a Huggies wipe container – we didn’t feel the need to buy an additional container that said Seventh Generation – it seemed wasteful – so we just put the refill packs in here), a few folded up bibs and I used a vintage Pyrex refrigerator dish that’s missing it’s lid to hold pacifiers that are clean and not in use.
When the baby stuff isn’t needed, it’s easy peasy to just slide the basket onto the shelf of the yellow cart and it’s out of sight for the most part.
It looks a little busy here because it’s the focal point of the picture but, in the space, it’s really not noticeable because our hutch is the showpiece of the space.
We have a long way to go before things are “done” in the dining room. But I feel like it’s taking shape. And I’m really happy to not have a cheap green plastic basket full of baby stuff on the table 24/7. We love our son more than anything but we are firm believers in not letting the baby stuff take over every facet of our lives, including all of our living spaces. It’s all about balancing functionality and practicality.
Also, as an aside, my latest obsession, vintage Cathrineholm enamelware from the 50s and 60s, it out of control. BUT IT’S SO PRETTY! Send help. Or money. Or both. Or neither.
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