OT...McDonalds

[KaysKidz]

I just sent this email to McDonalds...

I stopped at McDonalds today for lunch with my daughter and 2 daycare children (ages 1 & 2). When I went to find a highchair to use for the 1yr old, I was unable to locate one. Even store personnel could not find one. As it turns out, there was ONE highchair in the store, and it was in use. How can a store such as McDonalds which caters to children, not have more then ONE highchair?? Needless to say, it made for an unpleasant dining experience. I take my daycare children to McDonalds on a semi regular basis for lunch, and an outlet to play. Highchairs are a necessary part of that outing.

Granted, they just got done remodeling our local McD's...but c'mon...one highchair?? Not even a booster in sight! I don't expect to hear anything back, but a few coupons or vouchers would be nice!

[DaniCPST]

Great E-mail!! I hope they send you 10 coupons for free kids meals and invest in some new highchairs!

Restaurants and high chairs can make me sooo mad! I am sooo tired of all the highchairs EVERYWHERE with a broken strap! So our dinners go like this...get seated by hostess who brings over a high chair, wrestle 18 month old into chair while my husband distracts him with fruit snacks or something, go to buckle him in....oh crap broken strap, hubby gets up to find another highchair and has to go through 2 more before finding one that is not broken...brings it to table, switch the baby out while trying to find room for both highchairs to fit in the aisle (while thinking to myself "can't I just sit down so my pregnant hiney isn't hanging out in everyone's face??")...hubby goes to return broken highchair to stack so then next poor people can do the whole routine we just did. ARGGGGG...seriously I am thinking about inventing a replacement strap for highchairs that is easily retrofit able and hard to break!

[Kashi]

Even though I don't use our sling much anymore (hurts my pregnant back :( ), I tend to bring it along because it makes a great replacement belt / cart strap / temp harness for a kid who is determined to run off / blanket / etc.

[skaterbabscpst]

Yep, I do the same thing. I've used my Maya Wrap for that purpose more than once, especially when Joyjoy was little and was that the sitting but not quite sitting faze when she refused to be reclined.

[Jeanum]

I rarely go to McDonalds (mostly drive through when we do go lately), and I don't even remember seeing any high chairs there at all. I agree only one high chair wouldn't be enough. :eek: I am sadly so familiar with the missing strap on the high chair scenario at restaurants, it's so true. The host/server acting like I'm nuts for switching to a high chair with all the proper harness parts doesn't enhance the dining experience either (or their tip, lol). :rolleyes:

[Michi]

Another pet peeve of mine is when the high chairs look like they haven't been cleaned in 100 years. (Gross!)
Would it kill someone to wipe them down once in awhile?
I went to Burger King this week and although they had plenty of high chairs, every one of them had ketchup smeared on the seat and the trays were filthy. ( One even looked like it had vomit on it - disgusting!)

[ccjones]

Jeanum-

We got out to dinner ALOT, and DH and I just gave up using highchairs at restaurants. They were always so gross-looking, or had broken parts! I bought this booster seat from Target's website and I LOVE it. It goes to 30lbs, and it folds up compactly and has a carry handle. We use this all the time to put Jeremy in a chair at a table, and he does really well sitting in it. We even use it when we eat dinner outside at our patio set instead of taking his highchair outside!

Here's a link to it! I highly recommend it, I thought it was a great find for $25.

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-1/qid=1151711586/ref=sr_1_1/602-8841921-3118247?%5Fencoding=UTF8&asin=B000COOKI2

[Jeanum]

Nifty, thanks for the link. I have to get something soon to take with us to a family reunion for the baby to sit safely on a regular dining table chair at a facility without high chairs. We have lots of stuff to bring since I'm on the reunion committee and lugging along our high chair wouldn't be practical. This looks ideal, plus it would be great for restaurants. Thanks!

[Lara]

My friend has this nifty little thing that you stick on the table. It has bars on both sides and you turn this little knob to tighten it to the table. I just wipe the seats down and use our shopping cart cover that has straps. works pretty well.
Here's a link to the little seat thing. This is the one my friend has, but chicco makes one that looks nicer and like it would fit more tables.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000789S0/qid=1151713705/br=1-11/ref=br_lf_ba_11//104-2351759-0656724?v=glance&s=baby&n=547946

Lara

[ccjones]

My friend has this nifty little thing that you stick on the table. It has bars on both sides and you turn this little knob to tighten it to the table. I just wipe the seats down and use our shopping cart cover that has straps. works pretty well.
Here's a link to the little seat thing. This is the one my friend has, but chicco makes one that looks nicer and like it would fit more tables.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000789S0/qid=1151713705/br=1-11/ref=br_lf_ba_11//104-2351759-0656724?v=glance&s=baby&n=547946

Lara

Lara,
We bought the Chicco version of this seat that connects to the table, and let me tell you...it DOES NOT fit on all tables. Some tables have these wood pieces that come down right where the bars need to come up to fasten to the table. We ran into this with our own dining room table, as well as tables at two restaurants, and a table at a relative's house. What a bummer for approx. $60! I was able to return it to BRU and get a store credit, so it wasn't a total loss. After this experience, I decided to look for something that would sit and strap onto a chair instead.

Colleen

[Lara]

Hmm mabe the one they have is better then. They told me it fits on most tables although when i went to visit them we went to a resteraunt where they couldn't get it over the lip but still got it secure enough for their dd to sit in.

[melaniev]

i always brought in the stroller with a tray. but im creepy about cooties.

[Simplysomething]

Our local mickey d's with the playplace..there are two close, one doesn't have a playplace, the other does...since there is no way I'd just go to mickey d's for the food--we always go to the one with the hamster run...

They only ever have one high chair too. Bugs me. I always keep the umbrella stroller in my car just case--but we've recently sworn off that mcdonalds... it's gross. and slow. and gross... flies...LOTS OF FLIES...gag me.

Maybe I should write them a letter about how disgusting that particular resturant is...lol And it's one that is on a highway, so lots of people who are traveling through--toward 95 eat there...So they can spread how nasty the place is....throughout the land. LOL

[menfusse]

Lara,
We bought the Chicco version of this seat that connects to the table, and let me tell you...it DOES NOT fit on all tables. Some tables have these wood pieces that come down right where the bars need to come up to fasten to the table. We ran into this with our own dining room table, as well as tables at two restaurants, and a table at a relative's house. What a bummer for approx. $60! I was able to return it to BRU and get a store credit, so it wasn't a total loss. After this experience, I decided to look for something that would sit and strap onto a chair instead.

Colleen
I have one that I got at walmart...i think it was 20$. Can't remember the brand, but it is the only one they carry...it fits tables with the wooden lip piece. It has a wider opening when you fold down the leg thingy's to put it on.