Our Story
The idea for the Wunderland Highchair Cover started in January 2020. Our little one was 4 months old and showed a curiosity for food. Excited to try out baby led weaning and test out the Inglesina Fast Table Chair, we assembled her highchair and let her explore.
I love the idea of baby led weaning, but the mess!! I was happy to see her enjoying and trying out new food, but I dreaded cleaning up the remnants that got smashed everywhere and having to wash the seat cover.
We bought this on the recommendation for trips and travel (this was in late 2019 before the pandemic) so it was not on our radar to ask how everyday cleanups were like. Though we didn’t initially plan to use it regularly, once we tried it we loved how she could sit down at the table with us and be included in meals. So, from the beginning we used this hook-on highchair as our primary highchair and gave the traditional highchair we bought to Grandmother.
But the mess. I didn’t want our baby sitting in a soiled seat cover, the seat would get too saturated with food. And I also did not like the idea of spending a lot of time cleaning this highchair. I saw that there would be a lot of maintenance involved with keeping this otherwise great highchair clean. As first-time parents in the first year of baby’s life, the less chores we had to do the better!
I searched online for a highchair cover that would work with the Inglesina or any hook-on highchair but couldn’t find one. After a week of searching and not finding anything close, I bought an entry level sewing machine and started testing out different styles on how to best cover the highchair. Some days all I could get was a solid 30 minutes to work on this project. I was determined to make a functional highchair cover so that our little one could make all the mess she wanted, without us spending so much time cleaning it. Other parents said they were fine using a towel or whatever was at home to keep the seat clean, but that did not work for our kid. She was messy and clever - any makeshift solution I made to line the seats she would find her way around it.
And then the pandemic hit, and we were staying at home ALL THE TIME. Since we were home all day and constantly using this highchair, I was even more determined to make a cover that would simplify the tedious task of cleaning it.
I tested different designs and materials and wanted to make it easy to take on and off, machine and dryer friendly, and withstand (most) messes. The people at Joann’s must have been wondering what I was up to with my frequent pick up orders of various fabrics and trims. They must have thought I was making some weird looking masks.
It took months and multiples designs, but when I had a working cover that hit all the checkboxes – the weight of this dreary chore was lifted, and we were so relieved that we did not have to clean this chair as frequently as we did. Kiddos learning to eat is messy business! And as she got older, the mess increased exponentially. But we had this cover and all we had to do was throw it in the washer and put on a new, clean one and we were ready for the next meal.
We are so happy that you stopped by! Having these covers made and sharing it with you is my passion project. Sounds cliché, but it’s true. I am SO glad to hear when a customer says they love the cover because I know that it’s making their life a little bit easier.
We are constantly working on more highchair covers to keep up with demand, so if we are sold out – don’t worry we are making more! Our highchair covers are handcrafted and time intensive to make so thank you for your patience.
I believe that raising children really does require a village – not just for the child’s well-being, but for the parents and caregivers as well. And if we can make a fellow parent or caregiver’s life a little easier with this cover, then all the work is worth it.
1 comment
I am so excited to buy one of these when you’re back in stock. Literally have been having same issues you had with the seat for the past year. Props to you for creating a useful product!