£49 from Playtray.co.uk

Defy those stuck-up Stokke evangelists!

Tell yourself that you’re saving yourself from the agony of having to redecorate your dining room. You’re also stickin’ it to the man.

Tell your wife that buying the Playtray is cheaper than buying a new shagpile.

You’re the worst parent in the world if you allow your child to eat from a tray attached to a highchair. Or at least, that’s what Stokke will make you believe if you read their preachy web site:

“children who eat dinner with their families are exposed to a greatly reduced risk of developing social problems in later life”

“a highchair that enables your child to sit with you at the table…provides your child with a secure platform for growth and development.”

Back on planet earth . . .

No question, Stokke do produce a really attractive highchair that is very flexible and adaptable throughout your child’s youth. But they refuse to provide an attachable tray, which is just not practical in the real world until your child is more mature in his eating habits. Therefore you’ll need an attachable tray. Therefore you’ll need the Playtray.

Thick and girthy

The Playtray is a see-through plastic tray that attaches simply and securely by hooking over the back of the Stokke Tripp Trapp highchair. It is impressively thick (around 1 cm) which makes it feel extremely sturdy. Furthermore, it has a very thick lip that is 2 cm deep and looks like it would hold a gallon of drool and milk if it had to. All surfaces are rounded and smooth which means safety for your baby and easy cleaning for you. The Playtray comes with a crotch strap, but is also fully compatible with the Stokke Baby Set and harness that provide a bit more security for your child.

Henry eats a fish finger

The Playtray has truly been a revelation since we bought it. We’ve had the courage to give Henry a whole new world of messy finger-foods that we wouldn’t have let him near if he were sat at our dining table. The Playtray is plenty large enough for Henry to enjoy squishing his food around, in and amongst the odd bit that makes it to his mouth. Henry also likes to bash the tray and I can report that it stays rock solid under all kinds of pressure.

Despite its solidity, the Playtray is still very quick and easy to remove for cleaning. After Henry’s mealtime we usually remove the tray before wiping it down, and you could clean it in the sink or even the dishwasher if you had one large enough. Simplicity itself.

Dadgets.info says that if you own a Stokke Tripp Trapp highchair, then you really must own a Playtray for weaning your baby. It’s difficult to see how any design could improve on the Playtray.

Grin like a child at the thick, smooth plastic, and the smile on your baby’s face as he smears peanut butter on his head.

Cry like a baby at the expense of a lump of plastic, and the fact that Stokke might send the boys round if they find out that you’re defying their ethos.

Dadgets.info rating: 8 out of 10

If you’ve ever looked into buying a baby product from the company Stokke, you will know how evangelical they can be. Their Xplory pushchairs “develop social as well as learning skills,” while their Sleepi cot ensures “the right environment, mood, and space” for your baby to sleep in. It almost makes you feel like a crack-whore parent if you don’t follow the guiding principles of their products.

Stokke’s Tripp Trapp highchair is another prime example. “Your child learns from watching, observing, and interacting with you. The single and most natural place for this interaction is around the family table.” Therefore, Stokke concludes, to make your little boy eat from a highchair with a tray would be as irresponsible as giving him a box of matches and some fireworks.

Clearly, the folk at Stokke have never had children themselves, because if they had they would realise that sitting your 10 month old baby at the family table for dinner is only going to get your walls daubed with peanut butter and your carpets stained with spaghetti sauce. So for those of us in the real world who still really like the flexibility of Stokke’s Tripp Trapp highchair, but value their soft furnishings, here are the options for trays that attach to the Tripp Tripp.

ergo:design Clic Clac Tray (around £40)

Not easy to get hold of in the UK, the Clic Clic has a wooden design that blends in nicely with the Tripp Tripp. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a lip around the edge so any spillages will just dribble off the edge. Kind of pointless, then.

Kidzmix Sloppi Tray (price unknown)

The Sloppi is also wooden, but has the added benefit of a lip to contain spills. It is also handmade in the UK, so what more could you ask for? Well a website that isn’t devoid of information would be a good start. It would also be nice to have a contact e-mail address that actually works. If you want to buy this tray you’ll soon realise that you can’t, no matter how hard you try.

Stokke Table Top (around £45)

I should add that Stokke do make a ‘tray’ but it is designed to be attached to your table, not clipped on to the Tripp Trapp itself. One problem is the fact that it needs to connect directly to the table itself via suction cups, so you can forget using a tablecloth to protect the surface. It is also easy for a baby to remove by grabbing the edges and sliding it about (Henry particularly enjoyed doing this). So for babies it is definitely not a solution, but for older children who can be trusted a little more then it might be OK.

4mykid Playtray (£49 from Playtray.co.uk)

This is my solution of choice. The Danish company 4mykid has designed a really simple tray that attaches easily to the Tripp Trapp, has a huge lip to gather spills, and wipes down incredibly easily. The only downside is that it is plastic instead of the Tripp Trapp’s native wooden finish, but it actually looks pretty cool once attached. Henry and I have bought a Playtray and we’ll give you our full review shortly.