The Table-saurus

Years ago, there was a commercial that used to run on TV that had a kid say, "I like solving problems because when I solve a problem it isn't a problem anymore." I've been reminded of that lately. Especially, when it comes to feeding three babies at the same time. There is no shortage of problems that need solving.

My first idea for a project that would make feeding simple was "The Bottle-potomus." It's a hands free bottle propping apparatus that would allow a person to successfully feed three babies at one time. Speaking modestly, it's the most brilliant and revolutionary baby feeding tool ever conceived. Unfortunately, there were two critical issues that stood in the way. First, if you Google "bottle propping", you'll see that most people think you're going to bring harm to your baby if you feed them in this manner. Obviously, something I prefer to avoid. Secondly, I lack one iota of design or engineering skill. I went to business school. At a public university. My qualifications are thin. Some would say that The Bottle-potomus was destined to fail. Perhaps it was just ahead of its time.

As each day passes, we're getting closer to living in a bottle feeding free world. As a result, I set my sights on simplifying the food feeding process. High chairs have worked for generations, sure. We wanted to do something bigger. Taking lessons from my Bottle-potomus experience, I decided to forgo the design process and just steal an idea from someone else. The result is The Table-saurus.

The Tablesaurus is, simply put, a table with infant chairs recessed into the top. The chairs can be removed for cleaning and there's plenty of space to catch thrown food (much to our dogs dismay). I also envision sticking the girls in there to do drawing, finger painting, or light assembly (when I get that Bottle-potomus idea into production). They sell these things all over the internet, but they're not cheap and very expensive to ship (due to size and weight). They are also easy to make - 4 easy steps. Buy table, buy seats, cut hole into table, insert seats. Also, it's a great excuse to buy more tools.




If you're like to make one yourself, I recommend buying a table that was designed for schools. They typically allow you to adjust the height and are very heavy duty. We got ours from Costo online, but Office Depot and other specialty school retailers sell them as well. Make sure to check the shipping charges, though - some places wanted over $100 to ship. Costco's shipping is free. We got the seats from Furniture 4 Kids (http://www.furniture-4kids.com/rs-2201.html), but they're available from multiple websites. If you just want to buy the finished product, Google "toddler feeding table" and you'll find plenty of retailers and options that seat up to 6.