LoLo Review: Baby Diner

ETA - The name of the product reviewed has been re-branded from LilDiner to Baby Diner. All names and links have been corrected accordingly. 


Full Disclosure: I saw this product talked about over on Serious Eats. I saw it…and I wanted it. But not enough to pay for it – I wasn’t even sure if it worked! So, on a whim, I went to the website, found an e-mail address, and shot off an e-mail that basically said, “Hey! I have a blog, you have a product. Want to get together?” They said yes, and sent me the product. I received no other compensation for this review. You may proceed.
My Baby Diner arrived in record time, and the kids were quick to help me rip it open. We found this.

Some suction cups, some plastic doo-dads…and some instructions.
The kids wanted to help.

I looked through the directions, and started sticking stuff together.

Ummm….that’s not right. Took that top suction cup off and stuck it in the cover, where it belonged.

The two pieces were then fitted together, thusly:

….and thusly:

Then…the test. The contraption is pressed to a clean, FLAT surface, and then press a clean FLAT plate on to the top. (Note: those sweet little plastic kiddie plates that we all have floating around in our drawers were NOT work here. They are rounded on the bottom. More on that later.)

How did it do? You tell me.
     
See that face? Priceless. That’s the face of a kid thwarted in his mess making.
We put the Baby Diner to its real test that night, on his highchair, with the same plate you see above. Verdict? It wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely better than no Baby Diner contraption! By sticking that thing under his plate, it immediately ensured that the contraption was more interesting than whatever I put on top.
He tried to pull the plate up a few times, but gave up and ate his whole dinner before attacking it again. That meant that I was able to eat my entire dinner, and clear the table before I heard his sister start to shriek about him moving things around. A major improvement over the ten minutes I USUALLY get! He had managed to stick his finger into the gap in the base and pry off one of the base suction cups. Even then, the other one was still holding strong, and he was unable to throw his plate. (I estimate that, if left to his own, it would have taken him another five minutes to get that second cup off…which is plenty of time for me to swoop in and remove the plate before any damage was done.) Next time, I’ll make sure to position the little finger gap away from him…and that should solve the problem! (There’s a little gap in the plastic for you to wedge your finger into to pry the suction cups off the table. Alternately, you can stick a butter knife in there.)
The Baby Diner, of course, was originally invented to be used in restaurants…which I intend to test out today at a buffet lunch with a friend. I am certainly looking forward to enjoying a lunch out with a friend again! No more flung plates…..Woot!
Thanks, Baby Diner, for the chance to review this product!
Recap:
Pros: Plate flinging is delayed, or possibly entirely eliminated
Cons: You must use a “real” plate…which kind of made me nervous the first time.
Verdict: A great product for families that 1) have a Plate Flinger and 2) like to eat out or over at friend’s houses…or are just tired of mopping up a 10’ radius around their child’s highchair every night!