Washing and care

Fabric off, frame wiped, pad in the machine. The details below cover the parts that are easy to get wrong.

The cover and the pad

  • Take the fabric off the frame completely. Washing it in place soaks the joints.
  • Cold wash, gentle cycle, no bleach and no softener. Softener kills the grip of the mesh.
  • Air dry flat. A tumble dryer shrinks the sling and it will not stretch back over the frame.
  • Put it back while it is bone dry, not almost dry.

The frame and the toys

  • Damp cloth on the metal, then dry it. Nothing abrasive.
  • Wipe the toy bar and the stars with warm water. They do not go in the machine.
  • Check the harness webbing where it meets the buckle every few months.
  • Store folded and dry. A damp cupboard marks the fabric before the metal.

A pad that has been washed twice a week for a year is a consumable, not a fault. It flattens where the baby sits and it holds the smell of milk however hot you wash it. A replacement costs a fraction of a seat.

The toy bar goes the same way for different reasons. It gets pulled sideways, chewed and eventually bent, and a six month old notices when it is missing.

The frame is the part that should outlive both. If it stays straight and the harness still locks, fresh fabric makes the whole thing feel new. If the frame sags under a baby who used to sit high, that is the end, and no thicker pad corrects it.