7 Mealtime Must-Haves for Your Toddler

Time to eat!

I don’t know about everyone else but getting my toddler to sit down for a meal is tough stuff. He is so focused on playing – jumping, running, singing and his toys – meals seems to come in last on his list of priorities.

Nevertheless, I spent a decent amount of time (er – maybe too much time) picking out the “right” meal supplies for my little guy and our busy little family. Below is my list of recommendations and why:

Utensils Set

My almost-three year has graduated from his more baby-ish fork/spoon set to a bit more sophistication. Or so he thinks. He really likes these Upward Baby fork/knife/spoon set that is still kind of fun (they offer some texture and they stack!). We also adore a stainless steel set that is easy to clean, simple and will last a while. What seems to be important to my toddler at this stage is feeling like he has all the same “tools” at meal time as the adults!

Cups

My favorite set of cups for the boys is this bamboo set that feel sturdy and clean, while remaining colorful and easy for the kids. They are BPA-free, eco-friendly and dishwasher safe. My second favorite set of cups is this eco-friendly, stainless steel set that come with lids and straws! We have both sets for different uses!

To-go Drinking

In my effort to cut down on our plastic use/consumption, I am have been aiming towards finding to-go drinking bottles for the kids that aren’t made of plastic. We still have some, like the Nuks that seem to be the all-time favorite for milk time, but we have been leaning more towards our silicone, stainless steel and bamboo options.

Muchkin makes this great stainless steel to-go drinking cup that avoids spills and is easy to clean. These thermos also work well, but my favorite it probably the Skip Hop (as long as your kid doesn’t break the lid like mine!).

Place Mats

Placemats come in all shapes, sizes, and entertainment features! I even remember some of my placemats from childhood (we had a states/capitals one I tried to memorize for school). Muchkin makes these simple clean and simple silicone ones, or check-out these non-slip ones from Upward Baby. You can even buy cool placemats shaped as animals that double as plates/bowels! If you are more into placemats with a purpose (learning while eating!), check out options here.

When we are out and about, we often use a disposable table topper placement to keep our kids from eating directly off the (maybe sort of clean?) restaurant table. I was super happy when I discovered this product and find them easy and convenient!

Bowels & Plates

I really, really love this plate/bowl place set made of silicon and arriving in a variety of colors. They are easy to clean, non-slip and eco-friendly. If you are into it, you might also like this set.

If the Bamboo cup set above peeked your interest, you might really enjoy a bowl and plate set to suit! I really like our kid’s suction bowls (to avoid spills!) but their secret weapon was beat pretty quickly with my kids. They still come in handy as just…bowls.

Napkins

I am all about kids using real napkins – you can throw them in their lunchbox or use that at home for family meals. Kid’s inevitably create so much waste between diapers and day-to-day products we need for their health, well-being and entertainment that I feel good about using cute and reusable napkins with them whenever I can!

Lunch Boxes

I am a huge Lunchbots fan. I think the containers will last forever (since they are stainless steel) and are chic and easy to take care of. However, they come at a higher price than other options.This Bento Box style lunch box seems to hit many of the must-haves like sepate compartments.