What do I need kids' tableware & kids' cutlery for?
When babies are fed for the first time, the spoon in their mouth feels new and unfamiliar. After all, up until then there was only mommy's breast or the bottle nipple. So that your baby gets used to the spoon quickly, nutrition experts recommend using special baby spoons when feeding baby food.
What does the ideal baby spoon look like?
The perfect baby spoon has a smaller, narrower mouthpiece than a regular teaspoon and is made of BPA-free plastic. It also conveniently has a long, curved handle, which makes it easier for you to feed from the jar. Because babies like to suck on the spoon at first, bite on it, and explore it with their mouths, the spoon tip should have rounded edges.
To make feeding as pleasant as possible for your baby, many manufacturers rely on a spoon tip made of soft silicone. If you want to make sure your baby gets burned, a feeding spoon with a heat sensor is the right choice: within a few seconds, the tip of the spoon changes color if the baby food is still too hot. A baby spoon with a non-slip grip offers additional comfort for you, since you can safely set it down on the edge of the plate.
However, when your baby starts making its own first attempts at eating, feeding spoons aren't very well suited due to their long handle. For this new milestone in your child's development, special training utensils are a good choice.
For little hands: kids' cutlery
And just like that – your fork was already gone. If your baby is constantly reaching for your cutlery or feeding itself amid the greatest mess – then it's high time for its own training utensils.
What training utensils does my child need?
The first kids' cutlery should have ergonomically shaped handles with a special coating so your baby can grip it well and it doesn't slip out of its food-smeared little hands. The fork is ideally rounded, to reduce the risk of injury to a minimum — because at first your baby will wave its training utensils around with joy, work over the table with them, and enthusiastically throw them on the floor. As with the baby spoon, BPA-free plastic, possibly combined with silicone, is the material of choice.
As your child becomes more confident handling a spoon and fork, they'll enjoy stainless steel kids' cutlery with colorfully printed handles. They can't really cut with the kids' knife yet, but they can at least cut up soft vegetables or make first attempts at spreading butter on bread – just like the grown-ups!
Shatterproof and non-slip: kids' plates and baby bowls
Whether you're still in the pureed food stage or your baby is already eating on its own: in the second half of the first year of life, children develop a huge delight in throwing things on the floor. This "throw it down" game doesn't spare kids' tableware and the like either.
What should I look out for when buying kids' tableware?
With kids' plates and baby bowls, shatter resistance is therefore the top priority. Better than ordinary plastic are sturdy, scratch-resistant plastics or melamine. They don't discolor even from carrot puree and survive countless dishwasher cycles. A silicone rim or a suction base ensures your baby can't slide their kids' plate around on the table. Or tip over the baby bowl. Alternatively, a non-slip placemat made of silicone is a good option, which you can also simply use instead of a plate. This is especially practical if you're feeding your child according to baby-led weaning or without purees.
If your baby is a slow eater, a warming plate is recommended; as a gift for their 1st birthday, a kids' tableware set with cheerful designs is a great idea.
