The 5 Best Toddler Plates

If you're looking for just the right toddler plate for your youngster, chances are you're well aware of the benefits of self-feeding. The importance of encouraging this particular type of self-sufficiency from an early age is well-known. When first introducing solids, allowing your little one to explore different textures and tastes helps to foster independence, develop fine motor skills, as well as build the ever-important skill of self-monitoring...which in turn, increase self-confidence and higher self-esteem. Although it can be a bit difficult to turn a blind-eye to those emergent messy eating habits, the more you allow your child to feed themselves, the better for their overall development. So whether you've been exploring foods right along or are just starting to allow your toddler the freedom to feed themselves, you're going to need a few utensils for them to work on their newfound skills. These toddler plates are all made of high quality materials, are shatter-proof, and are the perfect size for your little buddies developing love of food.

Re-Play Divided Child Plates

Got Milk (Jugs)?

Made from recycled milk jugs, these eco-friendly plastic plates are durable and safe for new eaters.

Best Overall

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These eco-friendly plates are made from FDA-approved recycled milk jugs (fun fact: Re-Play saves one milk jug from the landfill every six seconds). As a result, you’ve got the convenience of a plastic plate that’s also very durable, completely safe, and sustainable. What’s more? Re-Play is made in the USA.

If you like all of the above, your kiddo will also love the plates. First, dividers. As anyone with a picky eater knows, dividers are a life-saver when it comes to keeping toddlers happy about their available food choices. The sides of the plates and bowls are deep, too, which makes scooping up food that much easier. Not only does Re-Play sell toddler plates, but there are bowls, cups, and eating utensils as well. Each come in a variety of color choices, so your toddler can mix-and-match as they choose, making setting the table fun for them.

Pros:

BPA, Phthalate, PVC, and Melamine Free. This recycled plastic has been tested and approved for safe dishwashing, as well.
Bright, vivid, fun colors to mix-and-match.
Stackable plates, bowls, and cups for easy storage.

Cons:

Because all plastic has the ability to pick up stains from food, some foods may stain these dishes.

Bumkins Silicone Grip Dish

Safe Silicone

These silicone dishes are safe, durable, and super easy to eat from---ideal for toddlers learning how to grasp or scoop food.

Best Silicone Toddler Plate

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For little toddlers learning to self-feed, this Bumkins Silicone Grip Dish is a great starting point. The plate suctions, allowing for youngsters to grab or scoop at food without the worry of spilling. And because silicone doesn’t contain any of the petroleum-based toxic chemicals found in plastic, this is a completely safe option for eating. Additionally, silicone can withstand freezing, microwaving, and even oven temperatures up to 375 degrees. Bumkins in particular uses an extremely high curing process, which keeps any by-products out of the silicone. What you’re left with is suctioning, safe, easy-to-eat-off-of plate that keeps toddlers interested in self-feeding. It doesn’t get much better than that.

For easy portion control, these plates come with dividers that are sized just right for toddlers.

Pros:

100% food safe silicone that is BPA-free, PVC-free, phthalate-free, and lead-free.
Easy to clean–just toss in the dishwasher (it’s top-rack safe).
Bacteria resistant, due to the natural resistance to bacteria that silicone contains.
Many different colors (and even a few faces) to choose from.

Cons:

Accessories (such as a silicone stretch lid that fits over the Grip Dish) are extra.

KidsFunwares Me Time Meal Set

Eat and Reveal

Making mealtime fun even for the pickiest eaters, these plates feature a fun design that's revealed once your toddler has eaten all of their food.

Best for Picky Eaters

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Sometimes all a picky eater needs is a fun plate to put their food on. This durable plastic plate has dividers for keeping food separate as well as for portion control. There 11 unique, fun designs to choose from for the design of the plate—including an airplane, fire truck, unicorn, and dinosaur. As a bonus, this set includes a matching fork and spoon. The plate and dividers are deep enough to aid in scooping, which inevitably will help with building confidence (nothing makes a kid want to stop trying if it’s too tricky for them to continue trying).

As your child eats from their plate, the design is revealed until their plate is empty and the whole picture shows. As one can imagine, this helps immensely with picky eaters…they’ll want to finish their food to reveal their plate.

Pros:

FDA safe plastic and BPA-free.
Fork and spoon come with matching molds attached to the handle.

Cons:

Not safe to microwave.

Munchkin Toddler Dining Set

A Complete Set

For a cute, durable toddler plate set, this one will quickly become your kiddo's favorite.

Best Set

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Looking for a complete dining set for your toddler? This bright, well-designed little set will hit all your must-haves. First, it’s BPA-free, so hot foods won’t cause any leaching of toxins from the set into the food (and, from there, into their little bodies). But it gets better: this set includes all the essentials for independent eaters. With three vibrant colors to choose from (blue, green, and purple), each set comes with a divided plate, a flat plate, a bowl, a cup with a training lid, and a fork, knife, and spoon.

If your little one is on the older side and hesitant to self-feed, this is a fantastic fit set for encouragement. The entire set comes in a gift box that has a fun coloring activity included. The plates and cups are made with grippy bottoms and the sides of the plates and the bowl are intentionally deep–this design allows for less frequent spilling, easy scooping, and a feeling of mastering eating right off the bat. Your hesitant kiddo will be confident and excited to eat in no time.

Pros:

Very durable with strong, grippy bottoms for stability.
The cup comes with a removable press-fit lid that allows for easy transition to a big-kid cup.
Complete toddler utensil set, including a knife. Many sets don’t include knives, which is unfortunate as knife skills are wonderful to teach as soon as possible.

Cons:

Although this set is durable and contains no BPA, it is made of plastic nonetheless. If you’re aiming to stay away from plastic, this is a bummer.

Innobaby Keepin’ Fresh Bento Snack Box

Toddler Trays On-The-Go

For packing up your toddler's snacks or meals, these toddler-sized to-go containers are high quality, hold temperatures, and are easy-to-pack.

Best for On-The-Go

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For durable toddler snacks and meals on-the-go, these Innobaby Bento Snack Box’s really do keep things fresh. Made from super high-quality stainless steel, these are a safe alternative to plastic food storage containers as they contain no BPA, and are phthalate, PVC and lead free. The lid snaps on and off easily yet remains secure–a great design for youngsters to open and close on their own (yay, independence!). There is a removable plastic outer layer, and the double lined wall keeps food cold or warm up to 2x loner than other, comparable containers. Because of the fact that these are nontoxic containers, you can put piping hot food in there in the morning, and it’ll remain warm without having leached any toxins from the containers into the food. With the built-in divider, you can separate foods, as well.

Pros:

Available in four different colors (outer shell).
Helps to prevent oxidation.
Super easy to clean.

Cons:

The divider is removable and doesn’t always stay securely in place.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is appropriate for introducing self-feeding?

Discuss with your pediatrician first, but whenever your baby is ready to begin eating solids you can start in on self feeding. This means simply placing food in front of them and allowing them to touch, taste, and play with their food. At first, very little will end up in their mouths. But after a bit of practice and play, they’ll get more and more in their mouth and pretty soon, you’ll have a self-sufficient little eater on your hands. Allow them to let you know when they would like more and when they’re done.

How can you encourage picky eaters to try new foods?

Have a picky eater at home? First, you’re not alone. Many new eaters are picky by nature, as they’re just learning new textures, tastes, and personal likes and dislikes (that can, and do, change from day to day). Encouraging children to try new things starts with how you introduce solids in the first place, but it’s never too late to work on it. First, allowing babies to play with their food from the start is especially helpful. This allows for children to get a better sense of their food. Additionally, food play allows for sensory processing, which can definitely play a role down the road when it comes to successful eating.

Beyond food play, introduce new foods frequently, but always include a safety food (one that you know they are familiar with and love). Don’t force foods, and don’t make a whether they try a new food a big deal one way or the other…just allow them to explore on their own. And lastly, allowing kids to help in the kitchen as much as possible often leads to them wanting to try and eat everything.