Here's a boring question for a Friday night

[peasando]

What do your children eat off?

I have a 6 year old and a 2 year old. They both still eat off a mixture of kids bamboo plates (dinosaurs, unicorns etc) and those amazing totally practical plastic plates with a rim from IKEA.

Recently though the 6 year old has graduated from 'kids' cutlery to just a smaller version of our cutlery. And now I think the plates seem a bit ridiculous, at least for him. I'm also worried that now he's at school if he starts having friend round for tea they'll ridicule him for having 'baby' plates.

TL;DR: what do your 5/6/7 year olds eat off? Should I just give him an adult plate?

I dropped Ds2 off to start university last week. I sent him with China plates. Obviously. He has just sent a photo of a plastic Spider-Man plate. He's been out and bought it. He loves a plastic plate 🤣

@icanbewhatiwant I can relate to that. We used to use small ikea plastic bowls for pudding/treats when they were little, and DS2 who is 19, still likes to use them for snacks. Obviously they're not that big, so sometimes I see him carrying 3 up to his room at once filled with pittas, crackers etc.

4 and 6 year old use adult sized cutlery and have normal, dinner plate. Yes the portion looks tiny on it but it gives them more space to cut stuff up without it flying everywhere

Once they were out of the high chair and able to independently sit at the table they had ceramic plates. They also sat still in restaurants, learned to use a knife and fork, and basic table manners. I assumed at the time we were normal.

I hate plastic. It always feels soapy and grubby. We don't even have plastic storage in any capacity. I'm suspicious of plastic anything.

Mine are 10 and almost 8 and have had same plates as us for ages, still use the plastic ikea plates for everyone for smaller things, breakfast croissants etc from time to time.

They also have similar size portions to everyone else 😬 certainly enough to fill an adults plate. They're both tall and skinny, their dad is skinny and I've always been thin or slim up until the pandemic. Now a size 10-12 rather than 8. Am I giving them too much food?!

My youngest is 18. We still have both the Fifi plate and the Animals plate in use. They are a good size for croissants or hot cross buns.

The calorie needs of an active child can be more than a more sedentary adult female. NHS suggests a 10yo boy needs 2032kcal and a girl 1936kcal

I just use the ikea plates no comments from play dates I've had round .

Given that the UK has dire statistics for obesity in children, often due to the portion rather than the content of the plate, I’m quite happy to stick with an appropriately sized side plate for my 12 year old.

Wow well that's a mixed bag of responses! I think I'll stick with the ikea plates for a bit then - as someone said if I give him a 'grown up' plate I'll have to give the little one one too and that has disaster written all over it! Might keep an eye out for some smaller cheap dinner plates too though. Surely with a side plate they just end up chucking food everywhere?!

as someone said if I give him a 'grown up' plate I'll have to give the little one one too

I'd really watch out for that kind of thinking. You have a 4 year age gap (we have 5). You shouldn't hold the elder one back just because you fear a tantrum/complaints that the younger one isn't allowed too. Neither should you pull the younger one forward 'because its easier' eg if the older one wants to watch a film unsuitable for younger, then don't just plonk the younger one in the same room 'it will go over their head', take them out and occupy them elsewhere.

@TeenDivided thanks for the parenting tips 😉

We do in fact manage to differentiate between what's appropriate for our children's different ages and don't just lumpy them together.

However meltdowns about not having the same dinner plates are an unnecessary stress I could live without! And I don't think I'm 'holding my older one back' by sticking with the ikea plates - from previous responses it seems a lot of people continue to use them well above the age of 6.

Thanks, though 😘

*lump them! Dammit