What age do you stop giving your children plastic plates and cutlery?

[mumofoneAlonebutokay]

Random one from me

Dd is 6 now. She has her autism but I think that i could get her to start using plates and 'adult' cutlery

The plates and cutlery aren't expensive of course

Asda have a pack of four for like £2

So four bowlzs/plates/knifeforkspoons

We swapped to crockery and child sized metal cutlery slightly younger than that, but used them for quite a while. The "shiny spoons" are still favoured for pudding though (youngest has just turned 20!) and I take the forks to work to eat my lunch!

One at 18 months, but our autistic DC used them until 4 as everything would go on the floor without warning. Still had a few mishaps but he didn't like the noise of things breaking so it actually helped stop him throwing things.

We never used plastic due to the microplastics issue.

You can also get some decent bamboo crockery.

Pretty much after aged 2. You have a child not a monkey. No broken plates as far as I can remember.

I know the Rory the racing bowl survived as it is the cat’s bowl now.

Mine were quite small 2/3 maybe?
They used side plates rather than big plates but they looked the same.
I also used the metal tommie tippie toddler cutlery with the plastic handles.

Around 45.

This worries me too, I don’t think anyone should microwave food for their kids on plastic plates, or put them in the dishwasher, if they must use them.

Our daughter, 9, uses both. She likes her old plastic plate sets and the smaller cutlery is much lighter. I don't think that there needs to be a time limit tbh. If they're capable of not smashing china and want to use it, then fine. If they want to continue with their favourite animal plate until they're 17, so be it.

IKEA do a good metal child size fork / knife / spoon set which is what my 3 year old has been using since he was about 2.5. We still use plastic plates and bowls (also ikea) but do give him china ones if we’ve run out / are eating out

My 3 year old has refused anything plastic for about 6 months, shes v v stubborn