Weaning bowls/cutlery - help I’m going mad!

[GreenSilverStripe]

About to start weaning, I think I want silicone suction plates/bowls so they are do ish washer safe, so that the safest in terms of micro plastics etc?
moonkie/pippeta brands I’ve seen, anything else? The Sippit cups good? I’m going crazy spending hours looking and just need to buy something and start

Kidly have lots of nice silicone stuff

The bibado suction bowls are quite good for actually staying stuck to the surface (and we like their bibs too).

Just use whatever bowls you have if you're spoon feeding. Otherwise put food directly onto the highchair tray for now. You don't need plates and bowels for a while yet.

When the time comes by a selection and see which ones work best.

Of all the decisions you will make for your child this one matters the least. Any will do.

Thanks @Aitchemarsey and @BarnacleBeasley ill take a look.
@NuffSaidSam wîl be hopefully doing BLW so not spoon feeding from own bowls, and for several reasons need suction plates not putting food on high chair direct. Hence my question and I appreciate it’s a mundane question but that is also what MN is for and it’s stupid the things we fix and transfer on to.

Some food does work best on the highchair tray, especially if your child is quite little, as one of mine couldn't quite see into the bowl at first! I would add if you are BLW that we really like the Tripp Trapp highchair in general but the tray is shit and none of the suction bowls stick to it, at least not for long. But you may not have a bowl-flinger, who knows. DS2 just picks up his bowl, hands it to me, and charmingly says 'all done!'.

Sure, try a few and see what work for you.

I've got money on it ending up on the tray though 😂. Even with technology as developed as it is today a suction plate that can beat a baby who wants to throw it is yet to be invented!

Mine also eats best off the tray… or the floor. If he’s taken out of his high chair before I’ve had chance to sweep up he goes round scoffing all the bits he previously chucked off the side

One downside of silicone is that it tends to pick up the taste of soap, particularly if you're planning on putting it in the dishwasher. We have aj few silicone spatulas and before using them in our food I always have to wash them again under the tap for a while. For DD we went for hard plastic bowls/plates we found in the baby section at the supermarket (I think from Nuby) and they've been been very good.

I was also going to say to be aware of silicone bowls and plates making the food taste awful. I used to put DS's in the dishwasher and wasn't aware that it was picking up the taste of soap until I once shared his food to encourage him to eat and it was grim.

With DD now I put her food straight on the highchair tray, and have a hard plastic bowl & plate for if she ever stops throwing them!

Highly recommend the Catchy tray thing that goes round the highchair legs - stops the dog eating it all too.

Oh thanks that’s good to know about the silicone, thought it was a safer option but will look again!

Sugarcane plates instead of silicone?

Not great if you have a plate/bowl thrower. They crack really easily. Good from age 2ish onwards though

We've found the EasyTots stuff good, the bowl has one side that comes up high and curves over a bit making it easier for them to scoop food up the side without it falling out of the bowl easytots.com/

Their baby fork and spoon set also worked very well for DD - they are curved so when they grab it the end points into their mouth https://easytots.com/product/small-baby-fork-and-spoon-set/

Honestly, I’d go for Corelle or similar. They don’t break and they’re dishwasher proof. My toddler has Corelle bowls/plates and espresso sized Duralex Picardie cups. We’ve dropped the Corelle plates quite a few times on tile and they don’t break.

We got so sick of handwashing silicone bowls and I wish I went for this option earlier.

The Doddle baby cutlery is very good and my toddler eats confidently with a fork/knife/spoon.

Apron style bibs are best and the Catchy is a great invention.

I did silicone and just hand washed it. Easy to do straight after the meal before the weetabix sets like rock! And for cup we used a doidy cup, it’s fab. Neither of my kids could get the hang of closed sippy cups for a while.

I have used Pippeta and I find that they do hold the dishwasher detergent/washing up liquid taste. There’s no way to get rid of it either. Quite disappointing really for the money I paid.

Another vote for straight on the tray for early weaning.
There’s a huge period of everything on the floor usually.
Closer to 1 or later for suction plate and even then just to normalise plates. Keep half their dinner back to stick on the tray once it’s inevitably gone on the floor.

In summer I sometimes stripped down to nappy for meals too. Those bibs with scooped ends are handy for catching things. Also a huge wipe clean mat for under the high hair.

Asda. 6 plastic little bowls for £1 65

The best ones we had were heavy pottery ones with low vertical sides. Our kids could reliably push food to the side of the bowl and use the side to stop / hold the food and get a spoon under it, unlike with a sloping side bowl, where they'd chase the food over the rim of the bowl. They were heavy enough not to get picked up and waved around. Also, no microplastics.