are suction bowls/plates any good or just useless?

[thebluefoxategreensocks]

My 11mo son is not keen on being fed solids - he likes to feed himself! So he's only really happy eating foods if he's put it in his mouth himself! But this is a very messy experience, especially as his favourite meal time activity is often mushing up his food and squeezing it etc. In any case, it's difficult for him to chase peas and other food objects around on the tray of his highchair, making the task of self-feeding even more difficult! I think he needs a bowl - but he'll just dump the entire contents on the floor! So...would a suction bowl work, or do babies just pull them up anyway? I've never tried them before, so don't really know what they're like! I found one in Tesco today, but at £3.50, I was reluctant to buy it without knowing it would be any better than an ordinary bowl. Just hoping someone who's used one can let me know if it's worth buying or not! Thanks!

It won't work if the high chair table is wood like mine - wasn't smooth enough. Unfortunately didn't know till after I'd bought it.

Useless

Messy mealtimes is the way to go

Then he will do the 52-pea pickup when you get him out of highchair

Put a plastic mat on the floor under the highchair if you feel you want to protect your floor a bit.

Remember, this too will pass.

Good luck

A suction bowl, will be just as much use as this.

Huge plastic mat is the way to go. IMO

Useless - and have a look at this blog by Aitch (incase you have missed it) www.babyledweaning.com great ideas for letting them feed themselves rather than mush.

Useless. Your DS will be able to prise it off, and he will be pulling so hard that his penne in tomato sauce will be propelled ceiling-ward.

useless

Thanks for all the quick replies! Glad to know (thanks to lovely Mumsnet!) that I didn't waste my money on something so totally useless!

Now I must try and find a big mat for the floor (not that there is that much floor space in our tiny house, mind!). Tho maybe I should also find some sort of shower curtain to hang on the wall of bookshelves that is right next to the dining table???? LOL Not really serious, tho I do worry he'll soon have the books splattered with food!

Useless. they work them out VERY quickly.

Waste of money IME

We just put bits of food on DDs tray for her to feed herself, and clean up the mess on the tray and under the chair afterwards.....

....or forget to clean up and she hoovers it up herself later

We did get a tippee magic gripper mat that works by keeping the bowl fixed in place.....she just picked up the mat and threw the whole lot on the floor!

Waste of money IME

We just put bits of food on DDs tray for her to feed herself, and clean up the mess on the tray and under the chair afterwards.....

....or forget to clean up and she hoovers it up herself later

We did get a tippee magic gripper mat that works by keeping the bowl fixed in place.....she just picked up the mat and threw the whole lot on the floor!

You buy these things once, use them once and then just dump everything on the tray thereafter.

I do have a shower curtain taped to the wall . It's within reach of the highchair and DD tends to smear when she gets bored.

useless.

The Tesco was was spectacularly useless - the rubber ring stayed on the tray but the dish could be easily removed!

I just plonk it all on the tray now and DD uses a combination of fingers or attempts with a spoon/fork.

we bought DS3 one of the Tesco ones for Christmas (mean mummy alert ) and the first time I gave it to him, he pulled it off and tipped the contents on his head - in the space of about 1 minute

Unless your DS is a particularly tiday child, they are worse than useless. My friends DD does just sit there with it neatly, but shes like that.
DS regarded it as a challenge. Projectile food.

MIL (carpet everywhere), uses an old double duvet cover under the high chair which does work very well. We're just scummy. But I do ask for the bill and a dustpan and brush in restaurants.

Agreed, don't waste your money we tried loads and none stuck for more that a few seconds.

But when your little one is ready for to learn to use cutlery I would recommend the “me-feed-me” bowl and cutlery set by Salmon Luke. They were literally the best thing we bought for our two boys and they get a 5 star review on Amazon.

Useless.

Call me old fashioned but what worked best for us was a heavy-bottomed, straight-sided porcelein Beatrix Potter bowl. It's much easier for them to learn how to get things out of the bowl if it's not lightweight and moving around. I think DD had it from about a year. She wasn't a thrower though.

We got one from boots (not sure of brand but has suction bit you secure to table, pop lever doen then clip bowl on) that is impossible to move if you are not wise to the mechanism. I know this from watching my mum trying to prise it off... . To be honest we tend to put DDs food on the highchair tray itself as she can't see over the top of the bowl properly and makes more mess swiping away at it.

We have a couple of metres of waxed cloth from the Range. Cost about £4 and can be sprayed down and cleaned later.