What type of plates, cups & cutlery do your kids use?

[Panonim]

Sorry, I really am not sure which board this belongs on!  

I would like to get rid of all our plastic plates, cups & cutlery for the kiddos, but have no idea what to replace them with.  Is there a toddler-friendly, plastic-free, healthier option that is not too expensive?  (Or am I asking too much???  lol)

Thanks :)

[lifeguard]

Ds has always just eaten off of the same dishes as we use. We give him the smaller spoons & forks from our set & generally he eats off of salad plates but they are just the same dishes we use. I don't see a broken dish as a big deal though - I clean it up & life moves on. Quite honestly most of the broken dishes in this house are my fault or the dog's!

[wrenb]

I bought some old wooden salad bowls at the thrift store and use those for my toddler. The price was right and with a little oiling they'll last as long as I need. Danny is one of those kids who throws everything he doesn't want right off the highchair, so I'm not eager to give him real plates, even Corelle.

[Ruthie's momma]

DD has always used our regular dishware (Fiestaware), glassware (Rings glasses from Crate and Barrel) and flatware.  For formal dining, we also have Spode and Waterford.  DD has just started using these pieces, as well.  Just like Lifeguard, I am more likely to break any of the above than DD (she has never broken a thing!).

[DahliaRW]

For the most part the kids use our regular dishes as well.  I do have some plastic dishes (IKEA) that I use if we're having issues with throwing and such, or if I just need to do dishes!  But in general I do like the pps and use the salad plates and smaller cutlery.

[mrskingred]

For family meals we use our usual crockery. DS has never broken a plate, I have broken a few. We bought him a set of stainless steel cutlery when he was 3. We do have some plastic bowls (ikea) which we use for snack foods and for cold cereal, sweetcorn, grapes. They are red because DS has a thing about red and it keeps him happy.

[redvlagrl]

DD has her own set of stainless steel shallow bowls that she uses (cheaply from an asian supermarket). She uses regular glasses (small ikea ones) and some plastic handled metal toddler cutlery.I prefer that she uses her smaller stuff because I don't think that a toddler portion looks "right" on a huge plate (even a side plate would be too big).

[Panonim]

Thanks for the replies!  Our kids mostly use stainless steel (children's) cutlery.  I guess I would probably only need a couple more sets to have enough to get rid of the plastic ones.  DD could use regular adult cutlery, but DS is still likely to poke his eye out if I give him a regular fork.

In thinking about it, I'm sure DD would be just fine with our regular Corelle dishes.  DS, not so much!  But I love the idea of small wooden salad bowls, or small stainless steel bowls from the Asian supermarket.  I would never have thought of those.

As for cups..... hmmmm, wonder if they make little stainless steel cups anywhere?  There are still a lot of elbows knocking drinks over at our mealtimes, so I'm not comfortable giving them glass just yet.   Oh, what would be great is some silicone sleeves to fit over our glasses!  

[DahliaRW]

For glasses, I use thick juice glasses.  Mine have been dropped several time and out of the 8 I've owned for nearly 2 years only one has ever broken.  They definitely don't break when being knocked over on the table either.  This is what I have: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=10198933&RN=680&KSKU=101477&

[SnickySnaxx]

IKEA! They have great kiddo size glasses (very thick, have been dropped many times no break!) and they sell stainless steel cutlery (under $5 knife/spoon/fork set) in the kids' section. The cutlery is rounded out on the edges, so they're not sharp sharp but still get the job done. DD has been using these since she was almost 2 now 3 and has moved onto our cutlery and adult size glasses w/ no problem.

[GardenStream]

The boys use Fiestaware plates and bowls and then they use the regular silverware (except for knives, they use pampered chef kid knives).  They always use plastic or metal  cups with straws. 

DS1 bit through a glass when he was around 18mo and I had to pick the pieces of glass out of his mouth.  That's when we switched to really thick juice glasses.  When we moved back to the US our house has ceramic tile floors which maked a dropped glass shatter into a million pieces.  We're a barefoot family, so that's another big problem.  I've picked more glass shards out of feet than I care to remember.  That pretty much sealed the deal on glass in our house.

[thefreckledmama]

My kids usually use the same dishes and utensils that we do.  We have a utensil set with the smaller sized forks that work great for the bigger kids and my toddler has "kiddie" stainless forks and spoons that are rounded and sized for her smaller mouth.  I generally give them glasses at the table, but my toddler has some #5 plastic sippy cups she uses when out and about.  #2 #4 and #5 plastics don't contain BPA, which is my major concern with using plastics.

I've never been one to buy a lot of individual things for kids, as they really didn't exist until a few decades ago because someone realized there was a market for it.  I usually abide by the believe that kids have been eating and drinking for centuries from regular "adult" things, before specialized accessories came along.  

[Lironah]

My kids regularly knock their cups on the floor, so using glassware is not an option for me.  However, they do fine with the metal silverware we have.  

[Drummer's Wife]

Mine use the same glass/ceramic dishes that DH and I do. With four kids, a counter-height table, and ceramic tiled floors - we do have broken dishes and messes to clean up. But, it's not too often, and not bad enough to convince me to have them eat and drink from plastic.

[crunchy_mommy]

DS has managed to break a good share of glass & I'm not crazy about bare feet & broken glass so... DS uses all stainless steel.

His cups & plates are these: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50149664 They are small but he doesn't eat a lot so it works for now. I'm keeping an eye out for bigger ones but they all seem so pricey! He has some small stainless steel bowls that I picked up at the thrift store. He was using our silverware but he is so little & it just looked huge & awkward for him, so we got him some cheap sets of cocktail silverware (the small forks, coffee spoons, & cocktail spreaders... bonus, the cocktail spreaders are blunt so I don't mind him 'cutting' things himself now!!) We also have a stainless steel straw-top water bottle for when we're out & about and want to avoid spills.

[SeattleRain]

I was thinking about doing bamboo. Seems like a great alternative to what alot of you are talking about. Bamboo is a renewable resource and it's not breakable. I guess the downside is you can't put it in the dishwasher. I saw some of these as options for when my LO starts eating:

http://www.amazon.com/Bambu-5-Inch-Babys-Utensils-Natural/dp/B000PJ9YRQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1290358073&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Bambu-2-Inch-Diameter-Mini-Naked/dp/B000HLXYQY/ref=pd_sim_k_1

Or Munchkin makes some wooden baby bowls and spoons:

http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Wooden-Spoons-4-ea/dp/B002RSJC52/ref=sr_1_9?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1290358245&sr=1-9

http://www.diapers.com/product/productdetail.aspx?productid=20788

Or Green Toys makes some recycled bowls and spoons:

http://www.amazon.com/Green-Toys-BPA-Free-Feeding-Plate/dp/B0036MEL2W/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1290358449&sr=1-3-fkmr1

http://www.amazon.com/Green-Toys-BPA-Free-Feeding-Spoon/dp/B0036MEL2C/ref=pd_bxgy_ba_img_c

[blessedwithboys]

Camping stuff is great.  Walmart (if you shop there) has stainless steel and also enamel.  There is a kids' set on reusablebags.com (they have a new URL but I keep forgetting it).  We go Montessori-style and just use glass/ceramic/whatever the adults are using.

[MJB]

We reuse empty jelly jars (the small kind, like the Whole Foods "Fruit Spread" ones) as kid glasses. My kindergartner's been drinking out of them since he was 1 and I don't think we've ever broken one-- they are VERY sturdy and just right for small hands. My boys are older now but still use them, and little visitors use them too. Plus, they're free. 

IKEA sells a set of childrens' flatware in the toy section. It's made for toy kitchens but food-safe. They also have small stoneware in the same section. I'm planning on picking up some for my 4 mo. old for Xmas. We also have some wooden bowls we thrifted. 

[blizzard_babe]

Mostly the same as we use, usually he just uses his water bottle for his beverage (since we mostly drink water with meals); it's stainless steel. Then again, DS learned quickly that throwing food/dishes on the floor is a losing proposition in our house... Unless you want to lose your dinner to the dog.

Jelly jars for cups are a great idea, too.