Toddler Meal-Time Strategies

We spend a lot of time talking about food at our house. Grace recently started finger foods, which mostly means that we place things on her plate and she throws them on the floor. Last week she turned one and I promptly threw out the bottles which means that now she is constantly throwing her sippy cup on the floor with a splash of side-eye and milk flying back at me. Toddler meal-time is fun and messy.

Yesterday as I was picking up the cheese and beans she had thrown on the floor she thought it would be fun to throw some more cheese on me as I picked it up. Baby girl does not care. And she’s definitely fine with going at her own pace when it comes to what she will eat.

But as her Mom it’s my job to nudge her in the right direction towards feeding herself and drinking out of a cup, rather than using it as a projectile. When The First Years sent us toddler feeding cups and plates to review, I knew we were up to the test.

Both of my kids were as picky about sippy cups as they were about bottles. Grace hated the bottles and cups that Jack loved when he was her age. We tried cups with straws but she chewed on them. The First Years Stackable Soft Spout Trainer cup  have the right amount of flow so that she doesn’t get frustrated. They are the only cup she consistently drinks out of. She has dropped these cups on the floor more times than I can count without them breaking or leaking.

Place a plate on a kids high chair and it’s bound to go flying. Place multiple foods on the tray and it’s bound to become a yucky unattractive mess, but the Inside Scoop Plate with suction to the tray keeping food in place much to Grace’s dismay and my delight. The plate stays put and more food ends up in her mouth than on the floor.

Toddler meal-time is all about being prepared. It’s about giving them options, letting them decide what they want to eat and how much. And for Moms to do that it means having snacks ready on the go. The Take & Toss Double Duty plates are great for on the go and you can buy them in packs of 4 so you can take them home and clean them or just toss them.

While Grace is still working on getting the hang of cups, the Simply Spoutless are great for kids who don’t like spouts or who are ready to move on from spouted cups typically kids who are age 1 and up.

Toddler meal-time is always going to be messy and toddlers are bound to use them as a time to show-off their independence. Having the right tools makes meal-time so much easier.

The First Years sent us these products to review all thoughts and opinions are my own.