The question we get most often is “which one should I get?” The answer depends on one thing only — what your child can currently manage at a meal. Here are three scenarios.
Scenario 1: your child doesn’t eat on their own yet (around 6–8 months)
Your child sits steadily and opens their mouth for the spoon, but you are the one offering the food. Meals are short and the food is thick or puréed.
What we recommend
A suction bowl and a soft spoon. The bowl has a rim high enough to load the last spoonful against, and enough depth for porridge. The suction base stops your child pushing it off the tray while your other hand is doing something else.
A plate with compartments isn’t needed at this stage — your child isn’t yet choosing between foods.
Scenario 2: your child eats with their fingers (around 8–14 months)
Your child picks up pieces, wants to do everything themselves and refuses all help. Meals are longer and considerably messier.
What we recommend
A plate with compartments. This is when compartments become useful: your child can see what is on offer, the foods don’t mix, and refusing one doesn’t mean refusing the meal. Why that has such an effect on their relationship with food is covered in the piece on fussy eating.
This is the stage where stable tableware pays off most — and also the stage when throwing is at its most frequent. More on that here.
Scenario 3: your child eats independently (14 months and up)
Your child uses a spoon, drinks from a cup and sits at the family table.
What we recommend
The full set: plate with compartments, cup and cutlery. At this age what counts is that your child has their own place and their own tableware, just like everyone else at the table. The suction base matters less; the weight of the plate still matters.
As a gift, when you don’t know the age
If you are buying for a birth or a first birthday and don’t know where the child is:
- For a newborn: a suction bowl and a spoon. It will come into use at six months — which is exactly when the parents will think of it.
- For a first birthday: a plate with compartments. At that age a child is almost certainly in the finger-food stage.
More suggestions, and what to write on the card, are in the piece on gifts.
What holds for all three scenarios
- The tableware is for use at home and for hand washing. For nursery and outings we recommend silicone — the reasons are in the comparison of materials.
- The suction base holds on a smooth, dry surface. On a tablecloth or a rough table it won’t hold, whatever your child’s age.
- Bamboo doesn’t go in the dishwasher or the microwave. That is the one genuinely non-negotiable limitation.
