Best Baby-led Weaning Plates & Bowls For Starting Solids
Choosing the right baby-led weaning plates and bowls makes starting your baby on solid foods much easier. It can be the difference between an enjoyable meal and a frustrating one for both you and your baby.
As a mom of two who has tried countless baby-led weaning plates in the last 4 years, I’m here to give you my honest review of the ones I believe are the best.
I will discuss everything from silicone plates to bamboo plates, divided plates, as well as plastic options.
Keep reading to find out what my choices are!
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Why Trust Us?
Here at Baby-led Weaning for Busy Moms, we have the training and experience to back up our recommendations.
I’m a mom of two toddlers who has tested plenty of baby-led weaning plates and bowls for almost 4 years.
On top of that, I have plenty of mom friends both in my personal life and in my private Facebook group who have kindly provided me with their recommendations for this article.
I’m also a biologist and a certified health and wellness coach who focuses on infant and toddler nutrition. I’ve coached plenty of moms to start baby-led weaning successfully.
How we chose the best baby plates and baby bowls
I used my experience of 4 years as a mom of two who has tested plenty of baby plates and bowls throughout my kids’ lives.
I chose bowls and plates that I’ve personally used and tested for a long time. I also chose bowl and suction plates that my mommy friends have used and loved over the years.
So you know that our recommendations are based on real-life experience.
Factors To Consider When Buying Baby Plates And Bowls
Make Sure Your Baby Is Ready For Solids
Before buying plates or bowls, make sure your baby shows signs of readiness for eating solids.
Most babies are ready around 6 months of age when they have good hand-eye coordination and can sit up and grab small pieces of food (called the pincer grasp) on their highchair tray.
Read this article to learn all about the signs of readiness to start solids.
Eco-Friendly Options
If you’re environmentally conscious like me, then you should choose plates made from sustainable materials like bamboo or food-grade silicone.
These are free from harmful chemicals and are safe for your baby and the environment.
I don’t recommend plastic plates for kids because studies have shown that tiny amounts of plastics (called micro-plastics) break down into the hot food served on plastic plates.
Ease of Use
Plates with a cute design may be cool, but the most important feature of a baby-led weaning plate should be ease of use.
Mealtime can be a stressful experience for new parents, with all the mess your baby will make.
So it’s good to pick plates that are dishwasher-safe or microwave-safe, so you have one less thing to worry about when prepping food.
Divided Plate vs. Open Plates
Before you buy a baby plate, you need to think of what type of food you’ll be serving on it.
Will the plate be used to serve the baby purees? Because if you’re spoon-feeding purees to your baby, then you don’t need a divided plate option. An open plate would be better for this.
Presence or Absence of Suction Pad
A strong suction capacity is important for keeping plates or bowls stable on the highchair tray, especially when dealing with active little hands. Some suction bases also come off for better cleaning of the plates.
Know About Harmful Chemicals
Look for plates made from safe materials like stainless steel or silicone plates to avoid exposure to harmful chemicals like BPA and phthalates. Check for labels like food-grade silicone to ensure safety.
Ease of Cleaning
Plates with smooth surfaces and durable materials are the best for easier cleanup. Look for options that are dishwasher-safe and plates that don’t have a lot of crevices for food to hide.
The Best Baby Bowls For Starting Solids
What We Love:
- Sticks to any high chair tray (both plastic and wooden)
- Easy for baby to scoop food from
- Hard for baby to remove
- Dishwasher and microwave-safe
- Fits most high chair trays
The Downside:
- The bowl isn’t as deep as others on the market
- Doesn’t hold as much food as others
My Experience:
Out of all the baby bowls I’ve used in the last 4 years, the EZPZ bowls have always been my top pick for the best suction bowls.
They are great for things like pasta and oatmeal, as well as any food that your baby would need to scoop with their hands.
The only downside is that they are smaller in size, so they won’t fit a large volume of food.
Get the EZPZ Tiny Bowl on Amazon
Nuby Sure Grip Silicone Feeding Bowl
What We Love:
- Larger bowl size fits more food
- Grib is solid and won’t come off easily
- Dishwasher and microwave-safe
The Downside:
- The base is large and may not fit smaller high chair trays
My Experience:
If you want a suction bowl with a larger capacity that can hold more food, then the Nuby Sure Grip Bowl is for you.
It has the same features as the EZPZ tiny bowl above, but it can hold more food. My kids used them for years and they were never able to remove them from the high chair.
Get the Nuby Sure Grip Silicon Bowl on Amazon
EZPZ Happy Bowl- Suction Bowl with Built-in Placemat
What We Love:
- Great suction
- Built-in placemat helps catch dropped food
The Downside:
- May not fit all high chairs
- Best for eating at the family table
- Takes up space for storing
My Experience:
We have a few of these EZPZ placemats and they’ve held up well over the years.
The placemat helps to catch some food items that may have otherwise ended up on your dining table.
I’ve also served some extra finger foods directly on the placemats as well when I needed more room. This helps to reduce the amount of dirty dishes to clean.
The only downside is that it takes up some room when stored in the cabinet.
Get the EZPZ Happy Bowl With Placemat on Amazon
Best Silicone Divided Plates For Baby-led Weaning
Kiddiebites Silicone Children’s Divided Plates
What We Love:
- Very durable and lasts a long time
- Made in USA
- Eco-friendly and helps a good cause
- Dishwasher and microwave-safe
- Great for traveling
The Downside:
- It doesn’t suction to high chair
My Experience:
Out of all the plates I’ve tried over the last 4 years with both my kids, I can tell you that one of the few I still use is these Kiddiebites plates.
My kids started using them when they were 6 months old. My oldest is 4 now, and still uses his favorite green kiddiebites plates.
Even though it has no suction pad, it holds up very well in the high chair because it’s heavy.
So it won’t be swiped as easily as other non-suctioning plates. It also grows with your child from infant to toddler so you won’t have to spend more money to buy more plates in the future.
Get the Kiddiebites Silicone divided plates on Amazon
EZPZ Mini Mat Plate – with built-in placemat
What We Love:
- Easy to clean
- Lasts a long time
- Fits most high chairs
- Great for starting baby on solids
The Downside:
- The plate is very shallow
- May not hold a lot of food
My Experience:
These plates are still in my home after so many years of daily use. I used them every day when I first started baby-led weaning with my kids.
They fit just the right amount of food, so you can avoid overfeeding your baby. They are also easy to travel with and take up way less room than others of their kind.
Now that my kids are older, I use these EZPZ plates mostly for snack time.
They still help me portion out just the right serving so that I don’t fill my toddlers up with too many snacks.
Get the EZPZ Mini plate on Amazon
What We Love:
- Suctions to almost any surface
- Easy to clean and doesn’t stain
- Hard for younger babies to remove the suction
- Large plates with lots of room for food
The Downside:
- A little pricey
My Experience:
I tested the Lalo Silicone suction plate for a week of almost daily use.
What I loved was that the plate itself is very heavy so it will remain sturdy on the high chair if your baby isn’t looking for that “pull flap” to remove the suction.
My 2-year-old had a hard time removing it from the table during dinnertime. This leads me to conclude that the suction is very strong.
Get the Lalo Silicone Suction Plates on Amazon
The Best Bamboo Suction Plate for Starting Solid Foods
Avanchy Bamboo Suction Baby Plate
What We Love:
- Made with sustainable bamboo materials
- Fits any high chair tray
- Removable suction base for cleaning
The Downside
- Not dishwasher safe
- Suction isn’t as strong
My Experience:
This is the only Bamboo plate that I tried with my kids on their weaning journey. I liked that it’s made from Bamboo which is very sustainable for the environment.
Unfortunately, the suction in this bowl isn’t as strong as those on the silicone plates that I mentioned on this list. The suction tends to come up during feeding.
My biggest hangup is that the plate isn’t dishwasher safe because it’s made of wood.
It will eventually split in half if you were to get it wet constantly in the dishwasher. I found that a little annoying. Besides these issues, I think it’s a good bamboo suction plate for the price.
Get the Avanchy Bamboo Suction Plate on Amazon
Munchkin Bambou Divided Suction Plate
What We Love:
- Plate is deep enough to fit enough food
- Love the 3 divided sections
- Removable suction base for cleaning
- Made with sustainable bamboo materials
- Fits any high chair tray
The Downside:
- Not dishwasher safe
- Not microwave safe
- Suction doesn’t always stay on
- A pit pricey
My Experience:
My friend used the Munchkin brand Bamboo suction plate when her kid was little. She liked that it was eco-friendly and aesthetically pleasing with the neutral colors.
Her only issue was that it was not microwave and dishwasher-safe, so she’d have to dirty another plate to heat the food before transferring it to the main bamboo plate.
If you don’t mind this small issue, then you should go for this plate if you’re looking for a more sustainable option.
Get the Munchkin Bambou divided suction plate on Amazon
Best Metal Baby Plates for Baby-led Weaning
Avanchy Stainless Steel Divided Suction Plates
What We Love:
- Easy to clean
- Dishwasher and microwave-safe
- Removable suction base for cleaning
- Great suction that stays on
The Downside:
- A pit pricey
My Experience:
If you need a more sustainable alternative to Bamboo plates, then this stainless steel plate is for you.
The Avanchy brand is well-known and makes great products. Their stainless steel plates are easy to clean and dishwasher safe.
They are also microwave safe which makes reheating meals a breeze. You can use them as baby plates and toddler plates as your kid grows.
My only issue with it is that it’s expensive, but that’s because it lasts a long time.
Get the Avanchy Stainless steel suction plate on Amazon
Best Fun-shaped Baby Plate
Bumkins Toddler and Baby Suction Plate
What We Love:
- It comes in lots of fun shapes, styles, and colors
- Deep plate that fits lots of food
- Grows with your child
The Downside
- It’s expensive
If you’re looking for fun and cute suction plates, then you’ll love the Bumkins brand of baby and toddler suction dishes.
They come in shapes like unicorns, cars and trucks, dinosaurs, and Mickey Mouse. There’s something for every gender, shape, and size.
Get the Bumkins toddler and baby suction plate on Amazon
Final Thoughts on Plates for Baby-led Weaning
I hope this article has helped you in choosing the best plates for your baby-led weaning journey.
Remember that it’s not the plate you’re using that matters, but the meal you’re feeding your kid.
So if you can’t afford the cute plates out there, it’s okay to serve food directly on the high chair too.
Eventually, all babies will move on to using regular plates. So don’t let choosing the best plates stress you out too much.
