- Meals can be frustrating when toddlers insist on throwing their entire plate on the floor.
- The OXO Tot Stick & Stay Suction Bowls and Plates are the first bowls and plates I’ve tried that my 1-year-old isn’t able to get off the table.
- They’re the perfect size for toddlers, and they have a wall that makes learning how to use utensils easier.
If you want to spend the next hour cleaning food off your walls, put a regular bowl full of food in front of your baby or young toddler. I’ve tried quite a few suction plates, bowls, and place mats with my 1-year-old Ellie, and most of them ended up on the floor by the end of the meal.
I quickly gave up, and for most meals, I wasn’t even bothering to give her a plate or bowl; I just put food directly on the tray of her high chair. As she gets older, though, she sees that my husband and I have plates and bowls for our food, so she wants them too. I was starting to get really frustrated after buying plate after plate that was supposed to stick only to have her figure out how to get it off in less than five minutes.
When I gave Ellie the OXO Tot Stick & Stay Suction Bowl for the first time, I was so happy that it didn’t hit the floor once. She sure tried to send it flying across the room, but this is the only bowl so far that she hasn’t been able to unstick.
How it works
With most suction or stick-and-stay bowls, plates, and place mats, all you have to do to unstick them is peel up from the side. It only took Ellie watching me do this one time to figure it out for herself with the other options we tried. The reason the OXO Tot bowls stay is because there is a decoy edge that doesn’t budge when you try to pull it up. In order to take these bowls and plates off, you need to get your finger under the decoy edge and then under a second piece of rubber to break the seal.
When I say these things stick, I mean it. I know exactly how to get them off, and sometimes I still struggle. I even had to teach my husband how to take them off when we first got them because he couldn’t figure it out.
Practical design
Another thing I like about the design is that you can unscrew the bottom suction piece, which makes it really easy to clean. You won’t end up with caked-in food stuck in hidden cracks. Plus, they are dishwasher safe.
The plates and bowls are mainly white, with three different color options for the bottom rim: navy, pink, and teal. I have the bowl and plate in teal. The bowl (6.8 inches by 7.2 inches by 2.5 inches) and plate (8 inches by 8 inches by 1.8 inches) are the perfect size and hold the right amount of food for my toddler. By the time they are too small for her, she’ll be past the plate throwing stage (at least I hope!).
Another great feature is the high wall on the plate and bowl. The wall helps Ellie push her food onto her spoon and fork as she’s learning to eat with utensils.
The best part
The OXO Stick & Stay Suction Bowls and Plates have made mealtime less stressful for the whole family. When babies and toddlers throw their entire plate on the floor before they even try their food, it can be hard for even the most patient parent not to get frustrated. When we use these, Ellie tries to pull them off the table for about 10 seconds before giving up and eating her meal.
Potential cons
Every child is different, so yours might be a Houdini who figures out how to get it off on the first try, especially if you have an older toddler. That being said, Ellie has been using these bowls and plates for months now and so far, so good.
The bottom line
If you’re looking for bowls and plates that your toddler won’t be able to throw across the dining room, the OXO Tot Suction Bowl and Plate are a good option. OXO also offers a divided suction plate that I haven’t tried, but it uses the same concept and would be a great option to separate different parts of the meal for your child.
There are a lot of suction plates and mats out there to try if you’re looking for some other options. Although Ellie was easily able to get the ezpz mat and the Qshare toddler plate off the table the first time we tried them, a lot of parents swear by these two products. Both are placemats that come in cute designs and colors, but they don’t offer the decoy edge that makes it so hard for my toddler to get the OXO bowls and plates off the table.
Whether you’ve already gone through multiple suction plates and bowls trying to find the right one for your child or you’re just starting your search, the OXO Tot Stick & Stay Suction Bowls and Plates are definitely a good option to check out.
Pros: Decoy edge makes it hard for kids to get off the table, perfect size for toddlers, easy to clean, dishwasher and microwave safe
Cons: Older toddlers may be able to figure out the trick to get them off
Buy the OXO Tot Stick & Stay Suction Bowls and Plates for $9.99 on Amazon | Buy Buy Baby | Bed Bath & Beyond
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Source: Business Insider – jwong@businessinsider.com (Alicia Betz)