As you all know, Baby S has begun her forage into the wide world of solids. At 11 months, she is still quite partial to the breast, but in her quest to put everything known to man into her mouth, she has decided that some food should end up in there as well. At the moment, she favors finger foods (cut up sweet potato, banana, avocado, broccoli), apple cores, raw cucumbers, puffs, little crackers, and small amounts of purees. She also loves drinking water from a cup.
When Toddler B began to eat solids, we began tackling an issue that many parents face in these days of scary chemicals and toxic materials- what do we feed her with? Plastics scares me, I can never remember what numbers are good and which numbers are bad. We went with ceramics for a bit, but broke every cute little dish.
I started doing some research, and found that one of our favorite companies, Green Toys (their tugboat is the best bath toy EVER), had recently added a tableware line for kids, Green Eats. All of Green Eats and Green Toys products are made from recycled milk jugs. The plastic is high-density polyethylene (HDPE), one of the cleanest, safest plastics around. No melamine, no BPA, no phthalates, no PVC, and has no external coatings.
We bought some of their spoons to try- to this day, they are the only spoons that Toddler B will consistently eat from (she has an extremely strong mouth sensitivity). They are just the right size for Baby S's hands and mouth- she loves trying to feed herself!
Green Eats also sent us an assortment of their other tableware products to try- bowls, snack bowls, tumblers, and divided plates. They were barely out of their boxes before the girls decided they loved them. Besides being great dishes, they make great toys! The snack bowls are now a favorite play item for both of them (bonus- they make perfect silly hats. We put them on our heads over and over again for hours). I am okay with them being on the floor- unlike the Dandelion brand of eco-friendly dishes (which break instantly when stepped on), they are sturdy. I can stand on the snack bowls and they don't even buckle.
And for eating? The sturdiness is a huge plus for mamas with babies who like to throw things. No breaking! Right now, the snack bowl size is perfect for Baby S, and Toddler B uses the standard bowl size. Baby S is starting to drink from a cup (messily), and I like that this one is light enough to pick up easily and- again- is unbreakable.
The verdict? In my opinion, Green Eats make the best baby and toddler eco-friendly tableware currently on the market. Non-toxic, affordable, sturdy, and cute- you can't get much better than that. Thanks Green Eats!
Guess what? One lucky Breastfed reader will win a pack of Green Eats bowls in yellow! Follow the directions on the Rafflecopter to win. Good luck and good eating!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I'm always worried about what's in her things. I'd love to get more green utensils and toys!
ReplyDeleteMy mom owns a daycare center. This information is so helpful! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteTracie
crackyouwhip.com
Yes, I do worry about toxins in his toys and things he eats with because I worry about the long term affect they could have.
ReplyDeletedanielleaknapp at gmail dot com
I worry some about potential toxins in my LO's dishes and toys, especially the dishes because I *know* those things will come in contact with her mouth. I wish I had the resources and time to really search for items i'm more comfortable with. Thanks for posting this and letting us know how much you trust this product.
ReplyDeleteI find I'm a little more relaxed when it comes to toys, mostly because I can rotate the more questionable ones in and out. (But lord help me with the ones that make noise - whose idea were those!?!?!)
M loves to play with anything and everything he can get his hands on. I'm always speculating what those plastics are going to do to him in the long run.
ReplyDelete