05. 7.2008
Me Feed Me: another attempt at the holy grail of no-mess self-feeding
Eventually, they're going to get there, with or without inventions like this - but I have to concede that there are few more frustrating sights than a toddler trying to self-feed, and ending up splattering food all over the place.
There have certainly been many design attempts to tackle this age-old problem, and here's the latest: the Me Feed Me set. Both the spoon and the plate are shaped to tip food back where it should be, just at the moment when it's about to fall. It does look like a good, well-thought-out technical answer to the problem, and as well as calming your nerves, it may also help your child overcome what must be a great source of frustration for any youngster.
However, at a cool £16 (approx US$32), you're going to have to really want it. I guess if it works, you might shell out for a couple of sets, but that does seem rather steep to me.
Posted by Myf
Category:
mealtime
Tags: dinnerware dish feeding flatware
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05. 6.2008
Numbers & Letters
I love anything with numbers and letters -essentially, anything with typography. So naturally I love these silicone number and letter trays. They come in vibrant colors and can be used to make ice, cookies, jello....or if you're like my household, play dough "cookies".
Available at Spoon Sisters
(Thanks, Keir.)
Posted by Jenna
Category:
mealtime
Tags: letters numbers
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05. 2.2008
Pottery Barn Safari Plates (and cups)
Is there a house in the US that doesn't get a Pottery Barn catalog? Well in case you missed the latest Kids version (Sometimes I get so inundated with catalogs that mine hit the recycling bin before I even crack the cover.), I thought I'd bring your attention to these really rather cool plates. Featuring minimalist safari silhouettes in contemporary colors, each melamine dish is kid friendly and bright without being obnoxious. Can't say the same for the rest of this rather busy Explorer Party collection, but I liked the plates enough to order them. For $20, you get all four – lion, elephant, monkey and giraffe. That's a pretty good deal!
(Admittedly, though they don't appeal as much to my design sensibilities, I did also buy the complimentary cups. That was a nod to the children. 'Cause really, what tot wouldn't delight in a glass that gives you an animal schnoz every time you sip? My camera is poised for some great photo ops.)
Posted by Justine
Category:
mealtime
Tags: animals mealtime plates
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05. 2.2008
Schylling Multicolored Modern Tea Set
It's that time of year again - time for a quiet and refined garden tea party with the kids. Well, maybe not so quiet, and maybe not with hot tea, but at least refined. While I'm not the biggest fan of the pastel colors, I really like the sleek shape of the tea pot and cup handles.This 13-piece set from Schylling puts a modern spin on the typical kid's tea set, as if to say "Pinkies in the air, not required." Though who are we kidding? Putting your pinkies in the air is half the fun.
Posted by Katie
Category:
mealtime
| toys
Tags: parties tea set
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05. 1.2008
The Beaba Babycook
It's becoming increasingly hard to trust that what's being put in our food is good for us. It seems every week there is another report about additives, chemicals, or some obscure, hard to pronounce thing that is potentially harmful. If you'd like to take some of the worry off your mind, the Beaba Babycook is a great product. A steamer, blender, warmer and defroster, the Babycook is the perfect appliance to help you make your own baby food. And what's better than knowing exactly what's in something you made yourself?
Posted by ben
Category:
mealtime
Tags: appliance baby food kitchen
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04.30.2008
Red Plastic Knife set
Luke is more and more involved in cooking, and while he likes to try to cut his own fruit, the idea of giving him a knife isn't exactly comfortable. That's why the Red Plastic Knife set from Williams-Sonoma is such a neat product.
It's a serrated knife to let him do his own cutting, but it's not so sharp that he can get into serious trouble. I like giving children responsibility in the kitchen and this is a great product to help with that process.
Posted by ben
Category:
mealtime
Tags: knife
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04.28.2008
Qubies Baby Food Trays by Miinki Moop
Once again, my Australian chum has sent me another genius mealtime product from down under. Unlike other trays designed for freezing and storing homemade babyfood, Qubies ice trays do not require that you fill individual sections as the dividers for your purees or juices are on the lid. Made from non-stick silicon, it appears that you need only be careful not to over fill the tray so as to avoid the baby food from spilling out when you snap on the cover. A pretty clever idea that keeps the kitchen just a smidge cleaner.
Posted by Katie
Category:
mealtime
Tags: baby food frozen
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04. 2.2008
The MUMSA dinner set
There are some items you almost wish you could have another kid just so you can buy them and not feel weird, and it's odd to say that about an $8 set that includes the oddest sippy cup I've ever seen. The MUMSA set includes a few pieces, but it's that cup that keeps us intrigued.
It's a penguin, but it comes with what appears to be a muzzle to keep the liquid from spilling out. You have to remove this pseudo-helmet because your child can drink out of it, and in a whimsical touch you can see the liquid in the penguin's clear belly.
I don't know why I find this odd little set so charming, but it is very unique.
Posted by ben
Category:
mealtime
Tags: dinnerware penguins sippy cups
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04. 1.2008
MagMag Drinking System by Pigeon
At a recent playdate with an Australian friend and her daughter, my son decided that he and his little girlfriend should not only share their lunches, but also swap sippy cups. His was the usual Born Free 9 ounce blue cup that he totes everywhere and hers was this quirky looking orange MagMag cup from the Japanese company Pigeon. Well, smitten would hardly be the word to describe my guy's infatuation with this new item. We had tried other cups with straws but they all seemed so huge that they dwarfed him!
The MagMag, however, has handles and is about the size of an orange - perfect for little hands. The straw is the third stage top for this system, which starts as a bottle first and a soft spout second, so it grows with your baby. My friend's mother has been smuggling these cups in from Australia, since she couldn't find them in the U.S., but I recently found them on the Canadian website Galtak.
While no toddler melee ensued when it was time for my son to hand back the MagMag, I'm very glad that one is en route as I type...
Posted by Katie
Category:
accessories
| mealtime
Tags: sippy cups
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03.26.2008
Ceramic dishware from NotNeutral
Bright green and yellow chicks and butterflies in an almost abstract design are featured in this ceramic dinnerware set from NotNeutral. If you're in a situation like us at our house, where the Kid is somewhere between the plastic baby dinnerware and the dishes that we use, a set like this might be perfect, since she's still insistent on using "her stuff" to eat from.
Posted by Jenna
Category:
mealtime
Tags: dinnerware
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