Friday Faves: Feeding the Kid

I am constantly on the look out for new items to make eating and drinking more productive and less messy... If it's anti-spill, anti-break, insulated, easy grip, super duper shnazzy, I'm all in. Here are a few of my recent finds that seem to do the job.

Drinking

When we first started out in the sippy cup realm, I went for the soft tipped stuff. Will didn't like the hard tops, and he hadn't learned how to drink from a straw yet, so the harder tops with the sucky thing were out of the question. I liked the Nuby and Munchkin ones. We had been on a Munchkin kick, so I picked up some of the straw tops since Will loves drinking out of a straw now. These are hard to flip to get the straw out and it takes a lot of sucking power to get the juice out. Plus, if you have a beginner, they tend to tip the cup and this makes a mess, whether the lid is tightly on it or not. The nice thing is that the sippy tops and straw tops are interchangeable to the bottoms, so you don't have to worry about putting the wrong top on the wrong base. I also like the Gerber sippy cups. They are spill proof which is great when they get left on their side in the living room instead of the kitchen table where they're supposed to go... And if you sign up for free with Gerber, you'll get coupons for a number of their products, including these. Yay coupons!

However, my current faves are all of the fabulousness combined into one product with a fun look! As you have read, Will is really into Toy Story right now... Playtex has Toy Story Insulator Cups. They are insulated, spill proof, and super sturdy. They've been thrown on the ground in a tantrum fit and have survived every time. I don't have to worry if these get left on their side on the sofa because they don't spill. Plus they're just so dang cute with Toy Story on them. They also have Mickey Mouse & Friends, Winnie the Pooh, Little Einsteins, Cars, and Disney Princesses, to name a few. I also really like the Playtex straw topped cups. They have the same anti-spill mechanism, and just seem to be more user friendly for the kiddos. Plus, it doesn't take all my might to flip the lid open for Will.

Utensils
When we first started out, I bought the Munchkin spoons. There are several in a pack, they're inexpensive, and it seemed to be a good starting point since we were switching between him feeding himself and me feeding him.

Then we moved up to Will feeding himself more, so I got some with an easier to grip handle. The Gerber/Nuk Safety Fork and Spoon have worked like a charm lately. He's almost a pro at feeding himself!

Dishes
I bought these Munchkin bowls when Will first started eating "solids", aka pureed food. It was easy for me to scoop up what he was going to eat and feed him. I'm just stuck with them since and he seems to use them just fine on his own, whether I put oatmeal or applesauce in there. Plus they're fun bright colors. Who doesn't like that?!

I also really like the divided plates. They are great for them to easily scoop and stab their own food, plus it just seems to be more appealing when they have something different to eat in each little compartment. I bought the Zoo Pals plastic plates for Will at Target. I don't see them online, but I saw them in the baby section on one of the end caps of the aisles. There are 6 plates for $2.99 or $3.99. They have been perfect. I rinse them off and throw them in the dishwasher. No problems. Plus their shape kind of resembles a Mickey head.

Although none of this matters when the "wiper arms" start going and all of these helpful things go flying on the floor. At least it will help the feeding frenzy prior to those moments go a little more pleasantly.

**Diapers and Divas doesn't get jack from mentioning these lovely items. They have no idea who we are or what we do. We just share what we like and hope that it makes your life a little easier, more colorful, and happier.**