Toddler Dining Solutions

There comes a time in every parent’s life when the whole family dinner thing starts to make sense. Your child steps up and tries the chili, and maybe even likes it. She answers a question or two about her day. She might even remember to clear her plate from the table without being asked. It’s a beautiful thing.

Until then, your child may be more apt to treat mealtime like a crime spree. He dumps his milk into the spaghetti bowl. He delicately picks up his peas, one at a time, and drops them to the floor. Every so often, he arches his back and screeches like a banshee, for no apparent reason at all. And finally, without warning, he shimmies down from his seat and makes his getaway, in search of a toy, book, or anything more interesting than you or his older siblings. Many a weary day, at least in our house, he isn’t likely to get an invitation back.

Luckily, there’s a growing number of clever tools that can make mealtime a little less painful for you and your toddler. We’ve chosen three of our favorites, below. And for a limited time: Pass along your own best tip or trick in the comments section and be automatically entered to win a Bambinos! Tidy Table Tray (see description below).

1. Tidy Table Tray (by Bambinos!). Plates and placemats might as well be Frisbees in the eye of a curious (or mischievous) toddler. And if you’ve ever tried to solve the problem with silicone mats and tableware that suction directly to the table, as I have over the years, you know they’re no match for a determined child. Enter the Bambinos! Tidy Table Tray. BPA and phthalate-free, it clips easily and securely to your table in seconds, and has an ingenious spill-catch lip that expands and ergonomically molds your child’s body to reduce the amount of food that finds its way into laps, chairs and floors. Additional inserts available in blue, pink and white. And it adjusts to suit kids ages 18 months to 5 years. Food safe and dishwasher safe.
Buy it: Bambinos! Tidy Table Tray, $34 on Amazon.

2. Dinner Winner Kids’ Plate (by Fred). This interactive Melamine plate eliminates the need for pleas for “just one more bite.” You can divide your child’s food into small portions that fit into each little box that marches across the plate; kids are encouraged with messages like “Keep it up!” and “Good job!” along the way. Feeding experts may frown at reward systems when it comes to food, but this plate is just plain fun.
Buy it: Fred Dinner Winner Kids’ Plate, $13 on Amazon.

3.  Drawing paper roll dispenser. That’s right; a fat roll of paper that serves as a cheap alternative to drawing pads can double as the at-home equivalent of a restaurant kid’s meal placemat. When you can’t seem to keep your toddler at the table, pull out a placemat-sized length of paper, a couple crayons, and let your child go to town in between bites. Distraction technique? Maybe. But on challenging days, it might also be just the thing to keep a meal on track. Plus, there’s no need to wipe down a placemat or countertop afterwards; just tear and toss or recycle.
Buy it: Cra-Z-Art Wooden Paper Roll Dispenser, $9 on Amazon; or Melissa and Doug Tabletop Paper Roll Dispenser, $15 on Amazon.

What’s your secret for keeping mealtime fun and sane with a toddler? Describe it in COMMENTS section below for your chance to win a Bambinos! Tidy Table Tray.