Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Products are chosen independently by our editors. Purchases made through our links may earn us a commission.
Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
Learn more about our product testing
These eco-friendly dishes come in dozens of colors and fun designs, such as Batman or Minnie Mouse. Best of all, your toddler won't be able to move it. Read More
This bowl is nice and large, handles wood and texture well, and it's easy to remove once you're finished with dinner. Read More
This eco-friendly baby bowl from Avanchy Bamboo is a bit of an investment, but it also comes with a sturdy toddler spoon. Read More
You may have to press down on it occasionally, but with a once-monthly application of coconut oil, this bamboo set should last you for years. Read More
This flexible, easy-to-clean bowl is pretty nice, but poor suction means it doesn't stay in place very well. Read More
Picking up messes like spaghetti and yogurt from the floor is no doubt a parenting rite of passage, but if you’re looking to reduce the amount of time you spend cleaning your floors, a suction plate or bowl for kids is the answer. We tested almost a dozen suction plates and bowls for kids to find out which ones actually stay put.
Of the products we tested, the Bumkins Silicone Grip Dish (available at Amazon for $10.99) is the very best suction plate for kids. The Bumkins Silicone Grip Dish won us over for several reasons, but mostly because my toddler son wasn’t able to lift the plate from a textured or smooth surface and throw it on the floor.
If you or your toddler prefer a bowl for mealtime, the OXO Tot Stick & Stay Suction Bowl (available at Amazon) is our pick thanks to its large size and how easy it is to remove.
The Bumkins Silicone Grip Dish was our overall winner for best suction plates and bowls for kids.
The OXO Tot Stick and Stay suction bowl for kids is easy to clean and was hard for our kid testers to move off a table.
Sticks well to clean, dry surfaces
The suction ring is detachable
Environmentally friendly
None that we could find
Come in a convenient three-pack
Three different sizes
Doesn't handle textured surfaces or crumbs well
Hi, I’m Rachel Murphy—better known as “mom” to my son, Arlo, age 16 months, and my daughter, Reese, age 6. I’ve spent countless hours researching children’s products, searching for the best options for my family. Rest assured you’re in good hands (because I don’t want a big mess all over the floor any more than you do).
For nearly a month, my toddler and I tested 12 different suction plates and bowls for kids suitable for children ages 6 months and up. To identify which products to test, I researched the best suction plates and bowls for kids from well-known kids’ companies like OXO, NUK, and even fancy bamboo suction dishware that’s sold at Pottery Barn.
I spent time scouring Amazon, looking for recommendations from other parents for suction plates and bowls that can stand up to my toddler’s growing strength and determination to make as many messes as possible with his food.
I tested the suction plates and bowls on a variety of surfaces such as glass patio tables, wood dining tables, quartz kitchen countertops, and plastic high chair trays to find out which ones work best. They were also tested on crumb-covered surfaces and wet surfaces using a few drops of water to a giant puddle. Surprisingly, a few drops of water seemed to offer better suction to some of the products we tested.
Of course, since you’re a busy parent like me, cleaning is another important factor to consider. Most of the suction bowls and plates we tested are dishwasher-safe, but some are made of certain materials that aren’t made to be submerged in water. We took other essential details into consideration, too, like how easy it was to use the dish, the quality, portability, storage, and if it offered any special features or not.
As a parent, you already spend enough time cleaning…everything, so using suction-based dishes can help prevent food from ending up all over the floor. There are additional reasons to invest in this type of cutlery, though—preventing your little one from tipping over plates and bowls at mealtimes can also cut down on food waste and help encourage independent eating skills from kids who are still developing their fine motor grasp.
While there are a variety of materials available for suction plates and bowls for kids from silicone and bamboo, the best material is the one that you and your child find works for your household. There are two common materials you’ll find for kids’ suction plates and bowls—bamboo and silicone.
Bamboo is eco-friendly and non-toxic, but may need to be oiled and requires some additional maintenance. It also rarely lasts in the dishwasher, and tends not to be microwave-safe. It is, however, durable and adorable (our favorite novelty plates—which are now out of stock—were bamboo foxes that my toddler adored).
Silicone resists staining and odors, is often okay to be gnawed upon, and is non-toxic and food-grade, meaning it’s free of BPA’s PVCs and Phthalates. Silicone is considered easy to clean as it can be put in a dishwasher.
Other plastics are often used because they are lightweight and inexpensive, but they may stain, crack when dropped, get warm when microwaved, or be less environmentally friendly. Other materials that you may find less often include glass (which isn’t ideal for younger children as it retains heat, is heavy and can be dangerous if broken), and stainless steel (which isn’t as common and is often a bit more expensive than other options).
Smaller, kid-sized plates can provide toddlers and babies with the correct portions, and having a divided plate can present toddlers with a variety of different types of food. Babies and toddlers who are exposed to different types, tastes, textures, and flavors of food have a higher chance of becoming an “eager eater” and less picky overall. It can also make mealtime fun and more engaging for children.
Most of the suction plates and bowls for kids we tested must be pushed down onto a surface in order to trigger the suction, and they occasionally needed to be rimmed with water to activate their suction.
Some of the products we tested, like the First Essentials by NUK Tri-Suction Plates, needed to be pressed down multiple times during mealtime. So, if you’re hoping for a few minutes to yourself while your toddler chows down, just know that won’t always be the case without having a big mess to clean up.
Suction plates and bowls can be odd shapes and sizes, meaning that they won’t always fit nicely and neatly inside of your kitchen cabinets. The larger suction plates may need to be stored separately from your everyday dishes due to their large and cumbersome sizes. But, we did find that some of the bowls, especially the ones that come in a two or three-pack, easily stack on top of one another for clutter-free storage.
If you’ve got a tiny kitchen, you may want to consider how you’ll store the bowls before making a decision. And if you’re shorter, consider whether or not the suction on the suction plates and bowls may or may not stick to your shelves; it is an added hassle to be fighting with a suction bowl or plate that’s stuck onto a top shelf when you’re already reaching over your head and your kid is hungry.
After testing so many different options, some suction plates and bowls for kids performed better than others, but much of it hinges on the kind of surface you’ll be placing the suction plate or bowl on. Even our favorite picks slide around ever-so-slightly when nudged, but they still offered enough suction to prevent dinnertime from becoming a total mess.
Rachel Murphy is Reviewed's home editor. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Central Florida. Prior to joining the team, she worked as a freelance writer for publications like Insider and Mashable, and as an associate editorial producer for Good Morning America. Aside from smart home tech, her interests include food, travel, parenting, and home renovation. You can usually find her sipping on coffee at any time of the day.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.
Shoot us an email
