Peaches & Honey: Feeding the Toddler

As I've mentioned before, the toddler palate can be a bit bipolar at best. But aside from never knowing what the hell the child wants to eat on a given day, toddler feeding is...messy. Whenever Bobby reached the age where he was ready to begin self-feeding, I had no idea what kind of gear I needed, so I consulted many friends for their opinions. Here are some of our favorites.

Sassy bent spoons // Fisher Price booster chair // Wow! cup // Re-play divided plates // Munchkin trainer cup // boon flatware // mini dustpan and broom // silicone divided plate // Dyson handheld vacuum // Lysol wipes

Sassy bent spoon- The bent angle of the spoon makes it easier for tots to feed themselves with minimal spillage.

Fisher Price booster chair- This convertible booster chair is great. You can strap it to a chair and use the included tray, or you can strap it to a dining chair and bring it up to your table. The tray is removable and dishwasher safe, the back is removable, the chair is foldable and easy to disassemble, and the whole thing is plastic and easy to clean.

Wow! cup- This was a gift, and it confused us at first. But once we got the hang of it (and by "we," I mean Alex and me..Bobby figured it out immediately), we love it. It gives the sensation and concept of drinking out of a big boy cup, but it is pretty impossible to leak or break. So far we have been really impressed with this cup.

Re-play divided plates- These plates are made from recycled milk jugs, so not only are they pretty and dishwasher safe, but they are eco-friendly, too!

Munchkin trainer cups- This is another sippy cup that we really like. We haven't had any issues with these leaking.

Boon flatware- This cutlery set is great for chubby little fists to grab.

Mini dustpan and broom- This should be a default item in your kitchen if you have a toddler.

Silicone divided plate- You really cannot go wrong with silicone and toddlers.

Dyson handheld vacuum- This is the most invaluable item in our home at this time. We use this thing multiple times a day, and we rarely remove it from the kitchen. It's great for collecting crumbs that the broom might miss. Worth the money in every way.

Lysol wipes- duh.

Nalgene grip-n-gulp cup // munchkin snack catcher // kitty lunchbox // dino lunch box // bee lunchbox // skip hop bee silverware // skip hop bee bento box // assorted sizes bento boxes

Nalgene grip-n-gulp cup- This is a wonderful sippy cup, and it is especially great for traveling, as the lid loop can be attached to a stroller, backpack, or any other type of clip.

Munchkin snack catcher- These are great for putting snacks in. Bobby tends to shake them, and it keeps cheese-itz and goldfish from getting everywhere. Well, it helps.

Skip Hop lunch boxes- These are so cute. They have several different animals, but Bobby has the dinosaur. They are a great size for fitting small bento boxes. I often clip the Nalgene cup to the strap on top when he goes to school.

Skip Hop silverware- These are also great for fat little fists to grip. They come to match all of the different lunchboxes.

Skip Hop bento boxes- These also match the lunchboxes and silverware. Good for sandwiches and fruit.

Colorful bento boxes- These are great because they come in a variety of sizes, so no matter what you are packing, you have a container. They can be arranged to fit into the Skip Hop lunch boxes.

Wow! cup // Nalgene grip-n-gulp // Munchkin trainer cup // mOmma trainer cup

I have tried about 84,000 different sippy cups over the last year and a half, and so many have been disappointments. I can't tell you how many spills I have wiped up. The first three cups here are ones that I have personally tried and really liked. My personal favorite sippy cup that I have tried is the Nalgene grip-n-gulp. It's a large size, so you don't have to constantly refill it; it's easy to grip; it's easy to travel with, and it can clip to anything with a clip; and it has literally never once leaked on me. I have seen many good reviews for the mOmma trainer cup, and I am looking forward to trying this cup in the future with Vivi. Because you can never have too many sippy cups. And that's a fact.

On an unrelated note, last week was a beast. A disaster.

Alex is still gone. Vivi has been in a sleep regression due to cutting a top tooth, so I have been up a lot during the nights with her. The kiddos and I all had colds and runny noses. Bobby was in a hell of a sour mood. I was sleep deprived. So what did I do?

I got a speeding ticket and then backed over my neighbor's mailbox.