Thank you, Happy Monkey Mat, for sponsoring this post, Eating with Silicone Food Mats. I was selected for this opportunity by Happy Monkey Mat; the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
A few years ago, I wrapped up my Friday Night watching Shark Tank when EZPZ debuted. I sat there in awe of the design but honestly, I did not know the reason why this was so important for moms out there with littles. Fast forward to our lives now, and Ollie loves picking up his plate at the dinner table. As we moved to solids, I purchased this thing called the EZPZ Mini Mat. Now, I’m obsessed with these silicone food mats and I tell everyone about them because they are life changing, at least they were for us.
Basically, the EZPZ mat, and many others like it, is a placemat and plate/bowl all in one. It is designed to make mealtimes easier, less messy and way more fun! It is made of food grade silicone that is BPA, PVC and phtalate free. It is dishwasher and microwave safe and super easy to clean. And, they come in all sorts of fun colors!
We own three silicone sticky-style tableware now for Ollie and I love all of them for very different reasons.
My first purchase was the EZPZ Mini Mat. It fits perfectly on Ollie's high chair tray and is great as Ollie is learning how to use a fork and spoon. He grasped the concept of the fork/spoon really quickly but as the traditional plate would slide around his tray, he would inevitably knock food on the floor. He would try so hard to put the food on the utensil and you could just see the mass amounts of concentration he was using. The EZPZ Mini Mat helped us with this!
I was highly disappointed that it wasn't but seconds before my child realized that he could pull up the sides of the Mini Mat and release it from the table. But for the most part and as long as we are at the beginning of dinner time, Ollie is not necessarily tempted to pull on the plate, and does not lift when suctioned to the table properly. You do have to make sure that the edges are all on the table – if a little is hanging over, it won’t stick well. To help with suction, I have learned that by wiping the table and bottom of the mat with a damp cloth before putting it down and pressing along the edges, the suction is better.
Since the release of the EZPZ mats, others have been popping up everywhere. When I saw that Happy Monkey mat on Facebook, I knew I wanted to try this one out. It is larger than the one we own from EZPZ, similar in size to the original EZPZ, and had more and bigger compartments for food and seemed like a good investment to "grow into" as Ollie eats more and we add another addition to our family soon.
When we got it in the mail, I was a bit disappointed by the size. Not that the product description was wrong, I just did not read it carefully and I instantly realized that this mat would not fit on our high chair tray. Regardless, we busted the Happy Monkey mat out for dinner time, opted for a no-tray dinner, and pulled Ollie up to the table with us.
He loved it! He looked like he felt so much more included at the table and did not once drop any food or utensils on the floor. It has honestly been an even bigger game changer. This top notch baby placemat tray is made of premium quality, 100% safe silicone (FDA approved, BPA free) as well. It is thick and sturdy, but a very flexible premium quality washable placemat can be easily cleaned with warm soapy water, while you can also place it in the dishwasher.
Most importantly, because the mat is larger and heavier, Ollie has not even attempted to pull up the sides of this mat! The large bowl features a 11 oz. capacity is perfect for serving the main meal as Ollie grows. The 3 other, separate compartments feature a 4 oz., 4 oz. and 3 oz. capacity are ideal for serving fruits, vegetables and desserts alongside the main course! This is huge compared to the EZPZ Mini Mat with a 4 oz. main tray and two 2 oz. side compartments!
Nuby Easy Go Suction Bowl with Lid and Snap-In Spoon
Finally, I found Nuby Easy Go Suction Bowl with Lid and Snap-In Spoon on a clearance special at Aldi's a few weeks ago. Although the silicone mats are great, I really needed something that helped me out with a quick snack that didn't get our dinnerware dirty during the day. Something that would be great for chopped grape or oats or other small snacks/creamier mixtures.
The Easy Go Suction Bowl and Spoon is perfect for daycare, travel, or any on-the-go occasion as well. The bowl is conveniently sized just right for dry cereal or other baby foods and features a suctioned base that keeps the bowl in place during feeding. It also features a lid that seals tightly to keep food fresh during storage. The spoon makes a perfect travel companion because it snaps onto the lid of the bowl for easy storage. It is dishwasher/microwave safe and can stand up to the rigors of everyday use.
Because of the smaller base, Ollie figured out how to pull up this one the easiest. The suction does well, but really is designed for smaller fingers. Both the bottom of the bowl and the tray needs to be super clean and I have even found that it works better on our wooden table than his plastic high chair tray. On the plus side, it is still serving our purpose of no-sliding plates and bowls. It is helpful for Ollie to keep his plate in one place when using utensils.
Although I like each one for different reasons, I honestly believe that the Happy Monkey mat has been our favorite of the three! This surprised me as popular as the EZPZ mats are, but it goes to show you that regardless of the popularity, there may be others out there that work better but cost less. Now does this mean I wouldn't like the EZPZ mat in its original size? I don't know, but why pay $10 more for a mat if I am happy with the one I have!
