All parents want the best products for their babies and toddlers, including feeder accessories. One of the most used accessories is a baby bowl feeder set – a bowl and spoon set. Yet, many parents worry about using the correct material to keep their babies healthy and safe.
So, what is the best material for baby bowl feeder sets? The best material for a baby bowl feeder set is silicone. Silicone baby bowl feeders non-reactant to foods or liquids, heat resistant, microwave stain-resistant, non-stick, and dishwasher safe. Plastic, bamboo, and stainless steel baby bowl sets do not offer all these properties.
You can purchase silicone baby bowl feeder sets online or at any baby care store, but it is not the only option. To ensure you choose the best baby bowl feeder set for your child, let’s have a closer look at each of the materials used in baby bowl feeder sets.
Best Material for Baby Bowl Feeder Sets
There are five types of materials for baby feeder bowl sets. These include:
- Plastic
- Bamboo
- Stainless steel
- Glass
- Silicon
Some materials are better suited as baby bowl feeder set materials, and others have unique properties that parents desire. We consider silicone to be the best as silicone has the most properties best suited to baby feeder accessories, including bowls, spoons, etc.
Below are some considerations and benefits of each material used to make baby bowl feeder sets.
Plastic Baby Bowl Sets
Plastic baby bowl feeder sets have existed on our shelves and in baby stores for many decades. They are often a cheap and readily available material-option for baby bowl set for many parents. However, over the last decade, they have been less favorable as studies have linked BPA and phthalates in plastic products to negatively impact a baby’s health and development.
The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) long promoted plastic baby feeder accessories such as baby bowl feeders. The AAP report plastic baby bowls with BPA and phthalates are detrimental to a baby’s developing endocrine system and define it as “a great concern.” More specifically, AAP is concerned that the harmful exposure leads to permanent and lifelong disruption to organ system development that the baby’s endocrine system benefits.
Over the recent years, American government agencies and advocates succeeded in introducing regulations and guidelines for plastic baby bowl feeder sets by removing BPA. However, many products still contain phthalates, which adverse effects on the endocrine system is less widely known as BPA.
The AAP recommends avoiding, where possible, all plastic baby bowl feeder set products because they directly in contact with the baby’s food.
Plastic Product Purchasing Recommendations:
We know that sometimes avoiding plastic is impossible for American parents and careers of infants and toddlers; that does not mean you are endangering your child.
We have summarised some of the recommendations of the AAP when it comes to using plastic baby bowl feeder sets:
- Buy BPA-free and phthalate-free products
- Avoid buying plastic baby feeder bowl sets with the code Recycling codes 3 (phthalates), 6 (styrene), and 7 (bisphenols) unless labeled “biobased” or “greenware,”
- Avoid using microwaving food in the plastic bowl sets
- Avoid placing plastic bowl sets in the dishwashers
- Throw-away plastic baby bowls if there is any damage, like cuts, exposed plastic that could contaminate served food.
Bamboo Baby Bowl Sets
Bamboo has grown wider popularity as a suitable material option for baby bowl feeder sets due to its sustainable and environmentally friendly features.
Bamboo is an abundant and resilient plant-material that does not require the use of pesticides or fertilizers to grow, nor are necessary chemicals in the manufacturing process. They are also 100% biodegradable. This makes bamboo baby feeder sets ideal for eco-friendly and eco-conscious parents.
The added benefits of bamboo as a material for baby feeder accessories are its high durability with a tensile strength of 28000 pounds – in other words, baby-play sturdy. It offers antibacterial properties, which is incredible for young immune systems. For parents, it is also reasonably easy to clean by hand.
The downsides to bamboo baby feeder sets are they are not heat resistant, so you cannot place them in the dishwasher or the microwave. The extreme heat will cause the bamboo to expand, which causes splintering. Bamboo baby bowl feeder sets need to be taken care of as they rot and warping due to moisture exposure but are more resistant than other plant products.
Besides those few considerations, bamboo baby bowl sets are an excellent choice for feeding accessories.
Stainless Steel Baby Bowl Sets
The AAP recommends a Stainless Steel baby bowl feeder, an excellent alternative to plastic. The AAP approval comes as high-quality material will not react with food or leach chemicals into the baby’s food.
Stainless steel is strong and unbreakable and will resist wear and tear la, sting for longer than other material products. Many parents love to use it as a “heavy-duty training tool” for feeding and dinner schooling your little one.
Like bamboo, Stainless Steel baby bowl feeder sets are sustainable material so great for the eco-conscious. Unlike bamboo, it is dishwasher compatible.
A downside to stainless steel baby bowl feeders is that as the metal, you won’t be able to put it in the microwave at risk of damaging the microwave and your safety.
There is also growing speculation amongst health care experts that lower-quality stainless steel products may leach harmful compounds into babies’ food. The compounds in question include nickel, iron, and chromium. However, according to Health Canada, the quantity of these compounds are too minor to cause any harm to a baby’s health, and as these are naturally required compounds in our bodies, it may benefit us.
Other than those few considerations, stainless steel baby bowl sets are excellent for feeding accessories.
Glass Baby Bowl Sets
The AAP also recommends glass as an alternative to plastic. It is regarded as the safest cookware to use as it is chemical-free and non-reactant, so there is no risk of chemicals leaching into your baby’s food or reacting with the baby bowl. Furthermore, glass products being non-porous means it does not retain or absorb odors or flavors of your babies food.
For parents, glass is easy to clean, and it is dishwasher-compatible with no pre-use or special care instructions. Warm soapy water will do the job if you are without a dishwasher. Most Glass baby bowl feeder sets are tempered to withstand high temperatures, therefore microwave-compatible too. Glass baby bowl feeders are also perfect for storing baby food and so double up as baby serve ware and food storage.
The downside to glass baby bowl feeders is their fragility and weight. Glass, including tempered glass, is fragile. If the glass bowl breaks, it can be hazardous to clean up, especially with young children in the house. Glass baby bowl feeders can also be comparatively heavy compared with other bowl sets. These products’ weight can make it challenging for babies and toddlers to use the bowl sets easily. It is also generally a more expensive material option than the other baby bowls’ materials.
Other than those few considerations, glass steel baby bowl sets are the right choice and a far better alternative to plastic baby bowl feeding accessories.
Silicone baby bowl sets
Silicone is easily the most popular choice for parents for all feeding accessories, especially Silicone Baby Bowl Feeders.
The material is non-reactant to foods or liquids, and silicones’ heat resistant nature makes it incredibly safe to use when serving hot foods. It is an essential dishwasher and microwave safe and compatible, which puts so much pressure on parents. As stain-resistant and non-stick, it is super easy to clean for parents.
There are downfalls to silicone; it is not biodegradable, but they have a long lifespan and are easily reusable again in the year to come. Silicone baby products that come into contact with food must adhere to FDA approved guidelines. Unfortunately, current guidelines authorize harmful additives like phthalates as safe. As consumers of baby feeder products, always check the labels.
Many baby feeding products use silicone, including spoons, bowls, containers, bottles and cups. At Wawata, we work with quality silicone-based products that are FDA approved and tested which are 100% BPA-free.
Our favorite silicone baby feeder accessory is our silicone baby bowl feeder set.
Properties Summary of Baby Bowl Feeder Materials
When considering options for your baby bowls and baby feeder bowl sets, consider what is most important to you and your baby’s needs. The following table summarizes some of the properties this article explored in the five material choices for baby feeder bowl sets; plastic, bamboo, stainless steel, glass, and silicone.
| Plastic | Bamboo | Stainless steel | Glass | Silicone | |
| Chemical-free | 🗶 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Heat-resistant | 🗶 | 🗶 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Dishwasher compatible | 🗶 | 🗶 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Microwave compatible | 🗶 | 🗶 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Recyclable/Reusable | 🗶 | 🗶 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Bio-degradable | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 🗶 | 🗶 |
| Durable | 🗶 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Unbreakable or damage resistant | 🗶 | 🗶 | ✔ | 🗶 | ✔ |
| Easy to clean | 🗶 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
As shown, silicone is one of the most useful and versatile materials for many baby feeder products, especially for baby bowl feeder sets. At Wawita, we view silicone as a great alternative to plastic baby feeder products and offer a range of silicone products. We value silicone-based baby bowls as they have a longer lifespan, unbreakable, and easily cleanable.
At Wawita, we work with a mixture of quality products and materials, such as glass, bamboo, and silicone. We value quality silicone materials and use 100% BPA-Free, non-toxic, and chemical-free silicone-based products.
Wawita Silicone Baby Suction Bowls, Feeding Set with Spoon
At Wawita, we acknowledge the benefits of silicone and bamboo materials in our baby feeder accessories. Our Silicone Baby Suction Bowls, Feeding Set with Spoon allows you to get the help of the silicone bowl, including being microwave and dishwater compatible with the antibacterial properties of our bamboo spoon.
We only use the best possible quality silicone for our products, 100% BPA-free, PVC, and lead-free. The silicone baby bowl also means it is safe for dishwasher use, though handwashing is advised for the bamboo spoon.
Other features of our Baby Bowl Feeding Set:
Our product is also uniquely designed to make your feeding and dinner times more manageable and enjoyable. The bowl’s suction base ensures that your child’s dinner stays on the table and avoids the floor. We achieve this through a super-strong suction at the bottom of the bowl designed to fit and stick to most surfaces. If you need to remove the bowl from the surface, simply lift the release tab gently at the base.
Consider our other blog post on other silicone-based products, such as our Silicone Baby Spoon Feeders.
What are Other Silicone Baby Feeding Accessories?
Silicone-based bowls are not the only silicone-based product you can purchase; the material is also widely used across baby feeding accessories because it is so versatile and meets all parents’ needs and safety concerns.
For baby bottle feeding, medical-grade silicone is the most popular material of choice for baby bottle tops or nipples. Medical grade means that the silicone is FDA approved and tested and is specifically designed to react safely with baby’s bodies, including inside their mouths. Scientists recommend medical-grade silicone because it is toxin-free hypoallergenic, latex-free, and non-porous resisting bacterial growth.
Other baby products made from silicon
- Spoons
- Suction Bowls
- Baby food containers
- Self-Feeding Spoons
- Feeding Mats
- Baby Cups
- Training Cups
- Straw Cubs
- Sippy Cups
- Baby Floor Mats
- Medical Silicone-Made Bottle Nipples
Outside of the kitchen:
- Baby toys, including teething toys
- Pacifiers
If you are interested in our Silicone Baby Suction Bowls, Feeding Set with Spoon, or any other silicone baby feeding accessories, visit our Wawita shop.
