A Safe Alternative to Plastic - Silicone Tableware from Silikids

We've been working on reducing the amount of plastic our family uses for the past year or so. It's a huge process because SO many things are made of plastic. One of the main things we've struggled with replacing is plastic mealtime products for our kids. Silikids® offers an alternative to plastic with their silicone tableware and I LOVE them-I'm going to share some of my favorites with you!

Thank you to Silikids for sending us your amazing products!

There are a few reasons we've been trying to replace mealtime plastic products. I've always heard negative things plastics effect on our bodies and the environment but sometimes I've ignored them because plastic is convenient. Now that I have kids I feel a whole different level of responsibility for their bodies and for the environment they'll be living in.

Many plastics, even if they don't contain well-known BPA, do still cause adverse health effects including exposure to carcinogens, direct toxicity, and endocrine disruption. Even though plastic is convenient we're trying to phase it out so our kids aren't exposed to as many chemicals. We're also concerned with the environmental effect of plastics since over 50% of our trash ends up in landfills and doesn't break down. Recycling helps but with plastic production so high, we're still creating too much waste.

When we started looking for kids tableware (I'm most concerned with plastics my kids have been eating/drinking from) Silikids immediately drew me in. Two moms founded Silikids in 2006 because they wanted an alternative to plastic for their kids. Their tableware products are made of silicone which is derived from the natural element silicon. Silicone doesn't react with food or liquid to leech out chemicals and it's non-toxic. Another benefit is that silicone products are long-lasting and Silikids will even recycle their products for you when they do need to be replaced!

Silikids generously sent me some of their products to try and I love ALL of them. Check them out below!

The first Silikids product I was excited to try out is their Silibib® in Spice. Our son Lincoln is almost a year old and he's notorious for making a huge mess when he eats! His lap is always full of food when I take him down from his high chair. The Silibib is great because it has a pocket to catch all that extra food. It's designed to lie flat and you can choose to use the pocket or to flip it backwards if you don't. I just rinse it off in the sink after meals but it's also dishwasher safe and can be boiled to sterilize. This is the only bib I use now!

We also got to try a 2-pack of Silispoons™ from Silikids. I'll be honest, I've been lazy about letting Lincoln use utensils but now that he's almost one it's probably important for him to learn. The Silispoon is a great product to start with because it's got a textured handle that's easy to hold and a wide head for scooping. He did great scooping yogurt and also enjoyed chewing on the spoon because he's got teeth coming in.

Even though our daughter is three she wanted to try a Silispoon too. Who wouldn't? They come in super bright, fun colors like the whole Silikids line! She also loves the Siliskin Glass Cups which are six ounces and perfect for little hands.

I love the Siliskin Glass Cups for a couple reasons. First, they're not plastic! They're glass with a protective silicone sleeve that's easy-to-grip. The cups have patented shock absorption so if they get dropped, they're less likely to break. I don't let Harper run around with the cups because they still have the potential to crack, but I feel much better with her using these over glass cups without a silicone sleeve.

Another cup that Silikids offers is their Glass Training Cup which holds eight ounces. It's got a silicone sleeve (a Siliskin!) just like the previous glass cup but it also has a sippy top. Unlike many plastic sippy cups this doesn't contain valves or tiny crevices for bacteria to hide and grow. The sippy top fits over the Siliskin and creates an airtight seal.

The Glass Training Cup is perfect for kids learning to drink out of a 'big kid' cup. It's recommended for ages 24 months and up but I'm totally comfortable letting Lincoln use it at his high chair during meals!

For on-the-go, Siliskins has a few cups I love. The first is the Siliskin Sippy Cup. I appreciate how heavy-duty this cup is and I know it will hold up for a long time. It's great for bringing in the vehicle or to the park but is also great for home. It's easy to clean like the rest of the Silikids line and it's microwave and dishwasher safe.

There is a stainless steel ring embedded in the mouth of the cup so it won't collapse when squeezed and it comes with a Universal Sippy Top that fits over any size cup. Silikids also sells their Universal Sippy Tops separately! These sippy tops will fit on any cup and they're my favorite thing to travel with.

We brought them with us for Thanksgiving because we were traveling for the whole weekend. The sippy tops are small so they're easy to pack into the diaper bag and we were able to utilize them on a variety of cups. These would also be great for grandparents if they don't want to keep a bunch of sippy cups on hand! The sippy tops are easy to drink from and Lincoln does great with them.

Another Silikids product that we love for travel is their Reusable Silicone Snack Bag. These come in a two-pack of green and clear bags and are seriously amazing!

I use the Reusable Silicone Snack Bags in place of plastic ziplock bags. I feel great that we're reducing our trash and plastic baggies are such a waste of money so there's no downside. You can do anything with these bags-microwave them, freeze them, toss them in the dishwasher! I love to cut up fruit and bring it with us in these bags and put leftover veggies in them to store in the fridge after meals.

Lincoln's favorite product is the Siliskin Silicone Straw Cup. He loves drinking out of the straw!

This straw cup has an embedded stainless steel ring just like the Sippy Cup and the straw top is universal, too! I love this cup for the car seat because it's pretty leak-proof. It's also dishwasher and microwave safe!

We LOVE all of the Silikids products that we tried and I'm excited that Babies"R"Us is now carrying their products so I can purchase them locally. I feel so much more comfortable using Silikids Silicone products over plastic.

BUY IT: You can purchase Silikids on their site, from Amazon, and NOW at Babies"R"Us!

Disclaimer: I (Amber) received these Silikids items at no cost to facilitate an honest review. All opinions are my own!