November 2, 2008 2:08 PM
Family dinnerware - your recommendations, please
Still working through my email from the oldest - which means pre-election barrage :)
Barbara,We are looking for a new set of dishes that we can use with our toddler. I would like to move our dishes to a drawer that my kids can access to put away dishes as well as set the table for mealtimes (as per your writing). Sadly, our current set is very heavy and chips easily. The dinner plates are very large and unwieldy for my toddler to carry with success.
I don't like the idea of plastic plates, as my husband has the propensity to put plastic in the microwave which is a health nightmare. Yet I don't know of any other options that are sturdy and yet light enough for my toddler to use and work with daily.
Do you have any ideas?
We have a set we've now been using for 20 years which though breakable has proven very sturdy and chip resistant.
They stopped making it but I was able to replenish my set on Ebay before the prices went up in recognition of it not being around anymore. You can read more about why I chose it at Kid-friendly home decor)
Sadly, we got here by trial and error. We had several sets that chipped like crazy. We just lucked out when we got this one. It's called Green Acres by Sango and it was only made for a couple of years.
My philosophy is that it's important to use things that are aesthetically pleasing and that hopefully are meaningful for children. I think in terms of creating memories - as these memories bond them in a tangible way to the love of their home and family.
As Montessori taught, I think it's important not to try to keep them away from breakable things, but to teach them to use breakables carefully. We have always kept our dishes on the bottom shelves so the children can access them for setting the table and emptying the dishwasher. (See larger families: more chores for young children.)
They rarely break anything - and of course when they do, I remind myself that I break things myself. (See Teaching kids to be careful.)
All that said, does anyone have more thoughts on the subject - or dinnerware that's worked well for you?
Posted in Montessori, Mothering, Practical Info | Permalink
Comments
I haven't personally used these, but I know that corelle brand are supposed to have a reputation for being very break-resistant. They also have some that are rather pretty.
Here's a link to their site.
http://www.corelle.com/index.asp?pageId=63
Posted by: lauren | November 2, 2008 3:06 PM
Barbara,
We use Corelle, which can be found anywhere, it seems, and is affordable. It isn't easy to break, and is light and thin. With our family of 11, it's nice to have something that stacks plenty and even little ones can carry and use safely.
Silvia in Colorado
Posted by: Silvia | November 2, 2008 3:12 PM
We're in the thick of this right now and have just recently switched to Corelle dishes from our stoneware. It's lightweight and chip resistant. It's not necessarily aesthetically pleasing, however, with white, I can decorate the table around it seasonally. My 3.5 yo and my 22 mo handle all the white plates, silverware and anything else they try their hand at when we put away dishes from the dishwasher or when we set the table. (Interestingly, I found that Corelle is still selling the set my parents were given for their wedding 26+ years ago.)
Posted by: mrs.s. | November 2, 2008 3:37 PM
I also recommend Corelle (sp?). They are microwaveable, are technically breakable, but don't break easily, are very light-weight, and are generally attractive enough not to offend the senses. We also often use paper plates with the round basket-weave "plates" underneath them. And if you get decorative paper plates on sale, they're pretty too! Less washing up.
Posted by: mary kathryn | November 2, 2008 4:14 PM
Another vote for Corelle white. I bought a set from K-Mart that had a ridged edge similar to the edge of my Wedgewood Etruria set. I use linens and flowers to bring color and seasonality to my table. The dishes are the backdrop, though I understand the appeal of making the dishes part of your children's memories as well.
Now that my sons are 9 and 11, I retired the durable old Corelle in favor of an inexpensive set of non-labelled old floral plates. I'm guessing they're circa 1950. They are attractive in an old-fashioned way without being too feminine. The dinner plates are smaller, which may help me eat less. ;-) And I won't weep if and when some break.
A good topic to think about.
Posted by: Sharon Heritch | November 2, 2008 4:34 PM
I went with plates and bowls and glasses from Ikea. (plates are .79 each, glasses 6 for $2). They are a very boring color, but I haven't found anything pretty yet that I love. Barbara, the plates you have are so cute! I don't know if I'd want to cover up the picture with food!
I really wanted something that would break (not every time you dropped it, but something not as durable as correlle), but also something that was inexpensive if it did break. So far we've broken a couple of glasses and cracked a bowl, but everything else is intact and my 2 year old does most of the putting away of these dishes. :)
Hope someone posts a link to something pretty! And how about a good place to buy children's flatware. I want to find pretty stuff like I used as a child and haven't been able to eexcept for about $20 for 3 pieces.
Posted by: tiffany | November 2, 2008 5:02 PM
Corelle.
We made the switch to Corelle before children in order to accomodate the clumsiness that I was experiencing due to health problems.
In the beginning, my husband really took Corelle at their word as to there break resistent qualities. I remember him trying to do some really weird balancing with the pieces--and breaking them--even once loosing our dinner to the concrete floor on the way outside to the gas grill :-).
I can honestly say, I think that my husband and I have broken more of the Corelle than the children have. I really don't think that the three children together have broken more than two pieces.
We're a little low on our pieces of Corelle and I've been casually looking for something new for several years. I keep favoring the Corelle white and know that it would be easy to add other lovely white pieces--found here and there--and use color in other ways to make the table pleasing.
Everyone helps prepare food (my 9 yr., too--nickname "Betty Crocker" because she's so good at this) and we've all been working on making the food visually appealing, when time allows. This is another reason that I'm favoring the white.
I hope others will share, too.....
Posted by: von | November 2, 2008 8:16 PM
Another mom who's a fan of Corelle right here! I found a fun retro pattern that my mother picked up a large set for us for super cheap at a thrift store.
As for children's flatware, I have a friend who uses relish forks for her little kids, something her mother found somewhere. I think I have a couple in the set of silver from my grandmother.
Posted by: Emily C | November 2, 2008 8:54 PM
I had used Corelle dishes for years and they were never as break resistant as I thought they should be. And when they break they shatter into a zillion pieces. I visited a local restaurant supply store and they had all sorts of options for either buying new or used restaurant dishes. I came home and did my research online and decided that I would start saving for my own set of restaurant dishes that I could use for everyday but that would look nice enough for special occasions with company. I ended up buying a service for 36, which was the only way I could get them for a good deal. I have broken only a couple in the past 5 years and they are so sturdy that when they arrived via truck, they weren't even in a box with packing, just in stacks that were taped together, 8 dishes at a time. I would highly recommend going this route. Now when my 6 kids are home and the grandkids are here, too, we have plenty of dishes for more than one meal, they are sturdy, and since I got off white dishes, I can use them with all sorts of pretty napkins and table cloths. I even use them on the deck in the suppertime!
Posted by: thatmom | November 2, 2008 9:51 PM
We use corelle, too. But it's important to note that they *shatter* when they break. We've only broken two pieces but each time someone was cut by the flying shards. I think I would prefer something that might break more often but would break into a few large pieces.
Posted by: Shannon M | November 3, 2008 7:47 AM
THANK YOU for posting the question about the dinnerware. Ours is too heavy and large for our family use. So, it's time to buy smaller plates and more plates to use each day. Presently I have to wash dishes very often to have enough for all the kids and meals in a day. I cannot do dishes all the time. I simply cannot wash them while holding a baby! I know other can, but I am not in that category! Thank you again ladies, I know where to look and why!
Posted by: imajackson | November 3, 2008 10:02 AM
I use glass salad plates for the little children. It's easy to remove grease when washing glass, they are cheap if they get broken, and the smaller size is great for kids.
I personally don't like Corelle (the texture, they get too hot in the microwave IMO, and they break, too, but are more expensive to replace.)
Posted by: Milehimama | November 3, 2008 10:17 AM
I am enjoying a set of Phaltzgraff made especiall for Big Lots; it is white with a leaf/ivy sort of embossing on the edges. It's held up well so far, but we are careful with it. I chose white because I wanted to be able to use it with any table cloth/decorating scheme I happened to like at the moment!
I would also suggest glass. Alot of vintage glass is heavier and sturdy. It goes with anything, and you can mix and match it as well. (I like the "eclectic" look!)
You can take anything "boring" and spruce it up with different cloths, etc.
Hope this helps!
Beth
Posted by: Beth | November 3, 2008 10:52 AM
Barbara - I just wanted to say that I love your dishes! They are really pretty.
Posted by: Angela | November 3, 2008 11:09 AM
In response to the question about flatware . . . the Michael Olaf catalog sells the Oneida by the piece. They have both the toddler and junior sets.
Posted by: Dee | November 3, 2008 7:26 PM
Barbara, when I first began reading your blog 2 years ago, we got Corelle dishes because they are light and not easily broken. We saved our heavy stoneware, and a year later switched back! The reason we switched is that we noticed that our little ones did better eating on heavy plates that didn't slide away from them, and they were ready to take care of the more breakable stoneware. In these 2 years, the children have broken 2 bowls and 2 glasses. Between the dishwasher and me, I have broken as many myself; so they are pros. And yes, they notice that they are being treated with trust by my allowing them to handle the dishes, pick out candleholders and even eat on the fine china. If all of our dishes break someday, and we cannot replace them, I still have that stack of plain Corelle waiting(for now they are back up for when we have company). :) I'd say to someone who doesn't want to risk breaking their dishes, go to get some used cheap ones that look and feel nice during the learning stages. Thank you for teaching me about this! It has been lovely!
Posted by: Angela | November 3, 2008 9:30 PM
