Gift Your Toddler a Set of Silverware With Their Name on It
Every day, my husband and I pack lunch for our almost-3-year-old son, Arlo, to take to preschool. And almost every day at pickup, there is at least one mini-fork or -spoon sitting unclaimed on the classroom lunch rack.It seems like pretty much every one of his peers owns one of three familiar designs from Lalo, WeeSprouts, or Munchkin. So to eliminate the minor but annoying task of inspecting toddler-size flatware every afternoon before heading home, I went searching for a set that would be more quickly and easily identifiable as ours — to his teachers, to other parents, and to me.
I wanted something that didn’t look too babyish, ideally made of stainless steel and totally plastic-free, so there wouldn’t be any risk of microplastics (especially since I put his cutlery through the dishwasher multiple times a week).
The first set of all-stainless utensils I looked at was from a brand called Ahmisa. We use its stainless-steel kids’ cups and plates at home and love them. But the utensils are geared more toward big kids both in size and in sharpness, and Arlo recently entered a phase of playing with and throwing his fork, so they were an obvious no. Then I came across a $17 stainless-steel set from Munchkin that I hadn’t seen before and that seemed pretty perfect. It has chunky, weighted handles that help younger kids hold each utensil properly and a sweet, nostalgic look, like something my mom might have used as a child.
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I ended up going to Munchkin’s website to see if there were any other options I should consider before checking out, and that’s when I realized that if you buy the utensil set directly from Munchkin, you can personalize it. The handles of all three pieces come with the same subtle engraving and can fit up to a dozen characters. The fact that Arlo’s teachers would always know which fork and spoon were his made the higher price of $26 seem worth it. (Weirdly, Munchkin appears to only sell the personalized version on its own site, but the plain one is available at Walmart.) I ordered a set with Arlo’s name and received it within a week.
We have been using the utensils for the past three months, and I get a kick out of them every time I set the table or pack his lunch. Arlo also gets a kick out of them, especially now that he can read his own name. Even though they are much more expensive than the utensils we used to use, they’re less likely to get lost, longer lasting, and totally plastic-free. And because they’re so nice-looking and the personalization makes them feel special, I think they’re a fantastic under-$30 gift that both parents and their toddlers will appreciate. They ship out within one business day, so there’s plenty of time to order for the holidays, too.
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