Is a ceramic plate safe for a toddler?
Yes, if the porcelain has passed lead and cadmium testing and your child has stopped throwing dishes. Ours has passed U.S., California and EU lead and cadmium limits in every colourway (see the lab results), and it is vitrified, so nothing soaks in. The real risk is breakage, which is why the plate sits in a silicone base that keeps it from sliding off the table. How porcelain compares with plastic and melamine.
Does OKiBoo make silicone or bamboo plates?
No. OKiBoo makes porcelain toddler plates. It does not make silicone, bamboo, bamboo-fiber, melamine or plastic plates (silicone is used only for the base under the porcelain), and it is not connected to other dinnerware brands with similar names. What bamboo kids’ plates are usually made of.
Does it suction to the table?
No, and we say so plainly. There is no suction cup: the base is flat silicone, and friction plus the heft of the porcelain keep the plate in place, so there is nothing to loosen or peel. It is hard for a toddler to push around, lifts off when you want it to, and works best on smooth trays and tables.
How does the base become the lid?
Lift the plate out of the base, turn the base over, and press it onto the rim. It covers the plate for the fridge. One dish goes from the table to the shelf instead of transferring food into a second container.
Is it microwave and dishwasher safe?
Yes — both the porcelain plate and the silicone base. The artwork is fired into the glaze rather than printed on top, so dishwasher cycles do not wear it away.
Will the artwork scratch or fade?
No. It is an in-glaze decal, fired at 1,100–1,300 °C so it fuses with the glaze and sits level with the surface. There is no raised layer for cutlery to catch. Printed-on artwork, which most decorated children’s plates use, is what fades.
What is the difference between Forest Friends and Ivory Cloud?
The same plate, finished two ways. Forest Friends has the forest fired into the glaze in colour, in Peach Whisper or Sky Mist. Ivory Cloud has the same fox pressed into the clay instead of printed — you feel it more than you see it.
What age is it for?
Best from 12 months, once the throwing phase passes and your child feeds themselves. It stays useful into the early school years: the divided sections help while a child learns to keep foods apart, and the same plate works without them later.
What size is it?
Eight inches across. A smaller two-section plate is in production for younger children.
What if it breaks?
If a plate arrives cracked or chipped, email us a photo within 7 days and we will replace it. Porcelain can break if it lands on a hard floor, and we would rather tell you before you buy than after. Shipping and returns has the details.
How should I wash it?
Dishwasher, top or bottom rack. By hand, ordinary dish soap. Do not use abrasive scouring pads on the glaze — not because it damages easily, but because there is no reason to.
How is it packed?
In a printed box with paper inside. No plastic, no foam. It ships as a gift without rewrapping.
How much is shipping?
Free within the United States on orders over $50. Below that it is a flat $5.95. Two plates clear the threshold.
Do you ship outside the United States?
Not yet. We ship within the United States. Shipping is free on orders over $50; below that it is a flat $5.95.
How heavy is the plate?
The plate is 1.4 lb (650 g) — light for porcelain, and enough to stay put. In its silicone base it is 1.7 lb (780 g). Compared with other porcelain plates of the same size and depth, it sits on the lighter side; compared with plastic or silicone, it is heavier to pick up.
Is a ceramic plate too heavy for a toddler?
Not to eat from. It is heavier to pick up than plastic, so a young toddler may need a hand carrying it to the table, and in its base it stays put when a toddler pushes or grabs at it. If you want a plate your child can carry around on their own, a lighter silicone plate will suit you better.
Will it fit on my high chair tray?
Measure the flat part of your tray first: the plate is 8 inches across and needs a flat surface to sit on. On a smooth tray it fits, the base holds it steady, just as it does on the table.
Suction or friction: which toddler plate stays put better?
Suction grips hard at first, but it needs a smooth, clean surface and loosens as the cup wears or as a child learns to peel it. A flat friction base has nothing to peel: it stays in place through surface contact and the heft of the plate in it, and it lifts off without a fight. Neither is immovable. Ours works best on smooth trays and tables.
Can I store leftovers in it?
Yes, for a meal or two in the fridge. Lift the plate out, turn the silicone base over and press it onto the rim as a cover. It is a cover, not an airtight container, so move food into a sealed container if you want to keep it longer.
Porcelain or silicone: which is better for a toddler plate?
Porcelain if you want a plate that never holds smells or stains and can go in the microwave; silicone if you need something unbreakable and light. Silicone can take on the smell of dish soap and food over time, which is why we use porcelain for the plate and silicone only for the base. The downsides of silicone baby plates.
Why does my silicone plate smell like soap?
Silicone takes oil into the material itself — food oil, and the fragrance oil in dish detergent — and holds on to it. Scrubbing cleans the surface, not what has soaked in, so the smell comes back; lemon, vinegar or boiling clears it for a while, and then it returns. Vitrified porcelain is non-porous, so nothing soaks in. Rinse it, and it is clean.
Porcelain or stainless steel: which is better for a toddler plate?
Stainless steel if you need a plate that can never break, for travel, camping or daycare. Porcelain for everyday meals at home: it can go in the microwave, it gives a soft clink rather than a clang under a spoon, and it looks like real tableware. Steel cannot go in the microwave; the USDA lists metal pans among the containers that are not safe to use in one. Silicone, stainless steel and porcelain compared.
Are melamine or bamboo plates safe for kids?
Neither is a good choice for hot food or the microwave. The European Commission found that as bamboo-melamine plastics break down with use, melamine and formaldehyde can migrate into food above safe limits, and that heating, hot food and the dishwasher may increase how much migrates. Porcelain has no resin or binder to release. More on bamboo plates.
Is it safe to microwave plastic toddler plates?
It is better not to. In a 2023 University of Nebraska–Lincoln study, plastic baby food containers microwaved at full power for three minutes released, in some cases, more than 4 million microplastic and 2 billion nanoplastic particles from each square centimetre. Porcelain can go in the microwave, and our plate can go in with its silicone base on.
Is the silicone base food-grade and BPA-free?
Yes. The base is food-grade silicone, and every material in the plate and base is BPA-free. It never touches food while your child eats: it holds the plate and covers it, and the surface your child eats from is porcelain. Plate and base are both microwave and dishwasher safe.
Is it a good baby shower or first birthday gift?
Yes. It ships in a printed gift box packed with paper, so you can give it without rewrapping, and a child uses it from self-feeding into the early school years. One verified Amazon buyer wrote: “Perfect baby shower gift, won’t grow out of it quickly and then it is a keepsake.”
My toddler still throws plates. Should I wait?
Yes, wait until the throwing phase passes. The base keeps the plate in place when it is pushed, but porcelain can break if it is thrown onto a hard floor. If you buy it early, it is fine to put it away for a few months.
Where can I buy OKiBoo?
On okiboo.com and on Amazon. On okiboo.com, two or more plates save 10% and clear the $50 free-shipping threshold.