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That awkward moment when your realize you cats have better dinnerware than your toddler. Am I the only one?
My quest to reduce the amount of plastic we use in our home has been a long one: plastic wrap has been out of circulation for a couple years, water comes from our filtered pitcher and never from a single-use bottle, decisions at the grocery store are often based on which option has the least amount of plastic packaging, and I bring my own produce and grocery bags.
Obviously, my husband and I eat off of ceramic plates like the civilized folks that we are. My intention with Cub was always to privilege non-plastic dishes, but as soon as throwing and dropping plates, bowls and cups became a reality (so, basically right away), melamine and plastic became the norm.
Plastic dishes caused one of my cats to develop a rash on her little chin, so I switched the felines over to stainless and glass ages ago. It was time to do the same for my human baby!
Introducing Life Without Plastic
There’s no better place to start in one’s quest to rid one’s life of plastic than at a URL like LifeWithoutPlastic.com.
This Canadian company’s entire business model is based on providing sustainable, environmentally-friendly alternatives to the plastic products that overpopulate our lives.
For Cub, I chose a 3-piece stainless steel dish set.
Each piece in the set is just the perfect size for a toddler. The bowl is like a small soup bowl, so perfect for Cub’s breakfast cereal. The plate is about the size of a salad plate. The cup, Cub’s favourite part, is ever so slightly curved to help him wrap his little hands around it, and is the ideal size for him as he learns to drink from a non-sippy cup.
As much as Cub loves the faces of his favourite characters on his dinnerware, he loves even more that on his stainless steel plate, bowl and cup he sees his FAVOURITE person in the world: himself.
As for me, after he threw his cup of milk for the first time, I knew I was happy to have unbreakable tableware that will last forever. (Plastic might be resistant to breakage, but it’s certainly not eternal.)
I am loathe to put plastics in the dishwasher, but stainless steel is no problem. Except, we love these dishes so much they always get washed by hand so they’re ready for the next meal!
The only improvement I would offer for this set would be the inclusion of a set of utensils. Other than that, I am definitely going to buy a second set for my baby on the way!
Another area where plastic still dominates is in the food storage department. Although I do have a lot of glass containers with lids for leftovers, I find them very heavy when you need a portable lunch, and not deep enough for my significant salad needs.
I described the type of container I typically use to tote salad, and Jay at Life Without Plastic recommended this 16-inch container:
Now, you might point out that I work from home, so I don’t need to bring my salad with me anywhere. Even my husband wondered why I needed a lidded salad dish.
Um: to shake it to mix the dressing????
I am ALL about shaking my salad before consumption.
This container has the perfect dimensions for a meal-sized salad, and I adore it. Bye bye Tupperware!
Shop & Connect
You can check out the wide array of plastic-free products available from the husband/wife Life Without Plastic team on their website.
Take a second to connect with them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
How do you reduce your family’s use of plastic?


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