Moving your baby on to solid food is an exciting time for you both, and sharing meals together as a family is an important part of a child’s social development. Making the next step towards them independently feeding themselves can be messy, but very rewarding, which is why choosing the right dinner set for your happy little eater can help encourage them.
If your kid is ready to start to use cutlery, plates, and bowls themselves, then you’ve definitely come to the right place! We’ve ranked our top 10 favourites on Argos, Amazon and John Lewis to bring you the best dinner sets for kids in the UK. From melamine plates with popular children's characters, to eco-friendly bamboo, mealtimes are sure to be a breeze.
Quick List - Top Dinner Sets for Kids
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So, your kiddo is just about ready to move to their own cutlery and plates - but where to begin looking for the perfect set? We’ve outlined all the main areas you need to consider, and compiled them in a helpful buying guide, so make sure to keep reading to find out more!
There are few different options when it comes to choosing a kids dinner set. To help you decide which material would be best for you, we’ve broken down the pros and cons of each. Here’s what you need to know!
Dinner sets for kids are usually made out of a non-porous hard plastic that’s shatterproof and hard wearing. Plastics are a popular material as they're lightweight and inexpensive, won’t break easily, and are simple to clean.
However, plastics degrade over time causing the material to break down and the pattern to fade. They’re also not the most environmentally friendly option, as they take hundreds of years to totally biodegrade.
Melamine is similar to plastic, but it has been treated to make it harder and more durable. As they are highly resistant to temperature changes, these sets are 100% dishwasher safe and their patterns and colours last very well.
However, melamine is unsuitable for use in the microwave as it could cause chemicals to leak out of the material into your food. They also have the same environmental concerns as plastics, as they take centuries to degrade.
Bamboo is a much more environmentally friendly option than plastic, as its production consumes less energy and will break down fully in the soil. It's rigid, just like plastic and melamine, and comes in a wide variety of colours and patterns.
The major drawback of bamboo tableware is that it can break easily, and will only last 1½ to 2 years. This isn’t necessarily a problem if you don’t mind replacing them, but if you want to buy for long term use, this can add up.
Ceramic bowls and plates are the traditional choice, with many famous potteries such as Royal Daulton producing their own high quality ceramic tableware aimed at younger kids. These look beautiful and make fantastic gifts. Plus, they tend to have vivid colours and shine from the glaze.
Unfortunately, ceramics will not fare as well as other alternatives if accidentally knocked or dropped on to the floor. The glaze can also fail over time and large cracks can appear in the surface. This poses a hygiene risk, as it makes the surface more porous and much harder to clean.
Which items you'll need in your kid’s dinner set depends on your eating habits, your child’s preferences and what meals you will be using it for. The most common items included are a cup, bowl, a flat plate or sectioned tray, an egg cup and child-sized cutlery.
To avoid disappointment, it's a good idea to double check before buying. Dinner sets designed for breakfast and lunch may only include a plate, bowl, and cup, but if you plan to use it for dinnertime, you may also want cutlery.
The main purpose of buying a dinner set for your child is for them to progress to eventually being comfortable eating using adult tableware. A dinner set for kids is meant to instil confidence and build dexterity, so that the transition to using full sized cutlery and plates will be much smoother.
Some dinner sets for kids include features that help make handling the items easier to help build your little one’s confidence. Such features include handles on bowls and cups, a spout on the cup, and easy-grip handles on the cutlery.
Mealtimes with kids can sometimes feel like feeding time at the zoo! Small hungry people are not the most patient, and having a ready supply of clean tableware to hand can help speed this process up and prevent any tantrums.
Time is of the essence, which is why you need tableware that's easy to clean and quick to clear away after use. For this reason, make sure you choose products that are dishwasher safe.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Shopwithgreen Children's 5 Pcs Bamboo Dinner Set | ![]() | Help Your Little Monkey to Use Plates and Cutlery | |
2 | Disney Classic Magical Beginnings Ceramic Gift Set | ![]() | A Beautiful Keepsake Once It's No Longer In Use | |
3 | Disney Toy Story 3-Piece Tableware Set | ![]() | A Fun Design That's Perfectly Proportioned For Little Hands | |
4 | Martin Gulliver Designs On the Farm 7-Piece Melamine Set | ![]() | Every Item Your Little One Could Need | |
5 | Peppa Pig Bamboo Dinner Set | ![]() | A Totally Oinktastic Set | |
6 | The Leonardo Collection Bamboo Eco-Friendly Farm Animals Dinner Set | ![]() | Help Your Child Become More Independent | |
7 | Premier Housewares Bella Ballerina Kids Dinner 5-Piece Set | ![]() | Scratch Resistant Melamine | |
8 | Ornami 5-Piece Bamboo Dinner Set | ![]() | Easy Grip Cutlery in a Fun Design | |
9 | Palleon Paw Patrol Children's Crockery Set | ![]() | The Perfect Set for Fans of Paw Patrol | |
10 | Royal Doulton Bunnykins Classic 3-Piece Breakfast Set | ![]() | A Classic Design Made From Royal Doulton Pottery |
Teach your little monkey their table manners with this cute set. The plate and bowl feature wide rims for better gripping, and all the pieces are lightweight and won't break, ensuring they'll last for plenty of raucous meal times!
This set is not only a lot of fun, but has plenty of features to help your child learn how to use plates and handle cutlery. It's super easy to keep clean, won't fade, and comes at a great price. It's not hard to see why we chose this set for our top spot.
The Magical Beginnings range brings classic Disney to life through timeless giftware, and this 7-piece set is no exception! This is a truly beautiful ceramic set featuring popular Disney characters from Dumbo, Bambi, and Pinocchio. The lettering even has a gold foil finish, giving it a luxurious feel, and the colours are tastefully soft and muted.
This is such a gorgeous design, and with it being dishwasher safe, it cleans up a treat and stays looking like new. The double handled cup is great for unsteady hands, and would make a perfect keepsake once they've grown up.
Take your child's mealtimes to infinity and beyond with this set featuring Toy Story characters, Buzz and Woody. The plate, bowl, and cup are perfectly proportioned for little hands, and the lightweight plastic is recyclable once you're finished with it, making for a more eco friendly choice.
This is a really good quality set for the price, and the pattern is lovely and bright. It's very easy to keep clean and the pattern stands up well to dishwashing. It's sure to be a firm favourite with young Toy Story fans!
This fantastic 7-piece set is a one stop shop for everything you need to teach your child to use plates and cutlery. The cute farmyard motif has a wide appeal, and the melamine material is solid, stain resistant, and dishwasher safe.
We love this design for how much it sparks your child's imagination, although you may find the cutlery in particular fades after some time. Having said that, this set has better longevity than most and is sure to see your little one all the way through to using adult plates.
Fans of Peppa Pig are sure to love this set! Guaranteed to make meal times more fun, each piece depicts whimsical scenes of your child's favourite piggy characters. It's dishwasher safe and comes in a branded gift box.
Made from natural materials, it's colourful, fun and will almost certainly help your little one to become more enthusiastic about learning how to use plates and cutlery. Good quality and a great design!
This set from The Leonardo Collection is sure to engage your little one and keep them entertained while sitting at the dinner table. Made from 100% biodegradable bamboo, it's perfect for use anywhere, whether at meal times or out on a picnic.
As with other bamboo products, these can break easily when dropped onto a hard surface or floor. But aside from that, we love that they are dishwasher and microwave safe, with some great features to encourage your child's independence.
This set is made from scratch resistant melamine and comes in a very pretty pastel design, featuring a ballerina and butterflies. The plate has 3 sections so you can divide up your kid's meal, and the handle on the cup and easy-grip cutlery will help their food independence grow and develop.
Disappointingly, this set isn't dishwasher safe, which may make cleaning up a slower process. However, it can still be washed up fairly quickly by hand and doesn't appear to stain.
Let your kids learn to eat with confidence with this bamboo set from Ornami. The colourful car design is sure to appeal to all children, and the eco-friendly bamboo is non-toxic and lightweight.
The cutlery is easy for small hands to grip, and the whole set can go in the dishwasher for easy clean up. Just be aware that these items can very easily break if knocked or dropped on to a hard surface.
Kids who love these intrepid pups are sure to love this 3-piece set, which features fun and engaging designs of all their favourite characters. All the pieces are the ideal size for smaller hands, and the cup holds 260 ml of liquid which is optimal for kids.
Although this set is described as being "crockery" it is in fact made of plastic. Somewhat misleading marketing aside, the colours are wonderfully vibrant and it's a very good quality set that's perfect for Paw Patrol fans!
The 3-piece dinner set features the adorable Bunnykins motifs that we know and love. All the items are the perfect size for little hands, as well as being dishwasher and microwave safe. It even comes supplied in a beautiful gift box, ensuring this is a present to be treasured for many years to come.
However, this is quite a pricey set, so will definitely be an investment or a gift for a special occasion. But if this isn't an issue for you, beautiful and whimsical designs are sure to be adored by the little one you're buying for!
There are plenty of products out there to help make meal times with your child less messy, and significantly less stressful! From sippy cups for toddlers, to baby bibs, we've got some fantastic recommendations. So have a look at the links below, and be sure to check out our Kids and Baby section where you can find lots more!
That brings our ranking of the best dinner sets for kids to a close. We hope you found the information useful in your search, and hopefully you will now be able to pick the perfect set for your little one to help them through their next steps!
Author: Catherine Torrance
No. 1: Shopwithgreen| Children's 5 Pcs Bamboo Dinner Set
No. 2: Disney|Classic Magical Beginnings Ceramic Gift Set
No. 3: Disney |Toy Story 3-Piece Tableware Set
No. 4: Martin Gulliver Designs|On the Farm 7-Piece Melamine Set
No. 5: Peppa Pig|Bamboo Dinner Set
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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