Does your child knock over her milk on a daily basis? Do utensils seem to fly out of your son’s hands? I treat kids with hypermobility, coordination and praxis issues, sensory discrimination limitations, etc.; they can all benefit from this terrific line of cups, dinnerware and utensils.
Yes, OXO, the same people that sell you measuring cups and mixing bowls: they have a line of children’s products. Their baby and toddler items are great, but no 9 year-old wants to eat out of a “baby plate”.
OXO’s items for older kids don’t look or feel infantile. The simple lines hide the great features that make them so useful to children with challenges:
- The plates and bowls have non-slip bases. Those little nudges that have other dinnerware flipping over aren’t going to tip these items over so easily.
- The cups have a colorful grippy band that helps little hands hold on, and the strong visual cue helps kids place their hands in the right spot for maximal control.
- The utensils have a larger handle to provide more tactile, proprioceptive and kinesthetic input while eating. Don’t know what that is? Don’t worry! It means that your child gets more multi-sensory information about what is in her hand so that it stays in her hand.
- The dinnerware and the cups can handle being dropped, but they have a bit more weight (thus more sensory feedback) than a paper plate/cup or thin plastic novelty items.
- There is nothing about this line that screams “adaptive equipment”. Older kids are often very sensitive to being labeled as different, but they may need the benefits of good universal design. Here it is!
- All of them are dishwasher-safe. If you have a child with special needs, you really don’t want to be hand-washing dinnerware if you don’t have to.
For more information about mealtime strategies, please take a look at Which Spoon Is Best To Teach Grown-Up Grasp? and Teach Spoon Grip By Making It Fun And Sharing a Laugh With Your Child.
