Silicone Feeding Essentials: Bowls, Plates, Sippy & Babycino Cups (Australia)
Somewhere between the first spoonful of puree and the day they hold their own cup without a drop hitting the floor, you'll go through more feeding gear than you thought possible. The good news: silicone has quietly become the material that does almost all of it — bowls that survive being thrown, cups that survive the transition off the bottle, and bibs that survive absolutely everything. Here's how to build a set that actually lasts the distance.
Quick Answers
Is silicone feeding gear actually microwave and dishwasher safe?
Yes, genuine food-grade silicone handles both without warping, melting, or releasing anything harmful — it's one of its biggest practical advantages over plastic. Check for a specific food-grade or FDA/LFGB certification rather than assuming any silicone-look product automatically qualifies.
How do I know if silicone feeding gear is actually good quality?
Look for a stated food-grade or FDA/LFGB certification rather than taking "silicone" at face value, since cheaper products can blend in fillers. A simple pinch test helps too — genuine high-quality silicone won't show white stress marks or a change in texture when pinched and twisted.
Is silicone actually safer than plastic for feeding gear?
Food-grade silicone is inert and doesn't leach BPA or phthalates, and holds up to repeated heating far better than most plastics, which can degrade and shed microplastics with dishwasher and microwave use over time. It's why most paediatric and parenting bodies now recommend it as the default.
Why Silicone Took Over the Feeding Aisle
A decade ago, most baby feeding gear was hard plastic or melamine — light, cheap, and prone to cracking, staining, and eventually leaching microplastics into hot food. Food-grade silicone solved most of that in one move: it's naturally BPA-free and phthalate-free, it flexes instead of shattering when it hits tile, it doesn't hold onto smells or turmeric stains the way plastic does, and it handles the dishwasher, microwave, and steriliser without warping.
It's also just better designed for small hands and messy mealtimes. Suction bases actually suction to silicone-compatible surfaces. Bowls flex enough to scrape clean with a spoon. Bibs mould to a wriggling toddler's chest instead of gapping at the neck. None of this is marketing — it's the reason silicone has become the default recommendation in most modern baby-led weaning guides, including our own.
The Core Set: Bowls & Divider Plates
Start with something to actually put the food in. A good silicone bowl and a divider plate cover almost every stage from first purees to fully self-fed toddler meals.
A weighted, wave-edged silicone bowl designed to make one-handed self-feeding actually possible — the raised lip helps little ones scoop rather than push food off the rim. Comes with a matching soft-tip spoon. BPA-free, dishwasher and microwave safe.
Three sections, one plate — genuinely useful once your toddler develops opinions about foods touching. Doubles as the closest thing in our range to a bento-style tray for keeping meals visually separated and portioned. Suction base keeps it put through the enthusiastic parts of dinner.
"The divider plate was the thing that finally stopped dinner turning into a food-mixing experiment. Small win, huge relief."
— A Tiny Moments Co community member
Sippy & Straw Cups: Getting the Transition Right
The move from bottle or breast to an open or straw cup is one of the more fiddly feeding milestones, mostly because there's no single "right" cup — it depends on your child's age, grip, and how much you enjoy mopping up water. A transitional straw cup is usually the easiest bridge: it uses the same sucking action as a bottle, so the learning curve is gentler than jumping straight to open-cup drinking.
Designed around a 3-phase development approach — soft straw, two easy-grip handles, and a spill-resistant valve that still lets younger toddlers get milk or water out without excessive effort. A sensible next step once your baby has outgrown a bottle but isn't ready for an open cup unsupervised.
If you've got one of our BBcino babycino cups for café mornings, you've technically already got a straw cup in rotation — it's just built for a specific ritual rather than everyday water and milk. We've written a full guide to it, including how to make a proper babycino at home, in our BBcino Cup deep-dive.
Spoons & Bibs: The Unglamorous Essentials
Nobody puts a training spoon set on a baby registry wishlist and gets excited about it, but they're the pieces that make every single mealtime easier — and the ones you'll replace most often once the novelty of gnawing on them wears off.
Short, soft-tipped, easy-grip spoons designed for babies learning to dip, smoosh, and eventually actually feed themselves. Cheap enough to buy a couple of sets and always have a clean one in the bag.
A soft silicone bib with a catch-all pocket at the base, which is doing more heroic work than any other single item in your feeding drawer. Wipes clean in seconds, doesn't crack or discolour like older PVC bibs, and folds small enough to live permanently in the nappy bag.
- Start with a bowl and spoon — before anything else — you'll use these daily from first purees through toddlerhood
- Add a bib early — silicone bibs are cheap enough to buy two or three and always have a spare on hand
- Introduce a straw cup around 6–9 months — as an easier bridge off the bottle than jumping straight to open-cup drinking
- Save the divider plate for self-feeding stage — once your toddler is eating a wider variety and has opinions about foods touching
- Check for BPA-free, food-grade silicone — on anything going near your child's mouth — it should be the baseline, not a premium feature
Our Feeding Set Bundle ($89.95) brings the bowl, plate, spoon set and bib together in one matched colourway — a straightforward way to kit out a new table-eater without piecing it together product by product, and a genuinely useful baby shower gift.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is silicone actually safer than plastic for feeding gear?
Food-grade silicone is inert, doesn't leach BPA or phthalates, and holds up to repeated heating far better than most plastics, which can degrade and shed microplastics over time with dishwasher and microwave use. It's why most paediatric and parenting bodies now recommend it as the safer default — see our full silicone vs plastic comparison for the detail.
What age should I introduce a sippy or straw cup?
Most Australian guidelines suggest introducing a cup — straw or open — from around 6 months, alongside starting solids, even while breast or bottle feeding continues. A transitional straw cup tends to be the easiest first step because the sucking motion is familiar.
Are these products dishwasher and steriliser safe?
Yes — every product in this guide is dishwasher safe (top rack recommended for cups and spoons) and can be steam sterilised for younger babies. Avoid abrasive scourers, which can dull silicone over time, though it won't affect safety.
What's the difference between the babycino cup and the transitional straw cup?
They're built for different jobs. The BBcino Cup is sized and shaped for the babycino ritual specifically — small serve, reusable straw, café-friendly. The Transitional Straw Sippy Cup is designed as an everyday water and milk cup for the bottle-to-cup transition, with a larger capacity and a development-stage design. Many families end up with both.
Do I need the divider plate if I already have a bowl?
Not immediately — the bowl covers purees and early self-feeding fine. The divider plate earns its place a bit later, once your toddler is eating more varied meals and portioning matters more than scooping.
Looking for gentle feeding essentials for mealtimes?
Shop Feeding EssentialsGuidance on introducing cups and starting solids drawn from Australian infant feeding resources including the Raising Children Network and NHMRC infant feeding guidelines. Tiny Moments Co is an Australian-owned small business. Current as of September 2026.