Why Use Food-Grade Silicone for Baby's Utensils and Cutlery
Food-grade silicone is a good material, but the phrase means less than most packaging implies. Know what it does and doesn't guarantee before you pay extra for it.
What does food-grade silicone mean?
It means the material meets a standard for contact with food. Which standard is the part nobody prints in large type. You'll usually see one of two. The US FDA sets requirements for food-contact substances, and Germany's LFGB testing is stricter, especially on volatile residues left over from manufacturing. So a product tested to LFGB has cleared a higher bar than one that just says food-grade. The other difference is how the silicone was cured. Platinum-cured silicone is made with a platinum catalyst and leaves fewer by-products. Peroxide-cured is cheaper and can leave more residue, which causes the faint rubbery smell some cheap items have. If a maker tells you theirs is platinum-cured without being asked, that's a good sign.
Trust a certification over a kitchen-table test. You may have seen the twist test: pinch or twist a piece and see whether white shows through, on the theory that white means a filler. It's crude and unreliable, and it fails plenty of perfectly good products that have pigment in them.
Why silicone and not plastic
Several practical reasons and one about chemistry.
It handles heat, so it can be sterilised and put in the dishwasher without breaking down. Plastic crazes and clouds over time, and a scratched plastic surface harbours bacteria. Silicone doesn't shatter. It's soft on gums, which matters a lot at the age when a spoon meets a mouth that's also teething.
It sidesteps the plastics conversation entirely. Silicone isn't a plastic and doesn't contain BPA, phthalates or PVC, so the question of what leaches from a warm plastic bowl doesn't arise. That's a real advantage, and I won't inflate it.
Kitting out the high chair
Does silicone make mealtimes easier?
The suction base does, more than the material.
A bowl that stays on the table takes away the most reliable feature of early self-feeding: the bowl going on the floor. That comes from the design, not the material, and it's the thing to pay for. I haven't tested every suction bowl against a determined eighteen-month-old, but ours held.
Soft-edged spoons matter for the same practical reason: a baby learning to feed herself brings the spoon in at odd angles, and a hard edge on a sore gum ends the meal. Silicone bibs with a catch pocket keep what falls, which is the difference between changing a top and wiping a chest.
What to look for when buying
Five things, and the last one is where I'd spend the money.
- A named standard. LFGB or FDA compliance, stated on the packaging. Food-grade on its own isn't a certification.
- One-piece construction wherever possible. Joins and glued seams are where food collects and where things eventually separate.
- No detachable small parts on anything a baby handles unsupervised.
- Dishwasher and steriliser safe, confirmed by the manufacturer and never assumed.
- A suction base that grips. This varies enormously between products at the same price, and it decides whether you use the thing every day or once.
Where a cheaper option is fine: a plain stainless steel or melamine bowl and a soft-tipped spoon will feed a baby perfectly well. The premium here buys convenience and durability, provided the cheaper item is itself food-safe. I'd rather you spent the difference on a second suction bowl than on a branded set of eight pieces you use two of.
Sources
- NHS: Baby's first solid foods
- NHS: What to do if a child is choking
- HealthHub: Ministry of Health Singapore
This guide is general information, written to help you understand a topic and ask better questions. It is not medical advice and does not replace your own doctor, midwife or paediatrician. Anything that worries you about your baby belongs with them.
Read next: Sippy Cup vs Straw Cup: When to Use Each · Bandana Bib, Cloth Bib or Silicone Bib? When to Use Each One