It’s crazy how quickly toddlers turn from babies into little people. Peanut wants to be with us and doing what we do constantly. He sees me brushing my hair, and wants to do the same; he sees me cooking, and pull out his own pots and pans; he sees me talking on the phone, and suddenly anything remotely phone shaped is being held up to his ear. Recently he decided that if I am eating my dinner with a fork, then he will only eat his dinner with a fork. The next natural step in teaching him to act like a small human seemed to be moving him from his high chair to the table with us.

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Meal times have been so much more fun with our little companion in the seat next to me! He feels more like a part of the family instead of someone that I need to serve. He’s learning how to behave by interacting with us while we eat and even chimes in on our conversations with his gibberish. I’ve started giving him dinner on a plate instead of just pieces at a time on his high chair tray. He spends more time interacting with us and less time feeding the cat. I definitely feel like we picked the right time to make the switch.

Here are some great products that made our transition from high chair to grown-up table an easy move:

Easy Go Booster Seat

This is a serious game changer! It was so easy to clip into a kitchen table chair and has just enough support for our little guy to sit up with us grown ups. Even better, it folds up and can easily be taken on the go. We were able to bring this along to dinner at a friend’s house, and it made life 1000x easier and more enjoyable than having him on our laps or packing a high chair.

Sure Grip Miracle Mat Section Plate

I think any toddler parent knows how much these kiddos love to throw, tip, and dump food from dishes. This mat stays flat on the table, has sections for portioning out food, and covers a little more room than a regular kid’s plate. If he tries, Peanut can definitely still flip it…but the flat surface is apparently not as obviously fun to flip as a regular plate or bowl because he doesn’t try as often.

Stainless Steel Utensils

The object that started it all – a fork. Peanut always wants to eat his dinner with utensils like Mom and Dad do. This cute little set is the perfect size for him, and obviously not as sharp as the adult versions.

360 Insulated Wonder Cup

I love the 360 cups in general. They’re supposed to be more orthodontically friendly, and Peanut likes being able to just pick up his cup quickly and drink. I don’t love that this one isn’t able to go in the dishwasher. *sigh*

Check out these other great Nuby products for your toddler available on Amazon: