BPA-Free Tableware Review: Steadyco

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Steadyco is a UK-based manufacturer of kids' tableware that was launched with the Steadycup, a toddler cup with an open top and a widened base to make it more stable for clumsy little drinkers. The idea behind the cup is that toddlers should drink from a true cup rather than a sippy whenever possible, as doing so can (a) better prepare their mouths for speech formation, (b) help kids develop motor skills, and (c) depending on what they're drinking, help prevent tooth decay. (Z drinks water at meals, so I can't say that'd have much of an impact.) The cups are made of bright, sturdy polypropylene, and the company is committed to providing exclusively BPA-free products, and has been since its founding in 2003.

As an added bonus, the cups have a notch in their base that fits another Steadycup's handle, so they're stackable.

Steadyco also makes an 8-oz. booster cup with a lid, which is not yet available in the U.S. The lid snaps firmly onto the cup and is leak-proof when it is closed; the lid stayed on about 50% of time when we dropped it from an adult's chest height onto a tile floor, which is pretty good for a lid that doesn't latch. The idea is that you can transport liquids in this larger cup, and once parents prove to themselves that the lid fits pretty solidly, I think you could actually tuck it in a diaper bag or lunch kit with reasonable assurance that it wouldn't open up in transit. The cup has drainage holes near the top that make it easier to clean (the holes don't lead into the cup itself, just into the gap between the exterior and interior walls). We also found this lidded cup a pretty attractive option for storing dry snacks in.

The company also makes a complete line of kids' tableware - small and large plates, bowls, and utensils - that are also not distributed here yet. The pieces are really cute, bright and friendly-looking, and are among Z's recent favorites, particularly the bowl. For toddlers or early learners who are practicing working with a bowl, this option makes a lot more sense to us than something that attempts to attach itself to the table.

We have two minor quibbles with this tableware: The utensils are a bit large for the starting end of their 2-5 target age range; the spoon, in particular, has a pretty substantial bowl to it, larger even than our standard adult spoons. That said, we love the knife, which actually has a very slight serration to its edge, and thus can be used by children to actually cut food.

Our other observation is that the plates and bowls, due to their buttressed design, do not stack as well as other types of dishes. Their feet are curved slightly to accommodate the lip of another same-sized dish, but stack small plates on top of large ones and you are going to start scratching stuff up. Again, not a dealbreaker by any means - these are great dishes, good enough for us to upgrade Steadyco to ZRecs' Top Pick status now that we've had a chance to test out their products. This means we can vouch for their quality, some measure of innovation, and the company's overall commitment to selling safe products.

So why are we telling you all this if these dishes aren't yet available in the U.S.? Well, we've been promised that they will be soon, and that Steadyco is working out a plan with a retailer to bring them to our shores. We'll let you know as soon as possible who will be importing and distributing them, and assume the distributor will be able to sell these products at affordable prices similar to those Steadyco offers in Europe. This is a company dedicated to developing and widely distributing safe products made of safer plastics, and we think their tableware is a great choice for any family.