Baby's First Feeding Essentials: Placemats for Art Lovers

You want your babies eating at the dining table with you – right from their very first meal. But what’s it going to do to your favorite piece of furniture? The thought of pureed grime getting into your natural wood grain has your aghast. Dings on your pristine surface from repeated spoon banging make you cringe.

Not to worry! Our favorite placemats will keep your surfaces protected and your baby occupied with their nifty, eye-catching designs. Plus, your little one will feel all grown up with a clearly defined spot at the table.

With our selection of favorites, your babies won’t be painting your furniture with puree. They’ll be exploring fun designs and cool art in ways that will have you showering them with praise (instead of just showering the table with your favorite non-toxic spray).

Eye-catching designs for baby

See beyond just a rainbow of colors and have your miniature designer explore the whole range of Pantones! Your kiddo’s favorite shades won’t be just plain old pink or blue anymore once they get a peek at Avril Loreti’s Paint Chip Placemats. They’ll be all about the pencil sketch greys, iceberg blues, or even limeade green!

Crocodile Creek doesn’t just have your child’s safety in mind when making their products; they also place a huge emphasis on aesthetics. They source children’s illustrators and artists to create their fun, imaginative collections. So whether your little ones are into outer space travel, animals, transportation, robots, maps (and the list goes on), Crocodile Creek has a mat for them!

If you have a little animal lover in the house, Modern Twist’s baby meal-mats get your kids falling for these simple designs that look wonderfully hand-drawn. The two-tone mats and bright colors will have your kids loving the look.

Love smiley faces and fine art? MOMA’s History of Art Placemat has both covered. Stylishly illustrated in white on black, these mats will get your baby in with the likes of Da Vinci, Picasso, Rothko, and Warhol. You may just end up making this the family standard.

Engaging toddlers with some real artistry

Add a piece of chalk to your table settings and offer up your tot’s meals on Crate and Barrel’s Chalkboard Placemat. You can personalize settings with place names or write out your menu in advance. Your kiddo will have fun doodling all over this thing. Make it a Pictionary night at the table. Or have your kiddo make a family portrait. The possibilities are endless.

If you prefer something you can throw into the dishwasher or roll up and tuck into your bag for meals out of the house, Modern Twist’s mark mats are an entire line of food-grade, silk-screened silicone meant for coloring! They have over ten whimsical designs from ocean exploration to New York City sites, alphabet animals and farm buddies. And they all come with a set of markers to get your tot downright artsy!

Looking for something disposable instead? There are great options to use at the family table or away from the home. Marion Deuchars Let’s Make Some Great Placemat Art, MOMA’s Art While You Eat, and Story Doodles Placemats all offer fun suggestions as starting points for some of your little one’s finest masterpieces. And once complete you can hang that work of art on your fridge or get a whole collection going for your dining room. Great fun!

Are you shopping for baby feeding essentials? What’s on your list? Share the products you’d love to have in the comments below!

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