Here at the Baby & Kids office, we receive our fair share of the newest and most innovative products in the juvenile industry. And what better way to share them with our readers than by reviewing them here on our blog? Welcome to our newest segment, Friday Reviews, where we share our thoughts and opinions on the latest products for little ones. We've seen a lot of placemats in our time. Most are generally functional, plastic-coated mats in primary colors designed to keep Cheerios from sticking to your Pottery Barn dining table. But when the folks over at Modern-twist sent us one of their Kidz Placemats, we were intrigued.
The clear silicone-based, food-safe placemat is like a page from a coloring book; kids can color in the images with washable or dry-erase markers. The placemat comes packaged in a cute box with a set of markers, and parents can choose from several designs. We received the DwellStudio Animal Blocks placemat, which features a modern mix of shapes and animals that will certainly appeal to little ones. And the best part? The placemat washes off so your little mini-Mozart can start over at the next meal. Although rinsing the color off the placemat is definitely a job for Mom; we found that it took a bit of elbow grease to wipe away the color.
Eco-friendly parents will appreciate that the placemats are free of BPA, latex and other chemicals, and the whole kit can be repacked in its original box for easy transport. We imagine it would be a good diaper bag essential to keep baby entertained in a restaurant. However you use it, meal time is certain to get a lot more creative.
Photo courtesy Modern-twist.
