Munchkin Stay Put Suction Bowls, 3 Pack (6 Months+)
Three stackable, rigid plastic weaning bowls on silicone suction bases with a quick-release tab. Rated 4.6 from 19,000+ Amazon UK buyers. Best on smooth highchair trays.
Features
The Munchkin Stay Put set is three small, stackable baby bowls, each sitting on a silicone suction base with a pull tab. It is aimed at the stage from around six months, when a baby is starting solids and the bowl is as likely to be thrown as eaten from. At around £5 for three, it is one of the cheapest ways to stop that happening, and with more than 19,000 ratings averaging 4.6 out of 5 on Amazon UK it is also one of the most tested.
Plastic bowl, silicone base: why that matters
Most weaning bowls on sale now are all-silicone. The Stay Put is not. The bowl itself is rigid, BPA-free plastic, and only the ring underneath is silicone. That is a deliberate trade-off rather than a cheaper shortcut, and it cuts both ways:
- A rigid bowl holds its shape when pushed. A soft silicone bowl flexes when a baby scoops against the side, which can break the seal. A hard wall gives a spoon something to push against, which helps a baby learning to load a spoon for themselves.
- The seal lives in one place. Suction depends on the base and the surface, not on the whole bowl staying flat, so a bit of flex from a small hand does not lift it.
- The downside is feel. Plastic is louder, less grippy and less pleasant to chew than silicone. If you want one bowl that doubles as a teether or goes in the oven, this is the wrong product.
What the suction will and will not stick to
This is the single most common complaint in the reviews, and it is almost always the surface rather than the bowl. Suction needs a smooth, flat, non-porous surface: a glossy highchair tray, laminate, glass or a sealed tabletop. It will not hold properly on:
- Textured or matt highchair trays, which many budget highchairs have
- Untreated or oiled wood, or anything with a visible grain
- Scratched, crumb-covered or greasy surfaces
Wiping the tray and the base with a damp cloth before pressing it down makes a noticeable difference. Test it on your own highchair tray before assuming the bowl is faulty. The quick-release tab is how you lift it: pull the tab and the seal breaks, rather than trying to prise the bowl off the tray.
Size and capacity
These are small bowls, sized for purées and first finger foods rather than a toddler's full meal. That suits the first few months of weaning, when portions are a few spoonfuls, but by around 18 months many families find they want something bigger. The three bowls stack, which helps in a crowded cupboard, and the set comes in mixed colours that vary by batch, so do not buy expecting a specific shade.
Cleaning and heating
Munchkin lists the bowls as top-shelf dishwasher safe. Keep them off the bottom rack, where the heat can warp thin plastic and a warped rim is harder to seal. The listing describes them as microwave safe, but the usual advice for any plastic baby dish applies: heat food in something else, stir it well and check the temperature before serving, rather than heating it in the bowl.
Specifications
| Brand | Munchkin |
|---|---|
| Pieces | 3 bowls |
| Bowl material | Rigid plastic, BPA free |
| Base | Silicone suction ring with quick-release tab |
| Age | 6 months and up |
| Cleaning | Top-shelf dishwasher safe |
| Stackable | Yes |
| Amazon rating | 4.6 out of 5 from 19,330 ratings |
Who should buy it, and who should not
Buy it if you are starting weaning, your highchair has a smooth tray, and you want a cheap, proven bowl that stays put while a baby learns to spoon-feed.
Skip it if your highchair tray is textured or wooden, because no suction bowl will fix that, or if you would rather have soft, all-silicone tableware that can also go in the oven. In that case look at a one-piece silicone bowl instead and accept that it will flex more.
Building the rest of the weaning kit
A bowl is only one part of it. For the first spoons, the Vital Baby Nourish Start weaning spoons have soft tips for sore gums, while the Tommee Tippee Smushee spoons and Bibado Dippit spoons are built for babies who want to feed themselves. Batch-cooked purées keep well in the Vital Baby Nourish store and wean pots, and a full-coverage Bibado Coverall bib saves a lot of washing. Once your toddler moves on to cutlery, the Doddl toddler cutlery set is the natural next step. For a structured plan, How to Wean Your Baby sets out the stages week by week, and the Baby section has everything else.
Verdict
A cheap, well-proven starter set that does one job, keeping the bowl where you put it, as long as your highchair tray is smooth. It is not the softest or most versatile bowl you can buy, but for the first months of weaning it is hard to beat on price.