Anonymous wrote:I've always used real plates with our kids. That's what they use at restaurants too.

+1

We have a huge stack of those smallish IKEA colorful plastic plates (and bowls) in the rainbow array that we all use constantly for non-dinner meals and stacks. They rock! At dinner, we use traditional plates.

Just buy a cheap set of 4 or 8 ceramic dinner plates to train your children in handling them at every-day dinner. This is what IKEA is made for, OP.

At 4 I generally still use plastic. But I'm not sure why, I guess it's just a habit, and we have the plates, so why not?

I will sometimes set the table with all the same stuff, but usually fill the kids plates at the counter, and use the divided plastic ones.

Once she stopped grabbing and banging it. So 2.5? At 3.5 she now insists on having the exact same plates as me and dh. So we use salad plates for dinner.
She almost never eats unsupervised. There is an occasional snack she eats at the table while I'm doing something. For this she gets a ceramic plate or bowl. Ours are not fancy. Ikea and crate and barrel from our wedding registry eons age.
I grew up with metal enamel plates since there was no plastic and was switched around 3 as well. Plastic plates and cups are for outside.