Suction, Wipe or Toss: The Best Placemats Kids Can Use Every Day

A placemat for a child does a different job from the one under an adult’s plate. It has to survive smeared beans, tipped cups and the occasional crayon, stay put when a toddler tugs at it and clean up in seconds, because the next meal is never far away. Some kids’ mats grip the table with suction, some double as a plate, some teach the alphabet or the planets between bites, and some stick down at a restaurant table and go in the trash afterward.

This guide is only about placemats for children. Our main placemat guide covers mats for the whole table, and we have not repeated its picks here. For what goes on top of the mat, see our kids’ plates guide.

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Quick verdict: which kids’ placemat to buy

Below, we explain how the eight mats differ and which kind of family and table each one suits.

Five kids’ placemats side by side

Our five standout kids’ placemats, one for each kind of family, with the specifications each maker or listing states. All eight mats are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Sizes and materials are as stated by each maker or listing; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best placemats kids can use every day

These eight mats cover the real choices for a family table: a silicone suction mat that is also the plate, two learning mats made in the USA, a set of teaching mats with a non-slip back, a tray-style mat that catches crumbs and drips, washable cotton mats for lunch boxes and two kinds of stick-on disposable mats for eating out. Each pick explains who it suits and gives one honest reason to skip it.

How to choose a placemat for a child

Match the mat to the age. Babies and toddlers grab, pull and throw, so a suction mat or a mat-and-plate in one, like ezpz’s, does the most good. Preschoolers and school-age kids are past that stage and get more from a learning or coloring mat. Older kids carrying lunch to school do well with a cloth mat.

Grip. Suction holds best on smooth, sealed surfaces and much less well on textured wood or worn laminate. A non-slip backing, like merka’s, helps a flat mat stay put without suction. Adhesive strips are for disposable mats only.

Cleanup. Silicone and laminated mats wipe clean or go in the dishwasher, depending on the maker. Cloth goes in the washing machine. Disposable mats go in the trash or, for J.L. Childress, the recycling. Think about the meals you actually serve: rice, beans and salsa leave more behind than toast.

Material statements. Read what the maker actually states. Words like “food-grade”, “BPA-free” or “PVC-free” are the maker’s own claims, and this page repeats them only as the maker states them. In the US, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says children’s products must not contain more than 100 parts per million of total lead in accessible parts and must be certified in a Children’s Product Certificate; see the CPSC’s total lead content guidance.

Size and table space. A 12 x 18-inch mat covers a full place setting. Smaller mats, around 15 x 13 inches, suit school desks and lunch tables. Measure the space at your table, especially if kids sit at a booster seat or on a narrow bench.

Keeping kids’ mats clean between meals

Wipe a silicone or laminated mat straight after the meal, before sauces dry; tomato- and chile-based sauces can mark light-colored silicone if they sit. For a deeper clean, follow the maker’s instructions: ezpz lists its set as dishwasher safe, while Tot Talk suggests soap and water for its laminated mats. Dry-erase marks come off a laminated mat with a dry cloth, washable marker with a damp paper towel, according to Tot Talk.

Cloth mats like Funkins’ can go in with the kitchen towels. Store silicone mats flat, so they keep their shape and suction, and keep a few disposable mats in the car or diaper bag for meals out. If you are serving kids from a separate set of plates, our kids’ melamine plates guide covers durable options.

How we chose these eight kids’ placemats

We looked at kids’ placemats sold on Amazon by identifiable makers, from feeding-gear brands to small US makers of learning mats, and kept only those showing as in stock when we checked with Amazon’s product data. Specifications come from the makers’ listings and, where noted, the makers’ own sites or retailers, all recorded in our research notes. We have not used these mats for this guide.

Julia’s already has a general placemat guide, a round table placemat guide and two kids’ plate guides, so we left out their picks. The one near-repeat is the ezpz Happy Mat: our kids’ plates guide picks ezpz’s smaller Mini Mat, and we include the larger Happy Mat because it is a different size for older toddlers. Many silicone kids’ mats on Amazon come from sellers with no identifiable maker, and the standalone silicone placemats from well-known feeding brands we looked for were either not listed or showing limited stock, so we chose not to pad the list. We searched the US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s site for recalls involving each maker on this page and found none.

Kids’ placemat questions, answered

What are the best placemats for kids who throw their plates?

A suction mat with the plate built in, such as the ezpz Happy Mat. There is no separate plate to lift, and the suction base grips a smooth table.

Are silicone placemats safe for kids?

We can only repeat what makers state: ezpz says its set is food-grade silicone and nylon. For any children’s product sold in the US, the Consumer Product Safety Commission sets total lead limits and certification requirements. Follow each maker’s heat and cleaning instructions.

What is the best placemat to take to restaurants with kids?

A disposable stick-on mat, such as Neat Solutions Table Toppers or J.L. Childress ColorMe. They stick to the table, cover the place setting and go in the trash or recycling afterward.

Are learning placemats worth it?

For preschool and school-age kids, they turn the table into a place to talk about maps, animals or letters. Tot Talk’s and merka’s mats both wipe clean, so they last for years of meals.

How many placemats do kids need?

One per child for home, plus a spare while one is in the wash or dishwasher. Keep a pack of disposable mats for eating out.

Our kids’ placemat pick for most families

Start with the ezpz Happy Mat if you have a toddler, because a plate that cannot be thrown solves the biggest mealtime mess. For older kids, the Tot Talk Ocean Explorer placemat is a sturdy, US-made mat they can read and draw on, and a pack of Neat Solutions Table Toppers covers meals out. For mats for the grown-ups at the same table, see our best placemats guide, and for the plates on top, our kids’ plates guide.

And when nobody wants to cook, bring the family in or call to order; you can see the menu first.