Everyone has his special purpose; it's just a question of finding the right time for it. Bambu's is making plates and bowls out of bamboo. And the time to use it is now, when the earth is teetering on the edge of petroleum-and-plastic-induced environmental catastrophe.
Not that buying Bambu's bamboo fork+spoon sets for babies and toddlers alone will save the planet or anything, But every little bit helps, and if using bamboo means you forgo a couple of packs of tossable plastic spoons a year, I'm sure a tree somewhere will thank you.
Oh yeah, don't let the 'Made in China' label scare you; as a socially conscious company, Bambu monitors everything from health, safety and sustainability to working conditions for their imported products.
Bamboo spoon+fork sets, for babies (2pr/$12) and toddlers ($7/pr) by Bambu [branchhome.com]
I'd be interested to hear how durable these things are. We tried wooden spoons with 3B, to avoid the dreaded phthalates, until he got teeth and took a hunk out of one of them and tried to swallow it. Nobody needs that much fiber.
We have these, but although they seem durable enough, they are hard for our son to use because the wide shape makes them quite awkward for picking up food. The fork is outright bad; the spoon is kind of okay. Still, he usually throws them on the floor and eats with his fingers until we give him a plastic spoon, which he finds much easier to use.
Two words;
Tongue splinters.
Nough said.