Best non-toxic popsicle molds for babies and toddlers

*See the Ultimate Ice Pop Mold Guide for updated baby and kid-friendly molds.

We’ve looked at non-toxic popsicle molds before of course, but most of the ones I posted were for older kids and adults. What most people don’t realize is that cute and tiny little ice pops are also great for babies and toddlers, not just older kids.

Benefits of ice pops for babies include…

A tasty and chilly ice pop can help sooth your teething baby’s gums.
Homemade ice pops can introduce your baby to all sorts of healthy foods and new flavors, only in a way that’s fun.
Picky babies may be more likely to eat an ice pop than a bowl of puree, making nutrition less of a problem.
Of course, ice pops are a great way to cool off when it’s hot, sticky little babies include.

What’s tough is that babies have smaller hands and mouths. There are very few pre-made mold options that will work. Luckily there are a couple of real, but smaller ice pop mold options you can try, plus I have some ideas about how to make your own smaller ice pop molds.

Kinderville Little Bites Ice Pop Molds are BPA, phthalate and lead free, plus hypoallergenic and resistant to bacteria. Made with high-grade silicone, these ice pop molds are dishwasher, refrigerator, freezer and microwave safe. Also, silicone is durable, which means your baby won’t gnaw these to death. These ice pop molds are very small and perfect for tiny hands and bellies and the fluted rim helps keep messes a bit more in check.

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Prepara Volcano 4-Piece Pop Set - these molds have the best handles for babies and toddlers and are BPA-free. One great thing about these molds is they allow you to make one ice pop at a time if you like, thus saving room in your freezer.

Homemade Ice Pop Mold Ideas for Babies and Toddlers

Since there aren’t many ice pop molds around that are suitable for young toddlers or babies, I’ve been brainstorming how to make your own. All you’ll need to make homemade ice pop molds is a small cup of some sort, a stick and a way to keep the sticks in the mold.

First I searched for some small, non-toxic cups that would work as molds, such as the Beaba Multiportion Freezer Tray shown above. I also found four other decent choices, all of which are small, shown below.

The stick is where I kept drawing a blank. What could you use for a baby or toddler ice pop stick? I pondered for a while.

I don’t think it’s eco-friendly or smart to use wooden sticks for a baby popsicle. Wooden sticks are disposable, hard to hold and your baby may chew the stick like mad (ick). Then I saw the coolest idea on Pinterest. Someone had stuck antique spoons into cups and used them as ice pop holders. Awesome idea!

That said, sticking old antique spoons into ice pops for little tots isn’t likely the best idea, so I searched for some kid-friendly choices. I found four non-toxic ideas that I think might work well. I think the beautiful pewter spoons could get a little chilly to hold, but they’re so cute I included them anyhow.

Oh, also, although some baby and toddler silverware sets come with forks, I’d stick to using spoons as ice pop handles. A fork might present an unpleasing surprise for babies.

Putting the Homemade Molds Together

Here’s how I see this working. Make your ice pop mix and fill your molds. You can allow the mixture to freeze a bit, then stick the spoon/handles in, but that’s obnoxious time-wise and may not work well.

Instead, you’ve got some other options, such as…

Place your ice pop cups in the freezer door (carefully) or along a freezer wall, so that the spoons can stay upright on their own, using the wall for support. The spoons will be a little crooked, but no big deal.

Use a stabilizing method of some sort. Most people use plastic wrap with slits cut in it. Plastic wrap is icky and non-eco though, so a better idea is recycled foil. An even better idea is to make some inexpensive and quick reusable silicone stabilizers. For example, I have a bunch of silicone muffin cups. Some I love and some I hate (longer story for another time) but the benefit here is that I could cut slits in the ones I hate and use them as spoon stabilizers instead. Here, I made a little picture of the idea (excuse the crude drawing)…

By the same token, you could also cut up an old silicone baking sheet you no longer use, or buy an inexpensive new silicone matand cut it up into small pieces – you can use them again and again.

What if you don’t care about the mess?

If you’re a brave parent, and have a sunny day, let your little one sit on an old blanket outside and hand over some cute little hand-held ice pops made with Silicone Alphabet Letters. Messy? For sure. Fun and educational? You bet. You could just make these with water to cut down on the mess though.

Need some ice pop help? Visit Ice Pops 101 to see delicious popsicle recipes, ice pop tips and more.