Take an animal to dinner.

• Position: What's New?

Once infants and toddlers reach the stage of eating solid foods, that seemingly triggers a battle between tot and parent to get the youngster to try unfamiliar dishes. Who among us doesn't remember being on both ends of the "Open your mouth and let in the choo-choo" ploy to get something past a child's clenched lips? One solution may be to make mealtime more like playtime. Now, thanks to the Pactiv Corporation, Lake Forest, Ill., that's possible.

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Hefty Zoo Pals paper plates are shaped like a wide variety of ultra-cute animals' heads. Each has a heavy duty coating that makes it soak-resistant and microwavable, able to stand up to almost any meal, and its presence on the table makes it more likely that kids will be willing to sit still while they eat everything on the plate to...