Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in San Francisco, CA

Among the less typical but nonetheless essential components of my diaper bag (it retains that name despite the absence of diapers) is this: training chopstick holders.

Fern loves Asian food, and since we live in a town enriched mightily by cultures that arrived from the other side of the Pacific rim, we have no shortage of options. We drop by our favorite -- Xiao Loong on West Portal -- at least once a week, so we have plenty of chances to practice our chopstick skills.

In looking for the perfect trainer chopstick, we sought a system that would adapt to different sized sticks and also accommodate our toddler's growing hand and skill level. We eventually settled on the Combi Chop Stick Trainer, partly because it fulfilled those requirements but also because it was one of the few we could find. Amazingly, even in Chinatown, these devices were hard to locate.

We're having much success with this model but would love to hear how you all handle the chopstick issue -- even if you simply ask for a fork!