May 10 2008
BPA in Baby Bottles
The first trip inside a Baby’s R Us is shall I say “overwhelming”. There is so much to choose from. And trying to figure out exactly what you need and want is enough to give you a headache.
Add the controversy over BPA in plastic and there is even more confusion. BPA stands for Bisphenpol A. It’s a substance used to make polycarbonates (hard plastics, such as Nalgene and baby bottles).
You can tell if a product contains BPA by looking for the number “7″ or “PC” near the recycle symbol. The concern according to some medical professionals is that BPA looks like the estrogen hormone called estradiol. Studies show BPA in large doses can hurt animals, but it’s unclear if BPA has any effect on humans.
So the question is….should we be concerned? As I get ready to bring two little girls into the world, this does worry me, especially when stores such as Wal-Mart are refusing to stock after a certain date any product that contains BPA.
According to a doctor we interviewed, a government report says there is some risk of disease of the prostate and breast and some risk of earlier onset of puberty. Because the risk to humans is unknown, companies (such as Wal-Mart) are phasing out products containing BPA.
I did however find a store in downtown Littleton (Sweet Beginnings) that carries only BPA-free baby bottles. You can check them out at www.oursweetbeginnings.com
I would think there are other stores that also carry non-BPA baby bottles. Does anyone know?
The most succint BPA-free list that I’ve seen: http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/11/z-report-bisphenol-in-baby-bottles-and.html
It isn’t a store, but does tell what products are BPA free. I figure as long as I’m buying bottles, might was well avoid the BPA if possible.
I have looked at a variety of options that are BPA free or glass and these are my pick:
http://www.babyearth.com/babylife-wee-go-glass-bottle.html
I have not yet tried any, and there are lots of glass options out there.
Also, recycling number ‘7′ doesn’t label the item as being made with BPA, 7s can be any mix of 1-6 or another less common plastic. The containers for my washed, organic salad are a 7 and made from 100% corn.
Site with information on each recycling number:
http://pslc.ws/macrog//work/recycle.htm
Congratulations on the impending road to motherhood! I enjoyed my pregnancy very much but there are innumerable options out there for everything to do with babies. Good Luck!
FIRST OF ALL CONGRATS! I HAD MY FIRST CHILD A BABY GIRL THE END OF JANUARY. IT IS THE BEST THING EVER. I CHECKED INTO THE BABY BOTTLES I HAVE DR BROWNS WHICH ARE THE GREATEST AND DID REDUCE SPIT UP AND GAS VERY WELL. I TRIED GLASS BOTTLES BUT THEY ARE VERY HEAVY AND MY DAUGHTER HAS A HARD TIME HOLDING THEM ON HER OWN & WHEN SHE GETS OLDER SHE WILL THROW THEM AND BREAK THEM, THEY DO MAKE BPA FREE ONES FROM DR BROWN AND I WOULD RECOMMEND THOSE. I AM NOT GETTING THE BPA FREE ONES BECAUSE A SALES PERSON TOLD ME THAT MOST PACIFIERS CONTAIN BPA AND MY DAUGHTER WILL ONLY USE THE AVENT SENSITIVE SKIN ONES. I HOPE SOME OF THIS INFO HELPS AND I WILL BE CHECKING YOUR STATUS FREQUENTLY. AGAIN CONGRATS. KEARA
Congratulations! Target sells Medela-brand bottles which are BPA free. They hold up, too! We’re still using some for our six-month old that are hand-me-downs from sis (4) and bro (2). In other words, they are worth the money! Be sure to get a Boppy pillow (made right in Golden, CO!), too!
I have done a lot of reading and research on the subject of BPAs, phthalates, lead and other substances of question in baby and family products. Many manufacturers have already addressed the subject and are quickly getting updated products on the market that are free of the questionable substances - companies such as Evenflo, Nalgene, Born Free. Avoid bottles with the recycle number 3, 6 & 7.
There is substantial proof in documented studies that BPAs do leach into liquids from containers and the question is just how much influence they have in developing systems of babies. I don’t know about you, but if there is a chance that something I subject my baby to can possibly cause damage or developmental problems, I will definitely NOT use that product, especially when there are many products available that do not contain these substances. You can read more here:
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/114/bpa
Whole Foods does carry BPA free bottles and feeding items, as does Right Start. But you can easily find them online and not run all over town to find them. Dr. Brown’s, THINK, Adiri and the Evenflo standard opaque plastic bottles are all BPA free. Others are coming on the market. The biggest concern is finding a bottle that offers a choice of nipples that your baby will like. While Avent has been the market leader in baby bottles, they have yet to address BPA in their products and have chosen to ignore the issue. I think the public will end up giving a cold shoulder to companies not willing to address this. Tupperware and Rubbermaid have been painfully slow to answer public inquiries about BPAs in their products. I dumped almost all of our polycarbonate water bottles because they were all contaminated with BPA. I have to wonder about the effects of using these products as an adult as our period of exposure has been so much longer….but that is a discussion for another forum.
Dayle - Best of luck bringing your two new babies into the world. They will be the most wonderful part of your life forever. Enjoy!
We use drop in liners and for the life of me I can’t find any information that indicates whether or not bottle liners contain BPA. My assumption is that they do not contain BPA since BPA is used as a plastic hardner, but does anyone know if the baby bottle drop in liners are a safe alternative or should we be switching to a BPA free bottle instead?
-Concerned Dad
I would just use the Playtex drop ins system and not worry about. Not only that, but you aren’t constantly washing bottles. Especially with twins…the quicker to do things the better! Trust me!
Just change the liner out. U don’t even have to spend money on the playtex liners. U can buy generic at half the cost and they work just fine.
Congrats on your baby. Buy Buy Baby which is a subsidiary of Bed Bath & Beyond has an entire selection of BPA Free items including pacifiers on their website. If you go into a Bed Bath & Beyond store to order the BPA Free items from the website you can also use your 20% off coupons. In the near future there will be a Buy Buy Baby store in the SW Metro area which will be a rival for Babys R US. I understand their selection will be larger than Babys R US