4.29.2008

get new bottles

because i know you moms need one more thing to be paranoid about!

i think we've all heard about the BPA issues that have become more and more prevalant in the media the past few months (bisphenola's toxic presence in plastics, particularly baby bottles). if not, you should probably read up on it. just type "BPA" into a google search and you'll find yourself with hours and hours of reading and research. the research especially freaks me out for two reasons: 1) i have one kid and another on the way and 2) i have MS and BPA has been linked to neurological issues and hormonal problems. (it's also been linked to fertility issues.) BPA is present in nearly all plastics, but it's especially harmful to infants because they are more vulnerable. the chemical leaches into beverages in bottles when bottles are heated or become scratched or worn.

so far, Z Reccommends' Z Report is the most useful resource i have found. the blog's author(s) have conducted research on nearly every maker of baby products (bottles, pacifiers, sippy cups, etc.) and list BPA-free products by brand. they also have a printable wallet card to carry with you when shopping (because it's all way to much to remember).

after scouring the internet for alternatives, i chose to go with green to grow BPA-free bottles {shown above}. they are a super cute and reasonably priced alternative to traditional plastic bottles. (glass is always another option -but they are heavy and scare me). if, like me, you were an Avent user before, you might be interested to know that the Avent nipples and Magic Spouts (both of which are BPA-free) work with the green to grow wide-mouth bottles, saving a little cash...

happy paranoia!!!

10 comments:

gina bina said...

We had a BIG paranoia talk at the cabin last weekend about this stuff and I sent my friends who were interested a link to the Z Report. Such good info. And scary. Could also explain my situation because I've always used plastic water bottles (and reused them over and over) to drink 90% of my water intake.

lisset said...

the adiri bottles were our bottle of choice and we loooove them. ethan took to both the bottle and the boob quite nicely and i attribute it completely to the design. and heck! i didn't even know i was using BPA free bottles. suhweet.

Lindsay and Family said...

Totally sucks! We drink everything out of our BPA filled nalgenes, and are considering throwing them away. Especially makes me sad to get rid of may's super cute nalgene sippy. :(

{lizzythebotanist} said...

linds-nalgene actually has more BPA-free options now (i think the only ones that still have BPA are the old school type). anyway, there's info on the Z Report about it.

melbo said...

Yikes. We use Avent, too, but I'm finally phasing them out to only sippy cups. But I hate thinking of the damage I could've done! Now I feel like a bad mom. Thanks for making me more aware for the future.

Melanie said...

Thanks for the post! My hubby and I have been talking a lot about this over the past week. Do you have any good sippy cup recommendations? I haven't looked yet myself, but need to because ever since a report yesterday on NPR, I feel bad every time I give my child a drink!

melbo said...

Wait, so you're saying that sippy cups NOT heated are bad? Crap.

{lizzythebotanist} said...

for sippy cups: nash had a hard time transitioning and i had purchased about one of every brand i could find. he finally decided he liked NUBYs. not all of NUBY's sippy cups are BPA free so i just had to throw some away and make sure the ones i buy from now on are BPA-free. that's where the Z-Report is extra helpful!

Rebecca W. said...

I got to your blog through Lindsay's (yeah, I'm a blog-hopper). Anyway, I was disappointed to find out that Avent bottles aren't BPA free and the company doesn't currently plan to go that route (so much for that "high-end" bottle). I bought a couple of the Green to Grow bottles a few weeks ago and like them (mostly because they're cute but the peace-of-mind factor is great too:)) I planned to post about my new bottles and the BPA controversy so it was funny to see someone else do it.

Holly and Matthew said...

oh my goodness Liz. Scary for little ones and for ourselves as well. I did know about plastic and had researched some things in the past regarding plastic being warmed up in the microwave. Yucky news on that one. Of course, we don't have any children yet ... but info on the bottles etc.... was very good to know. THANK YOU!! :)Hope all is well! :) love you :)