BPA (Bisphenol A)

BPA-free baby bottles are a relatively new addition to store shelves but the BPA in conventional offerings is not. For years, the compound BPA has been added to a range of goods for preservation purposes. With the exception of glass varieties, BPA has almost always been found in baby bottles. So why the sudden appearance of BPA-free bottles? In the last two years, scientists have discovered that using BPA in goods (be it baby bottles, canned food, packaged formula, etc.) almost always results in BPA leaching into the contents of the packaging—and that’s bad news since BPA has been named as a developmental, reproductive and neural toxicant. The findings prompted a Canadian ban on BPA and the removal of baby bottles containing BPA from the shelves of Wal-Mart and Toys R’ Us. Major manufacturers of BPA also announced plans to go BPA free; Nalgene, whose iconic plastic hiking bottles were at peak popularity, decided to revamp their plastic and Playtex set to work at switching to production of BPA-free baby bottles.

While many companies start work to banish BPA, there are already BPA-free options, like Green to Grow and Born Free, to help you avoid any potential danger to your young ones. Green to Grow baby bottles are made from PES plastic, which is free from BPA as well as lead, nitrosamines and PVC (stuff that you can, sadly, find in some baby bottles), additionally Green to Grow baby bottles are only slightly higher priced than traditional bottles, although you probably don’t put a price tag on the safety of your child. Born Free also offers up BPA-free baby bottles, sippy cups and pacifiers (another item that can contain BPA) with comparable technology and pricing to mainstream options.

Switching to BPA-free baby bottles is a great place to start ridding your life of BPA, but remember that it’s also been found to leach from water bottles, canned food (both baby and adult) and formula. Opt for aluminum or BPA-free plastic water bottles and try to eat fresh local food whenever possible—to help your baby do the same you can start making your own baby food, a surprisingly easy endeavor. Since the leaching from baby bottles has been the biggest concern of BPA researchers and the impact of BPA found to be strongest among infants, choosing BPA-free baby bottles from companies like Born Free and Green to Grow should be your first and highest priority as you try and minimize exposure to BPA; and because it’s an easy step to take (you’d be buying baby bottles either way), there are more than enough reasons to make the change.