In yesterday’s post, I stressed the importance of avoiding all plastic drinking containers as much as possible, as they are so detrimental to our health.  As covered by The New York Times and multiple other sources, BPA-Free is not good enough; manufacturers are replacing BPA with other dangerous chemicals.  Long story short, plastic is messing with our hormones, making us cancer-ridden, fat and infertile.  There is hope and help.  Below are some Bare Beauty-approved recommendations for the whole family.

I use Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Standard Glass Bottles for Annabel and we both love them.  The glass is heavy, so although they do not break easily (for glass, anyway) at six months, she still can’t hold her own bottle.  However, I think that is a small price to pay for peace of mind.  The nipple is made of silicone and patented internal vent is BPA-free plastic, which isn’t ideal, but it does prevent gas, colic, and spit-up.  As far as I have researched, it is the best glass bottle on the market. You can also purchase silicone sleeves for them if you are concerned about breakage.  Cost: about $30 for a 4-pack.  Purchase them here.

I love Lifefactory glass baby bottles because they are compatible with their sippy cup caps.  Genius!  The colorful silicone sleeves are provide an attractive, tactile feeding experience for baby while preventing breakage.  Purchase the 4 oz bottles here and the coordinating sippy cup caps here.  The caps are plastic, but I think the exposure to the mouth piece is negligible compared to liquid sitting inside a plastic cup. Cost: about $15 for a 4 0z bottle and about $9 for (2) sippy attachments.

The second-safest material for sippy cups is stainless steel.  As long as the liquid inside is not hot, heavy metals will not leach into it.  Klean Kanteen makes a great option.  You can truly just toss it in your bag and go; it doesn’t leak.  The spout is made of BPA-free polypropylene, so again, plastic, but like I said, negligible exposure in my opinion.  Cost: about $17.  Purchase it here.

Eco Vessel bottles and mugs are made of stainless steel and are free of BPA, phthalates and liners.  Beverages stay cold for 18 hours and hot for 12 hours.  Cost: about $20 for a 17 oz container.  Purchase it here.

Bkr makes my favorite water bottle ever!  It comes in two sizes: 500mL or 1L.  The bottle is glass and the sleeve is silicone and comes in at least a dozen pretty (and manly) colors and the cap is polypropylene.  It is dishwasher safe, fits in most cup holders and is totally leakproof.  Cost: about $28.  Purchase it here.

So, we are not aiming for unattainable perfection here, but we can all limit our exposure to plastic by doing the following:

• Try to avoid canned goods or buy those that tout the BPA-Free lining.  Even better, buy food like beans dry and in bulk.
• Don’t microwave food or beverages in plastic containers.  Even better, don’t use the microwave.  It destroys the nutrients in your food.
• Try, try, try to avoid bottled water that is packaged in plastic.
• Replace plastic food storage containers with ceramic, glass or stainless steel.
• Stay away from plastics, especially toys marked with a “3”, “7”, “PC” or “PVC”.
• Don’t allow your baby to chew on your cell phone or remote control, as they are likely coated in flame-retardants.
• The best teethers money can buy are made of uncoated wood.  Frozen wet washcloths are also good.
• Use wooden cutting boards instead of plastic

And, as always, if you know something I don’t, please tell us about it!  I am always looking for the next Green product!

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