droolicious : bpa

Baby Got BPA-Free Back With Illumina Baby Bottom Balm

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:04:00 GMT

Certified both organic and kosher, this Baby Bottom Balm from Illumina Organics combines natural herbs and oils, as well as zinc oxide and vitamin E, to help combat rashes and other baby-bottom blights, but it's also notable for its packaging. Illumina's toxin-free new line of baby-care products (which, we should add, is part of a whole family of natural skincare products from the company) comes in bottles free of phthalates and bisphenol-A (BPA).

$11.99 from Illumina Organics.

The "Good Plastic" Supermarket

elizabeth leach — Mon, 05 May 2008 21:34:00 GMT

The Soft Landing offers one-stop shopping for BPA, PVC and phthalate-free products. Get your bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers, bath toys, teethers, spoons, plates and bibs all in one place, and check out their blog for news and reviews on safer baby products.

The Soft Landing was created by a Alicia Voorhies, a retired RN whose passion for non-toxic products began with the search for safe feeding gear for her own children. Alicia has done extensive research from which we can all benefit. Check out the shopping section of her website here.

Rubbermaid Offers One-Stop BPA Checklist for Its Products

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:03:00 GMT

If you pack lunches for school-age kids, you've likely got a pantry full of Rubbermaid containers -- and with growing concerns about BPA-laced plastics, you may be seeing that pantry as a toxic waste dump. While it hasn't yet taken a hard stance against BPA, Rubbermaid has put together an extremely handy checklist of its products, dividing them into two handy categories: "Contains BPA" and "BPA Free." Luckily, the majority (including the Litterless Juice Boxes pictured here) falls into the latter category.

Open your cupboards and start keeping tabs: Learn About BPA in Rubbermaid Products.

[Hat tip to Safe Mama via The Soft Landing Blog.]

5 Ways Not to Kill Your Children With Baby Products

Aaron Burgess — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:15:00 GMT

Born Free glass bottle: one of many safe alternatives.

As I type this, I'm eating lunch from a curiously soapy-smelling plastic container that I've just pulled out of the microwave -- physician heal thyself, indeed. When it comes to what my kids ingest, however, I'm far more cautious -- and, no doubt like you, I'm becoming overwhelmed by news stories about hormone disruption, lead poisoning, choking hazards and other potentially deadly undersides to what've long been considered staples of parental consumerism (read: affordable plastic baby crap). Here, then, a round-up of five sources to help you understand why some old-fashioned methods of feeding, washing and playing with your child are becoming increasingly dangerous.

Baby Shampoo Awash in Chemicals? (WebMD): While you're trading your plastic sippy cups for glass bottles, you might want to check the baby powder, lotion and shampoo in your cupboard, as well: More and more pee-analysis studies are showing a correlation between the use of such plastic-bottled products (to say nothing of plastic toys) and elevated levels of phthalates in little ones.

Recent Magnet Ingestion and Lead/Lead Paint Press Releases and Recalls (US CPSC): Complete with a function that allows you to search back to October of 2001, this list is a convenient, if terrifying, way to stay up to date on the latest in lead and choking-hazard recalls, as well as a sound argument for boycotting Chinese-made products, Olympics and corporate cost-cutting be damned.

9 Child Safety Products That May Cause Harm (MSNBC): So you've thrown away your #7 plastic cups, bought stock in glass baby bottles, and resolved only to buy wooden toys made by Haba. Great -- now turn an eye to your plastic outlet covers, crib bumpers and other child-safety/childproofing implements, as they may be just as likely to turn fatal.

Baby's Toxic Bottle (Center for Health, Environment & Justice): Download a PDF of the study that's helped to make bisphenol-A a household term, and when you're suitably mortified, head to Consumer Reports' site for a primer on safer baby-bottle purchasing.

Keeping Baby's Food Safe (Consumer Reports): When your little one's finished with her YoBaby, do you put the uneaten yogurt back in the fridge for later? And what about that homemade baby food you're making -- have you properly cleaned the food processor beforehand? While not quite as scary as the other sites here, this overview of how and what not to feed your baby is still worth committing to memory.

If you're curious about safe alternatives to some of the above, check out our recent 7 Days of BPA-Free Plastics for a great jumping-off point.

BPA-Free: Skip The Plastic With Klean Kanteen

Sarah Verdone — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:53:00 GMT

Bypass the BPAs completely with Klean Kanteen's pint-size sippy cup. The 12 ounce stainless steel bottles come with a sippy adaptor and two spouts (made of non-leaching polypropylene #5) and can be converted to the grown-up version of the sippy cup with an extra sport top.

7 Days of BPA-Free Plastics: CamelBak Better Water Bottle

Chris Ford — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 11:03:00 GMT

My kids are (almost) completely done with sippy cups, so now I'm starting to think about how I'm going to bring a drink for them to the park without using a sippy cup. Luckily I found a BPA-free option at Amazon - The CamelBak "BPA- Free" Better Water Bottle.

The CamelBak water bottle comes in a 16, 25 and 32 oz. size, has a handle that you can clip to a carabiner or back pack, and is made of BPA-Free plastic. It even has a standard size cap that will apparently allow the lid to fit other bottles.

CamelBak "BPA-Free" Better Water Bottle, $6.95 from Amazon.com for the 16 oz. version

7 Days of BPA-Free Plastics: Think Baby Bottles

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:02:00 GMT

Just a few unenlightened years ago, it would've been comforting enough to know that Think Baby's products use a patented colic-reducing venting system; now that we've got reason to worry about potential carcinogens and hormone disruptors leaching from our plastic bottles, it's more comforting to know that the company's bottles and trainer cups are also guaranteed free of bisphenol A (BPA), PVC, lead, phthalates and nitrosamines.

In addition to the 9 oz. bottle ($16.99 per twin pack) pictured above, Think Baby also offers a 5 oz. version ($16.49 per twin pack) and a 9 oz. trainer cup ($8.99). Stage 1, 2 and 3 silicone nipples ($4.99 per twin pack) can also be purchased separately as baby grows to need them.

Of course, babies aren't the only ones whose endocrine systems are at risk from BPA and other leaching chemicals, which is why Think (via its Think Sport brand) also has a line of nice-looking, similarly safe plastic sports bottles aimed at parents.