Strollerderby

It's good to hear that the effects on humans aren't likely to be as bad as the rat studies predicted.  I used BPA-free bottles with my second child, born in 2007 but it's very reassuring to know I didn't necessarily damage my first child, born in 2001 before this became big news and who had bottles chock full of BPA goodness.

I don't have a kid yet, but I did register for and receive BPA-free bottles. I don't know if that even matters, since I've been drinking out of old-school Nalgene bottles my entire pregnancy and for years before, anyway.

Um, I didn't change anything. The old sippy cups are still wandering around. My kids didn't use bottles, so I didn't have to worry about that. It is good to know that I didn't damage them as much. Now, about that milk with growth hormone, why is it NOT working on my sons? You'd think kids that drink 2 gallons a week would be 6 feet by now.

We switched to glass bottles at home, but couldn't send them to daycare, so we used Avent.  Of couse, we never heated them and don't have a dishwasher or microwave, so I guess they were semi-safer.  And then we bought bpa free sippy cups from Thinkbaby ... they are great!  

We used Avent bottles and any-brand sippy cups for our now 4-year-old daughter.  But now I'm worried about all the BPA warnings so I'm switching to BPA-free bottles/sippy cups for our baby due in October.  We've also switched to using glass and ceramic glasses/dishes with our 4-year-old just in case.

Never worried about it. It seemed like a whole bunch of hubbub over nothing. Yes, the chemical can be harmful but to get the quantities at which that happens you would practically have to spoonfeed your child BPA.

I'm erring on the side of caution on this one. Babies aren't "people" in the sense that you can't compare how a baby metabolizes something to how an adult would metabolize the same thing, even if quantities are adjusted for size. Take their skin, for example. Young babies aren't supposed to wear sunscreen because their skin is just so sensitive that they shouldn't be in the sun, period. Plus you have to be careful what you put on their skin because it is so much more sensitive and absorbs everything more readily than adult skin.

We aren't talking about skin here, but that is just an obvious example of how babies are different than older children and adults. The thing with BPA is that it acts as a hormone in your body and hormones act at incredibly small quantities. It isn't like other chemicals. The Canadian government recently took the first steps to have BPA banned from baby bottles and formula packaging precisely because you can't be sure what the impact will be on an infant. They've got long lives ahead of them; best to do what we can to start them off right.

One last thing (sorry to babble), but BPA is present in so many things, that babies (and adults) can have cumulative exposure beyond what may be in their bottles. So that "tiny amount" that may be in the bottle is multiplied by what is in their formula, what could get in their homemade food from that polycarbonate food processor bowl on the counter, what is in the faceplate of the soother they suck on, what is in the lining of that can of tuna they had for lunch etc, etc. You get my point. Get rid of it where you can, because right now it is next to impossible to eliminate it completely.

We didn't change a thing.  My husband looked up the original study and found that the amount of BPA that harmed the rats was many thousand times what could potentially be ingested by using the bottles.  

Everything around children is so alarmist.  I stopped reading most parenting magazines the day I opened one and found an article declaring that crib bumpers were deathtraps and that using one was tantamount to murdering my child.  I think we've all become a bit to afraid of everything, and it's just exhausting.  

Now we ask ourselves, "Is this safer than car travel?"  We figure if it's less dangerous than taking our baby to the grocery store, then we're not going to stress about it.

You know, the BPA bottles are probably fine. I hope so, since I used them with my son for the first six months of his life. But I still tossed them and switched to Born Free. All I can do is make my best possible effort, and this was one place I could make a change.

I would also like to add that the BPA-free bottles are expensive -- yet another area where additional safety is a privilege of the more financially secure. I'd love to see safer and greener products adopted at a rate that allows their prices to drop, and thus makes them more accessible to all.

I also figure every time I buy something like that I signal to manufacturers a demand for environmentally friendly and healthful products. I hope this encourages them to develop in a more responsible direction.

I am also erring on the side of caution. One study does not negate the rest of the studies that came to different conclusions. It is in so many things, so I agree that we should eliminate it where we can. Babies drink out of bottles so much, and their bodies and immune systems are so immature....why inundate them with a chemical that could possibly disrupt the development of their systems. I am not fanatic, but I avoid it when at all possible. If I have another child (first one used Avent, second never drank from a bottle), I will be using BPA free bottles.

I tossed mine and advocated tossing them.  I don't regret it because the switch was a no-brainer.  Why would I purposefully continue having my babies drink out of a cup that may be toxic when there are options that aren't potentially hazardous?  I'll tell you one thing, you won't see people switching back to BPA.

I had a lot of Medela bottles, so we put the BPA bottles aside, for the most part, and used the Medela bottles as much as possible. I'd rather err on the side of caution, but I can't afford to start from scratch.

I read the original studies, and I didn't think there was much of a concern. My husband is a scientist, and he was able to explain how the studies were faulty. I use bpa-free when available (Playtex Drop-Ins), but I didn't trash all my bottles (Avent) that had bpa. (When I carry pumped breastmilk with me, I use the Avent since the Playtex Drop-Ins can leak if you carry them full.) What I am concerned about is how self-righteous some mothers can be. I had a total stranger come up to me at the mall and tell me that I shouldn't use my Avent bottles. A total stranger! If you have the extra money to buy all new bottles, good for you. But don't tell perfect strangers what to do or inflict your "the government should regulate this" opinions on me when I'm just trying to eat my salad in peace at the mall food court.  

I love that suddenly everyone hasn't changed bottles. Whatever.I bought all BPA free bottles from Born Free...if there is even a 1% chance = why risk it? It's our job as parents to the best we can by our little ones with the information at hand. It's so hard to say for sure if the BPA leaks into the bottles, what the effects are etc...so why risk it?

Good thing my boobs have always been BPA free.  Yay.

The BPA controversy gets even more interesting when you research (even a little) the relationship between the industry, the firm responsible for the safety testing of BPA, and the US Government. Though we don't have definitive evidence either way, why not just use BPA-free alternatives? How long did it take us to recognize the toxicity of mercury and aspestos?

More reading on BPA:

hubpages.com/.../Bisphenol-A-in-Plastic-Bottles-Play-It-Safe-with-Alternatives

www.squidoo.com/bisphenol-A

I'm a true blue believer that BPA is absolutely a problem in children.  As sparkyd pointed out, all of the research that has been done so far doesn't address the difference in babies versus adults.  Babies eat more, breath more and metabolize a tremendous amount more because of their rapid growth.  Their body burden can tolerate much less than an adult.

I've spent the last three years researching the whole issue from top to bottom and I'm convinced as Billy is, that it's just not worthwhile to take a chance with my children.

The FDA's recent decision to uphold the safety of BPA was no surprise, especially when you realize they used the plastic industry funded studies to make their decision.   It's amazing when the government won't even listen to it's own National Institute of Health . . .

It's time we take responsibility to educate ourselves.  For heaven's sake - they're just now banning lead!  How long are we going to be okay with this stupidity?

If you're interested in reading through my research, please visit my blog at <a href="www.thesoftlandingbaby.com">The Soft Landing Blog</a>.

And I'd like to take credit for the picture used in the post while I'm at it :)

I can tell you one thing...the safety and health of my child is worth every minute spent reading and doing my own research on the subject. I happen to believe that BPA is toxic for both children and adults at any level and should be banned by our government (like Canada's) immediately.

I agree with every word Alicia@TheSoftLanding.com says and I find myself wondering as well how long we'll put up with this stupidity and what it will take to change the minds of those of us who don't believe (i.e. Do all of our nation's kids have to start puberty at 8 years old before we pay attention?)

I've also visited TheSoftLanding.com and found mountains of useful information on the subject as well as a place to get all my baby's safe, non-toxic feeding gear. Nice and easy.

P.S. Thanks Alicia for doing so much work on this important subject and for fighting for the health of all our country's children (and nice picture too). :)