Apr
30
FAQ: BPA in High Chair Trays
Filed Under Bisphenol-A, FAQ | 10 Comments
Dear Safe Mama, What about my child’s high chair trays? He eats off of it… does it have BPA? Phthalates? The plague? Help!
We’ve been asked a few times what materials high chairs are made of. The focus of all the BPA attention in the news and online has been on bottles and formula. Now that parents are becoming more aware of it they want to know more. Just where does it lurk? High chair trays were a smart place to wonder about since many people serve food off them to their kids, sans plates. I know I did. Why wash two things when you can wash one. But now people are wondering if serving food off them is the best idea in light of BPA. If trays were made of BPA laden polycarbonate plastic, the levels would be low and probably not have the same “danger” associated as bottles. But parents don’t care about “safe levels” anymore and just don’t want it in their products. Period.
Rest easy worried parents. So far it’s looking as though the material of choice for high chair trays is polypropylene (#5 on the recycling scale) and is BPA Free. Resident researcher Safe Mama Jaime did some legwork and called a few high chair companies. Here are the results:
Chicco: Trays are Polypropylene
Graco: All trays polypropylene except the wooden chair uses ABS plastic for the tray
Evenflo: Majestic Tray liners are polypropylene
Of course this isn’t every high chair known to man, but it’s a good indication that trays are mainly BPA Free. However, I have heard from friends that their trays are marked with a #7 on the recycling scale. Flip your tray over and check. If this is the case for you, please call the manufacturer and ask them to tell you what material it’s made of. If you find out please visit us and let us know your findings, either here in the comments or via email and we’ll add to this list.
Apr
29
ZAK! Designs BPA free.
Filed Under Bisphenol-A | 1 Comment
I’ve seen the character dishware sets in my local grocery store and Babies R Us and I’m sure you have too. I made a mental note to check them out, and then saw something sparkly and completely forgot about it. A quick check on google to see if I could find anything on them, turned up few results, so I contacted the company. They were very quick to respond, with their answer:
Our children’s products are all BPA free. Our plates and bowls are made from 100% melamine, which although it falls into the #7 recycling category it does not contain BPA. Our drink ware is made from polypropylene which falls into the #5 category.
We consistently test our products to ensure that we can safely guarantee them to be totally food contact safe for human use.
I hope this is helpful and we certainly appreciate your concern and interest in Zak Design products.
Given the fact that they have quite a few licensed character sets, I figured this would put parents minds at ease. We all know that there’s no amount of endless begging that occurs when kids see anything with their favorite character on it.
Apr
28
FDA reconsidering the safety of BPA
Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A | 4 Comments
No doubt if you’re living in the US, you’re frustrated by the fact that companies hide behind the FDA’s stance on BPA being safe. But the FDA is taking another look at the safety of Bisphenol-A.
The FDA isn’t recommending people stop using BPA, says Laura Tarantino, director of the FDA’s Office of Food Additive Safety. But the agency will take another look at the safety of baby bottles, formula cans and other products made with BPA, which has been shown to leach into food. Depending on their findings, she says, the agency could require changes in the way these products are made or the amount of BPA that’s allowed to be used.
While it certainly doesn’t seem like enough, at least it’s a step in the right direction.
Source: USA Today
Apr
26
With so many recalls of toys last year, the awareness of paint containing lead has never been higher. And the worry doesn’t stop at just toys. There are lots of places where children can be exposed to lead. Having grown up in a new home myself and now living in a new(er) home with my own family, I never really gave much worry to the thought of lead poisoning. But if you’re living in an older house (one built before 1978), you have more cause for concern. In general, pediatricians don’t generally even test for lead in children, unless you meet certain criteria. I know that our pediatrician hasn’t even asked us whether or not we live in a house that was built before 1978. That’s kind of disturbing.
But you can take certain measures to protect your child:
- Avoid purchasing non-brand or older toys likely to contain lead paint.
- Do not give young children toy costume jewelry, since it has been associated with the highest lead content.
- Encourage your children to wash their hands frequently, especially before eating and after playing.
- Before moving into an older home or apartment, check for possible lead problems.
- If you have lead pipes, use cold water for preparing formula, drinking or cooking. Run tap water one to two minutes before each use.
- Repair areas where paint is flaking or peeling before putting cribs, playpens, beds or highchairs next to them
These are just a few of the things you can do to keep your child safe. You can find more information out from the American Academy of Pediatrics by simply clicking on the drop down button on the left hand side and choosing “lead exposure.”
Source: Tampa Bay Online
Apr
25
Contact the Manufacturer!
Filed Under Product Safety | 2 Comments
One of the most frustrating things about all of this unsafe plastic business, is that sometimes there’s just no real clear answer. So the only thing to do, is to contact the manufacturer directly and ask them. We encourage people to call the manufacturer more often than not, because if we don’t know the answer, who better to ask then the people that make the product? It’s not always easy to track contact information down for a company. So we’ve helped you out by putting together a list of manufacturers whose products we get the most inquiries about. You can download the pdf file by simply clicking the icon or download it here.
Keep in mind that this is NOT a comprehensive list. There are many companies on there, and the list could have gone on for pages, but this should be some of the key players to get you started. If you’d like to have a company added to the list. Simply contact us with the contact information, and we’ll happily add it.
Apr
25
One of my favorite blogs Z Recommends posted yesterday that Phillips Avent will be launching a BPA Free reusable plastic baby bottle this summer (2008). From Zrecs:
The bottle will compete directly with the company’s current “Airflex” model, a polycarbonate bottle sold widely in drugstores, department stores, and online. The new bottle, which will be made of a yet-undisclosed plastic, will be Avent’s first BPA-free bottle.
For a company that is very pro-BPA, it’s interesting to us that they are making an alternative. But this is news we’ve all been waiting for so it’s certainly a step forward. Philips Avent has also published a Materials Chart outlining what products contain BPA. Thanks Zrecs!
Apr
23
Product Review: Bambu Dishware
Filed Under Eco-Mama, Green Mama | 3 Comments
All this BPA news is a real downer, so I thought, in light of it being Earth Week and all, I’d do something more fun and review some really cute earth friendly dishware I recently bought. As we all know, or may have read, products made of bamboo are a sustainable and earth friendly alternative to plastic or paper which takes up tons of resources and then sits in landfills. I decided to give the bowls and utensils made by Bambu a go, to see if they’d hold up to my 2 year old and my busy life. I’ve been hesitant to buy wood or bamboo for fear that they would be a pain, since you can’t run them in the dishwasher. And as any busy mom knows, anything that needs hand-washing is a pain no matter how you look at it. But I said “Kathy, for the love of the earth, just give it a shot.”
I have to admit I am pretty attached to them. I opted for a Berry Bambu Bowl and a set of smooth ended utensils. The bowl is entirely made of coiled and smooth bamboo and then sealed on the outside with food safe lacquer. It’s deeper than some of the traditional kid bowls, but for us, that was a bonus. It fits more fruit, cereal, or snacks and washes up easy. I hand wash all our sippy cups so I just wash it quick with those and let it dry. The nice part about that is it’s not sitting in the dishwasher waiting to get cleaned. I have a clean bowl, at the ready, all the time.
The utensils worked out well too. The spoon and bowl are my son’s favorite to use daily. The fork had a small splinter, which I fixed myself with a little sand paper, and it works great. My only critique would be that the tines are a little chunky so its hard for him to get food on it… but this would probably work better with time or with an older child. And they look nice. No cheap plastic utensils getting stuck in the dishwasher. I’m a convert. They’re durable, made of sustainable materials and look great. And no worries over BPA or phthalates or any plastic yuckiness.
I purchased mine at The Soft Landing!
Apr
23
Safe Mama Review: Pit Putty
Filed Under Green Mama, Product Reviews, Skin Care, paraben free | 7 Comments
With everything going on in the news, I haven’t had much in the way of time to post a review, and generally, I’d say this is a good thing as news is what keeps us going around here, but this review is one that I’ve been been pretty excited about. I know you’re probably thinking: excited over deodorant? You need to get out more, Statia. And indeed I do, but that’s not going to stop me from being excited.
Replacing all of my beloved beauty products has been a very arduous and painful process. For one, I LOVE product. At any given time, I was once known to have at least 11 tubes and/or tins of lip gloss in my handbag. Now that I’m trying to live a less chemical life, it’s been trial and error, and also a lot of money. One of the last things I tried to replace was my antiperspirant. For one, most of the natural deodorants that are out there, are just that, deodorant, not antiperspirant. I was kind of scared of that, since I sweat like my father (and that’s just not pretty). The other thing is that most of them were like rubbing honey on my armpits, which left me feeling sticky all day, on top of sweating.
Enter Bubble and Bee Organics. I found Stephanie and Steve’s site while surfing around and I really don’t even know how I stumbled upon it, but I was really intrigued by Pit Putty. I slept on it, paced and took one long last hug of my icky chemically laden antiperspirant, before I bit the bullet and ordered it.
Oh my sweet baby Jesus. I saw angels! And rainbows! And unicorns! I LOVE this deodorant. When I first put it on, it was really flaky, and I looked in the mirror at my black t-shirt, that was now covered in white stains, and I was disheartened, but then I realized that I didn’t need an entire stick. I backed off and used a small amount, rubbed it in, like the directions said and then headed off to spend a day out in the hot sun. I did sweat a little bit, but it wasn’t much and quite frankly, we’re supposed to sweat, but I did not stink. At all. I wanted to give it a good week to give it a fair chance. I still love it. It isn’t sticky in the slightest, and when you rub it in, there’s no residue left behind. And it smells great, kind of like chai.
All of Bubble and Bee’s products are chemical free and organic. Everything smells so fresh and light. And Stephanie and Steve are so committed to making sure you’re happy, that they’ll go the extra mile to help you find a deodorant if you’re not satisfied.
Now if only I can convince them to make it in 5 gallon drums….
Update: There’s been a big response to Pit Putty both here and over at Bubble and Bee, which makes me happy. Stephanie has been generous enough to offer a coupon code. Simply enter the code “safemom” at checkout and save 15% off your order, over $35, which can also be combined with free shipping on all orders over $50. (offer expired, but check out the new offer over at LovelyMama valid until 11/1/08)They have several different deodorants to choose from. And if you’re not happy with it, they have an awesome deodorant guarantee policy.
Apr
22
Toys R Us Going BPA Free by End of 2008
Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A | 7 Comments
The toy monster Toys R Us said Monday they’ll be phasing out all baby bottles and feeding products containing Bisphenol-a by the end of the year. This is nothing short of good news that chain stores are taking this seriously. From a Washington Post article:
Statement by Toys R Us spokesman Bob Friedland “Toys”R”Us, Inc. is committed to the safety of all its customers and is vigilant about staying current with emerging scientific and other thinking about ingredients in products sold in its stores. While the FDA has not changed its position on the safety of products made with Bisphenol-A (BPA), in light of growing consumer concerns on this topic, the company has been working with manufacturers to phase out all baby bottles and other baby feeding products containing BPA in its Toys”R”Us and Babies”R”Us stores nationwide. This process is ongoing and is expected to be completed before the end of 2008.”
Also going BPA Free is Walmart by the beginning of 2009. We suspect other chains will follow suit in the coming days/weeks.
Source: Washington Post
Apr
20
Rubbermaid Lists BPA Free Products
Filed Under Bisphenol-A | Comments Off
Our friends at The Soft Landing pointed out this week that the folks at Rubbermaid have provided a very helpful list of their BPA Free products along with a photo of every item. Handy! As with many companies, they still stand behind the safety of BPA but are making sure customers have the information they are demanding, in light of recent events.
Alicia pointed out Rubbermaid’s very good explanation of #7 plastics as well:
Recent news coverage has suggested that plastic containers and bottles labeled with the number “7” material identification code on the bottom contain BPA. While all polycarbonate plastics containing BPA are labeled with the number “7” identification code, not all plastics labeled with the number “7” contain BPA. The number “7” code is assigned to the “Other” category, which includes all plastics not otherwise assigned to categories #1-6. The majority of Rubbermaid food and beverage containers are assigned to category number “5”, although some non-BPA containing Rubbermaid products are assigned to category”7” due to their unique combination of plastic types.
Link: BPA and Rubbermaid Products found via The Soft Landing Blog!
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