Jul

7

SafeMama Report: Safer Bug Repellents!

Filed Under Product Reviews, Product Safety, Skin Care | Comments Off

(Pardon the missing images…Flickr is being a jerk and deleted our account after we paid for it for no reason… no warning, just deleted it.  I’m working on getting everything back in order.  Stand by!) This has been requested a zillion times and I’ve kept promising it will go up. Here it is finally! Our recommendations for safer bug repellents. It’s probably not a shock that products containing DEET, are not on our recommended list. DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) is a widely used active ingredient in insect repellents. Biting insects are attracted to the scent of carbon dioxide gas to find food… in this case, your blood. Skin and breath naturally give off carbon dioxide. DEET masks the scent of carbon dioxide therefore keeping buggies away.

HOWEVER… DEET can act as an irritant, and has been reported to be the cause of seizures, insomnia, mood disturbances and impaired cognitive function. The American Academy of Pediatrics still stands by its safety on children over 2 months old. A brief encounter with DEET might not cause any harm, but long term exposure may. DEET is certainly effective but if DEET gives you the heebs then there are natural alternatives that work just as well to mask carbon dioxide and keep those pests away.

The main ingredients in natural bug repellents rely on oils, most notably citronella, soybean oil, geraniol (oil of geranium), eucalyptus, cedar, rosemary, eucalyptus and sometimes lemon oil. I’ve scoured the stores and the Internet for some better choices and here is what I came up with.

SafeMama Criteria: Products had to be free of DEET, parabens, phthalates, PEG’s, Sufates, Dioxanes, Propylene Glycols, and synthetic fragrances. We have tested a handful of these products and they do work for general kid and adult use. (Note: I went ahead and included any Skin Deep ratings that were available. However, some haven’t been reviewed for accuracy since 2006.)

Sprays & Lotions

cababysprayCalifornia Baby® Natural Bug Blend™ Bug Repellent Spray
California Baby® Citronella Summer Lotion
Main Ingredients: Citronella, lemongrass and cedar essential oils
Kathy Says: These both work well and don’t smell too strong. I prefer the spray, it’s easier than applying lotions. They are both gentle and haven’t caused any reactions. However these are both hard to find in stores at the moment.
Skin Deep Rating: N/A

Burt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent
Main Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Rosemary Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Cedar Oil
Kathy Says: This works better than most I have tried. It smells great too. The only drawback is that the “spray” is not really a spray at all. It comes out in oil form and you have to rub it all over the place to get good coverage. But again, works really well at keeping away bites.
Skin Deep Rating: 0

Bite Blocker® Herbal Spray
Bite Blocker® Herbal Lotion
Main Ingredients: Soybean Oil
Kathy Says: This brand also comes in a lotion and wipes, both of which pass our SafeMama criteria. However we haven’t yet had a chance to test them out. Check out their website for effectiveness information. I will be reviewing these in the coming weeks and will update accordingly.
Skin Deep Rating: 2

Jason Quit Bugging Me - Natural Insect Repellent Spray
Main Ingredients: Soy Bean Oil, Geranium
Kathy Says: This comes in a great little spray bottle and goes on evenly. But be careful not to get in the eyes (like all of them), I just caution it here because it tends to mist when sprayed and I’ve gotten it in my own eyes trying to cover my kid. This works pretty well, not as well as others though. The smell is not my favorite either. My mother commented it smelled like wet gym socks. I do like how it sprays on and doesn’t sit on skin like an oil.
Skin Deep Rating: N/A

Buzz Away Extreme™ Natural Insect Repellent
Main Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Geranium Oil, Castor Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Citronella Oil, Peppermint Oil, Lemongrass Oil
Kathy Says: This stuff I do like, comes in a great spray. It sprays on a little oily. This stuff claims 8 hour protection but my son still got bit wearing it after an hour or so, so I don’t know if 8 hours is an accurate assumption. I’d still reapply every few hours to be covered. The towelettes are cool but for $8+ you only get 12. Compared to Bit Blocker Wipes, which is about the same price you get 25.
Skin Deep Rating: 0 - 1 (there are two listings)

Aubrey Organic’s Gone! Safe and Natural Outdoor Spray SPF 10 4oz*
Main Ingredients: Padimate O (PABA Ester), Natural Grain Alcohol, Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Soybean Oil
Kathy Says: If this wasn’t made by Aubrey Organics I might be more skeptical. I’m including this because they take great care to provide safe sun and outdoor protection. But they use PABA which some people avoid.
Skin Deep Rating: 7 (Due to the PABA content this rates pretty high.. interesting)

Wipes

Bite Blocker® Herbal Wipes
Main Ingredients: Soybean Oil
Kathy Says: This brand also comes in a lotion and spray, both of which pass our SafeMama criteria. However we haven’t yet had a chance to test them out. Check out their website for effectiveness information. I will be reviewing these in the coming weeks and will update accordingly.
Skin Deep Rating: N/A

Buzz Away Insect Repellent Towelettes
Main Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Geranium Oil, Castor Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Citronella Oil, Peppermint Oil, Lemongrass Oil
Kathy Says: The towelettes are nice, and work well but for $8+ you only get 12. Compared to Bit Blocker Wipes, which is about the same price you get 25.
Skin Deep Rating: 0 - 1 (there are two listings)

Non-Spray Repellents

DEET Free Bug Band
Main Ingredients: Geranium Oil, Polypropylene plastic band
Kathy Says: This wristband is great for kids and can be stored for future use. Geraniol is a great natural repellent. People with perfume allergies may have trouble with this one since its about 20% Geraniol. But if you have a perfume allergy you may have problems with any natural repellent since they rely heavily on scents. NOTE: This company makes wipes and a spray as well, but I didn’t include them due to them containing Sodium Laureth Sulfates in the ingredients.

Don’t Bite Me Patch
Main Ingredients: Vitamin B1
Kathy Says: Unlike the other repellents, this patch uses Vitamin B1 instead of fragrant oils. B1 when excreted from the skin will mask the scent of carbon dioxide (which is what the bugs are attracted to). By applying the patch to the skin directly, rather than taking a vitamin, is the faster absorption. Like lotions (which is why we are so adamant about safe skin care), things applied to the skin go directly into your bloodstream instead of having to travel the digestive system first. So this will take effect quicker. I am not a huge fan of having something stuck to my or my kids skin (seems like it would be an irritant) but the materials.

The patch itself is made of “Acrylic Pressure Sensitive Adhesive with Aloe and Thiamine Hydrochloride on Urethane film laminated to polyethylene coated kraft paper”. I can’t find any solid reason to not use this product (or the wristbands for that matter) other than the waste factor, as they may not be recyclable.

To sum up: This obviously isn’t every single natural product on the planet, but I also had to eliminate several natural ones from our lists due to questionable ingredients. We’re comfortable recommending these, but of course, as with anything you put on your skin, use your judgment, follow the directions. Everything in moderation!

Other natural tips for deterring buggies naturally at home:

  • Eliminate standing water from outdoor areas where you hang out and play.
  • Keep potted rosemary or eucalyptus plants around your patio areas
  • Eat food rich in B Vitamins like bananas or eat garlicky food - mosquitoes don’t like it apparently

If you do get bit, I like Burt’s Bees Res-Q ointment, comes in a little solid tin. A little dab on a bug bite takes away the itchies. Works great on bumps, scrapes and bruises too.

Enjoy the outdoors! Remember to also choose a safe sunscreen for sunny days! Read our Safer Sunscreen Showdown report for our top sunblock picks.

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

17

Bisphenol-a (BPA) Crash Course

Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Dear SafeMama | 9 Comments

Trying to get up to date on all this BPA talk popping up in the news? Just saw a report on the local or national news? Ahh we feel your mounting frustration from here. Before you get that huge trashbag and barrel through your kitchen like a sleep deprived maniac, read this. Safe Mama is all about efficiency. We know you parents are tired and need the quick and dirty version, so here you go:

  • What is BPA? BPA or Bisphenol-a is a chemical used mostly in polycarbonate plastics (PC), which are used in: baby bottles, sippy cups, sports bottles, canned food / formula lining, and jar food lids. Greeeat. (feel my thick sarcasm?)
  • How do I know if something is made with PC? Flip the item over and look for a recycling symbol on the bottom. It looks like a triangle of arrows with a number between 1 - 7 in the center. Polycarbonate plastic is usually marked with a 7. It might sometimes have a PC next to it indicating polycarbonate.
  • Avoid PC 7 to Avoid BPA
  • Why should I avoid BPA? Bisphenol-a is a known endocrine disruptor. Meaning it has estrogenic properties which, in recent animal tests has shown to cause a bevy of health problems such as;
    • precancerous tumors
    • uro-genital abnormalities in male babies,
    • a decline in semen quality in males,
    • early onset of puberty in females,

    • Research is showing that when plastic containers, mostly those used to hold liquids and foods, are leeching Bisphenol into the foods and liquids they are holding. Heating food and liquids with these plastics is shown to increase the leeching of this contaminate. Bottom line: It’s icky and if you don’t want to chance it on your precious kids, there are ways to avoid it.

  • So, do my Avent / Dr. Browns baby bottles have BPA? If they are the traditional hard clear plastic ones that millions of people use? Most likely, YES. Want to check which bottles are not made with polycarbonate plastic (PC)? We have a growing list of bottles, sippy cups, milk storage and other items available:
  • What if my item has no recycling code on it? Welcome to our hell! There is no way of knowing unless you a) Find it on the “BPA Free lists” or call the company the product is made by and ask them what kind of plastic it is. We wish it was easier than that, believe us.

We hope that helps get you started. Please, feel free to browse the site for more information using the category list, the search function or the many resources in the left sidebar. If you’ve exhausted the resources we have here and still can’t find a suitable answer, ask us. We try to answer your questions as best we can. We’re just mom’s like you, trying to fidure it all out. So hopefully we can get help each other out!

Apr

11

Baby Skin Care Products: A Quick Users Guide

Filed Under Phthalates Info, Product Safety, Skin Care, paraben free | 7 Comments

One of the things that we’ve been frustrated with, here at Safe Mama, was what seemed like a lack of safe baby skin care products. Hence, the first version of the Paraben and Phthalate Free Bath Care Cheat Sheet. As we were searching we realized that there actually are a lot of really great products out there, and so we compiled as many of them as we could find, and put them all in one central location for our readers to peruse. A few things to note:

1. Not every single product that’s out there, is going to be on this list. We’ve found tons of stuff, and have turned over many stones, but I’m sure there are some out there that we’ve missed. That said, if you’re using a product that’s safe, and it isn’t on here, please email us or comment and we’ll research the product add it to the list.

2. If your product isn’t on here, it may be because it didn’t meet the requirements for this spreadsheet. All of the products listed on here are free of parabens, sodium laureth sulfates (SLS), phthalates, 1,4 dioxanes, propylene glycol, and PEG’s. The who? The what? We’ve outlined briefly what these are and why you might not want them in your child’s skin care in the glossary.

3. Safety Rating: In addition to that, we crossed refrenced these products with EWG’s Cosmetic Safety Database and added the score to each product on the sheet. Not every product, unfortunately, is in the CSD, however, that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad product, but you’ll have to decide for yourself whether or not you feel comfortable using it.

4. Not all products that are manufactured by these companies have been listed. We kept this simply listed to baby skin care, and products that a person might use during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and we noted each product as such. Again, it’s not that the other products are bad, it’s just that, well, this is list already very long, and the website is called Safe Mama after all.

5. At the time of this publication, we hadn’t heard back from a couple of the companies. We’re pretty sure that California Baby is free of dioxanes, but because we hadn’t heard back from them after a few attempts at contact, we decided to put “unknown.” We’d rather be safe than sorry.

We hope you’ll find this spreadsheet useful. We wanted to make sure that the Mamas (and the Daddys) know that there are lots of options out there for your little ones skin care needs. The link to this sheet will also be added to the sidebar. If you have any questions regarding these ingredients, please refer to our glossary.

You can download the SafeMama Safe Baby Skin Care Cheat Sheet (pdf) here.

Once you’ve chosen safe bath products, make sure your bath toys are safe too. Check out Z Recommends for their Guide to Safer Bath Toys. *squeak*

Feb

10

Cheat Sheet: Paraben and Phthalate Free Baby Products

Filed Under Phthalates Info, Skin Care, paraben free | 28 Comments

Since the attention phthalates got in the media the last week or two, I’ve gotten a few emails from moms wondering “What products are safe?” and my favorite “Where is the phthalate free cheat sheet??“. Never fear moms and dads, Safe Mama is busy compiling a list. I’ve been religious about what products I use on my kid and the things I’ve read regarding parabens and phthalates have prompted me to change and inspect every product we use. For the tired moms who don’t have time to research and just need to know what products are paraben and phthtalate free, here is a quick list of companies.

UPDATE: Since the generation of this list, we’ve gone through each company and verified whether they contain parabens, phthalates, sodium laureth sulfates (SLS), 1,4 dioxane, PEG and/or Propylene Glycols. (See Glossary for why these things are something you may want to avoid). We also cross checked each product the the Skin Deep database to obtain any available hazard rating.

Download our extensive report / cheat sheet to see how products ranked.

Last Updated: July 28, 2008

Paraben & Phthalate Free Baby Products

(CO) = Certified Organic, (PO) Partially Organic

I’ll be doing reviews of the products marked with a * in the coming days. I’ll link to those reviews on this cheat sheet for easy reference.This list will continue to grow as I find more. I haven’t included everything yet so I could make sure it was phthalate free. Not all paraben free products are phthtalate free so I want to be sure I’m giving out the right information. Check back here for updates. I’ll link this over there on the Cheat Sheet list for future reference.

* = Products that I have used personally and will review or have reviewed.

Updated 2/24/08: I recently discovered a much wider selection of safe baby care at Publix here in Florida including Weleda, Gaia, Burt’s Bees Baby, Avalon Organics, JASON, and a few others. I noticed a couple brands grouped into this section that appear to be in the safe zone but BEWARE parents, some of them do contain parabens so read those labels before buying.

Tips:

Read labels carefully. This article from The Daily Green is a great intro to helping you identify and avoid phthalates in your products.

Shopping at a “natural” store doesn’t mean everything is paraben and phthalate free. Read labels, know how to decipher the ingredients and don’t be fooled by the word “natural” on the label. If it says -paraben in any form, it contains parabens!

Be wary of the term “fragrance”. Synthetic fragrances are a phthalate culprit so if you can, try to use products with organic or natural fragrances or <strike>choose “unscented”</strike>. Unscented products can also contain phthalates (darn it!)! EWG says,

“Fragrance-free” or “unscented” means a product has no odor, but synthetic ingredients are often added to mask odors. Products without the word “fragrance” on their label should be OK.

Thank you to my friends at Itsabelly for bringing this to our attention!

Use less products. This seems like a no-brainer but many people use way more than they need. Babies are born with the most perfect skin (usually) and it will never again be as perfect as it is when they’re babies. They don’t need to be slathered in lotions and powders. A little warm water and a washcloth is all they really need. When kids get older and grimier (like mine) a little soap and warm water does the trick and spot treat any dry skin problems or rashes.

Jan

4

BPA Free Pacifiers and Teethers Cheat Sheet

Filed Under Bisphenol-A, PVC Free, Phthalates Info, Product Safety | 20 Comments

I’ve gotten a couple of emails from parents asking about BPA Free pacifiers and teethers. With all the news surrounding Bisphenol-a in bottles and sippy cups, parents are now wondering what else they might need to modify in their babies routine to avoid those plastics. Once a parent learns about potential hazards its tough to know what to buy and what to avoid. I’ve said myself more than once “Can’t someone just tell me what to buy?“.. and I am pretty sure I am not the only busy parent who’s uttered that phrase. Not a comprehensive list.

Last Updated: September 5, 2008

BPA & Phthalate Free Pacifiers*

  • Playtex: Playtex “Binky” (one piece silicone pacifier), Binky Most Like Mother Latex Pacifier, Binky Most Like Mother Silicone Pacifier, Binky Angled Pacifier, Ortho-Pro Pacifier
  • Gerber: NUK Original, NUK Classic, NUK Nautical
  • The First Years: Soothies Silicone Paci’s, Safe Comfort, Ultra Kip
  • Vice Versa Binky w/ Case
  • Natursutten Natural Rubber Paci
  • Evenflo: Mimi Soft Touch, Mimi Premium, Mimi Neo One-Piece, Vizion, Fuzion and Illuzion
  • Gumdrop Silicon Pacifiers
  • Happy Baby Soothers

BPA & Phthalate Free Teethers*

  • Sassy: Sassy Jelly Fish Teethers, Sassy Coolin’ Teether, Sassy Chilly Dilly Daisy, Sassy Teething Feeder, Sassy Teach Me Toothbrush Set, Sassy Teething Tunes, Sassy Gummy Guppy, Sassy Earth Brites Natural Wooden Toys, Sassy Buzz n’ Bites teether
  • Luv n’ Care Icy Bite Teether
  • Nuby: Nuby Jiggle Giggle Teethers, Nuby Nibbler, Nuby Ice Gel Teether Keys on a Ring, Nuby Bug-A-Loop Teether, Nuby Icy Bite Teether Rings, Nibbler, Nuby Kool Soothers, Nuby Pur Icy Bite Teethers, Nuby Fun Teethers, Nuby Fun Links and Fun Links on a Ring
  • Je Je Vibrating Teether (rubber)
  • Vulli Sophie the Giraffe Teether
  • Vulli Chan Pie Gnon Teethers
  • Vulli Vanilla Flavored Chan Pie Gnon
  • Vulli Cool It Soother Chan Pie Gnon
  • Vulli Vulli Musical Fruit Keys
  • Vulli Rattle Key Chain
  • Comfort + Joy Teether (not yet available)
  • Leapfrog Gentle Vibes teether
  • Fisher Price: Laugh & Learn Learning Keys, Rainforest Monkey Teether, Rainforest Giraffe Rainstick Rattle, Miracles & Milestones Musical Zebra, Miracles & Milestones Sunshine Activity Ring, Miracles & Milestones Penguin Water Teether, Lil’ Laugh & Learn 1-2-3 Puppy Rattle (Fisher Price not recommended by SafeMama.com)
  • Combi Teethers
  • Bright Stars:Chill and Teeth Tubes, Licensed to Drool, Rattle and Spin teethers, fun links
  • Gerber: Cooling Gum Soother, Cool Fish Soother, Cool Ring Soother, OrbiTeether
  • Camden Rose: Maple Teether and Waldorf Cheery Rattle/Teether
  • Kushies Teethers

Please check out The Soft Landing Blog for a great list of BPA Free products.

*This is not a comprehensive list, it just contains the BPA Free products I am aware of. If there is a product not on here, it does not mean it’s not safe. Inquire with the toy maker about materials used if you are unsure. If there is a product that is not listed here that SHOULD be, please let me know and I will be thrilled to add it.

My absolute favorite site to take the headache out of non-toxic shopping:
The Soft Landing

What is Bisphenol A?
Bisphenol A is a hormone-mimicking chemical used in polycarbonate plastics and resins commonly used for items such as shatterproof baby bottles. Bisphenol has estrogenic properties which, in animal tests has shown to cause a bevy of health problems such as an increase in prostate and breast cancer, uro-genital abnormalities in male babies, a decline in semen quality in men, early onset of puberty in girls, metabolic disorders including insulin-resistant (Type 2) diabetes and obesity and neurobehavioral problems such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Research is showing that when plastic containers, mostly those used to hold liquids and foods, are leeching Bisphenol into the foods and liquids they are holding. Heating food and liquids with these plastics is shown to increase the leeching of this contaminate.

Many companies use this chemical in their packaging including cans, soda cans, and plastic food containers. There is a risk of absorbing this chemical through the use of containing foods and liquids but can also leech into our water systems through landfills.

Many leading experts argue that the use of Bisphenol is safe to the human public but research may begin to further prove otherwise.

Excerpt from Wikipedia:

“Bisphenol A has been known to leach from the plastic lining of canned foods and, to a lesser degree, polycarbonate plastics that are cleaned with harsh detergents or used to contain acidic or high-temperature liquids.[16] Infants fed with liquid infant formula have among the highest exposures of anyone eating canned foods. Infants fed canned formula with polycarbonate bottles can consume quantities of Bisphenol A up to 13 µg/kg/day.”

Nov

22

BPA Free Bottle and Sippy Cup Cheat Sheet

Filed Under Bisphenol-A, PVC Free, Phthalates Info, Product Safety | 65 Comments

This is a list of BPA Free bottles, BPA Free sippy cups and food/milk storage items that I made into a quick reference for those looking for a short list to have on hand when shopping for items for yourself or someone else’s kids, should BPA be a concern to you. If a product you are using is NOT on this list, you should investigate that product and whether or not it contains BPA. Please note: If a product is not on this list it means either it contains BPA or we aren’t aware of it’s BPA status. We are more than happy to add BPA Free products to this list as we find them (or you find them), shoot us an email and we’ll add it in. Thanks!

Updated: August 14, 2008

BPA Free Bottle Products

  • Adiri Natural Nursers
  • Avent: “Via” Feeding System, Tempo Liners, Avent AirFlex (coming soon) ***see note
  • BornFree: All bottles and cups BPA free *see note
  • EvenFlo: Glass bottles, Classic Tinted Polypropylene bottles
  • Playtex: Original Nurser, Opaque Soft Bottle (discontinued), Playtex Drop in liners
  • Gerber: Gerber Clear View, Fashion Tints (”Plastic Pastels”), Gerber GentleFlow
  • Medela: All bottles
  • Sassy MAM bottles (UltiVent), Baby Food Nurser Kit
  • Green to Grow Bottles **see note
  • ThinkBaby Bottles
  • Tommee Tippee Easyflow Bottle to Cup
  • Momo Glass Bottles
  • Munchkin: Dora the Explorer Classic Bottles
  • Nuby: Standard Neck Non-Drip Bottle, Wide-Neck Non-Drip Bottle, Wide-Neck Bottle with Handles and Non-Drip Nipple, Standard Neck Bottle with Handles and Non-Drip Nipple, 3-Stage Wide Neck Easy Grip Feeding System with Non-Drip Nipple.
  • Nuture Pure Glass bottles
  • Babisil Silbottles
  • Weego Glass Bottles
  • Siliskin Glass Bottles
  • Dr Brown’s: Glass Bottles, Dr. Browns Polypropylene Bottles (all vent system pieces BPA Free - made with polypropylene - and fit all models)
  • Parent’s Choice Bottles (available at Walmart) - box is marked BPA Free
  • Lansinoh® Bottles (all)

BPA Free Sippy Cups

  • Avent: Magic Cups, Magic Cup Sportster, Super Sport Cups
  • Playtex: Coolster Tumbler, Insulator, Einstein Sip & Discover Training Cup, Sipster, Create My Own, Quick Straw, Insulator Sport, Sip and Discover, First Sipster, Einstein Sip & Discover Insulated Straw Cup
  • Gerber: Sip & Smile Spill-proof Cup, Easy Grip Insulated Soft Straw Cup, Insulated Cool Cup, Gerber® Fun Grips® Cup, Gerber® Fun Grips® Color Change Cup, Grins & Giggles Spill-proof Cup, Gerber® Sip & Smile™ Cup
  • BornFree sippy/drinking cups
  • Evenflo: Fun Sip Insulated Spill-proof Cup, Fun Sip Insulated Straw Cup
  • Klean Kanteen
  • Thermos Foogo Sippy Cups, and FUNtainer Straw Bottles
  • SIGG Toddler Water Bottles
  • Kid Basix The Safe Sippy
  • Boon Sippy
  • GrowPure Multi-Stage Feeder and Sippy Cup
  • iPlay Aqua Bottle
  • ThinkBaby Training Cup, ThinkSport Stainless Bottle (cute!)
  • Tommee Tippee First Cup, Easiflow Cup, Easiflow Insulated Cup, Easiflow Open Cup, Tip It Up Cup,
  • Sassy Snack Time Infa-Trainer Cup
  • Munchkin: Cupsicle, Cupsicle Straw Cup, Big Kid Sippy Cup, Mighty Grip Flip Straw Cup, Mighty Grip Trainer Cup, licensed character Sports Bottles, Re-usable Straw Cups, Re-usable Spill-proof Cups
  • Nuby: No-Spill Sports Sipper, Insulated Soft Silicone Spout Cup, Soft Spout Easy Grip Cup, Gripper Cup with Soft Silicone Spout, 2-Handle Cup, Tinted Mega Sipper, 7oz Tumblers
  • The First Years: Take & Toss, Spill-proof Cup, Insulated Cup, Licensed character sippy cups, Insulated Spill-proof Cup, 2 Handled Cups

BPA Free Milk/Liquid/Powder Storage

  • Avent Via 8-oz. Nurser Kit
  • Avent Snack Cup / Formula Dispenser
  • Mother’s Milkmate Storage bottles
  • Medela Milk Storage bottles and breastpump accessories
  • Playtex One-Step Breast Milk Storage Kit
  • Lansinoh® Breastmilk Storage Bags
  • Lansinoh® Breastmilk Storage Bottles
  • Gerber Breastmilk Storage Bags
  • Dr. Brown’s Breastmilk Storage Bags
  • Sassy Formula Dispenser
  • The First Years Easy Pour Breastmilk Storage bags
  • Bailey Milk Storage Bags (Nurture lll pump tubing BPA Free as well)
  • Bailey Storage Bottles (as well as all parts of their “double collection kit”)
  • Sensible Lines Milk Trays

BPA Free Baby Food / Food Storage

*If you are currently using Dr. Browns polycarbonate bottles and would like to switch, the Dr. brown’s venting system (the internal pieces) are BPA Free and are made of polypropylene plastic. Also, they FIT and work with BornFree bottles which could be a little bit of a money saver. We were also told by another Safe Mama reader that the Avent nipples also fit with Born Free bottles as well as Gerber Gentle Flows.

** Safe Mama reader Melissa wrote in to let me know that Dr Browns bottle nipples fit with Green to Grow bottles. As we know once a baby is comfy with something it’s sometimes a pain to change so it’s good to know we don’t have to change everything if we don’t have to. Alicia of The Soft Landing did a more exhaustive report on what nipples fit what bottles. Read about it on her blog here.

*** Please refer to Phillips Avent’s material Chart for information. Get it here. (PDF)

Please reference Z Recommends for a detailed report on many of the above products. They have gone beyond to call, write and test all these products and have extensive information. I credit a large portion of this cheat sheet, to date, to them. I have fully appreciated their research and provide this cheat sheet as a quick reference for BPA free products for shopping purposes. Please visit their most recent BPA Report for complete details.

If you must copy/paste this list, please link back here. However, republishing written material from this website is a violation of our Terms and Conditions.

What is Bisphenol A?
Bisphenol A is a hormone-mimicking chemical used in polycarbonate plastics (PC or identified as #7 recycling code) and resins commonly used for items such as shatterproof baby bottles. Bisphenol has estrogenic properties which, in animal tests has shown to cause a bevy of health problems such as an increase in prostate and breast cancer, uro-genital abnormalities in male babies, a decline in semen quality in men, early onset of puberty in girls, metabolic disorders including insulin-resistant (Type 2) diabetes and obesity and neurobehavioral problems such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Research is showing that when plastic containers, mostly those used to hold liquids and foods, are leeching Bisphenol into the foods and liquids they are holding. Heating food and liquids with these plastics is shown to increase the leeching of this contaminate.

Many companies use this chemical in their packaging including cans, soda cans, and plastic food containers. There is a risk of absorbing this chemical through the use of containing foods and liquids but can also leech into our water systems through landfills.

Many leading experts argue that the use of Bisphenol is safe to the human public but research may begin to further prove otherwise.

Excerpt from Wikipedia:

“Bisphenol A has been known to leach from the plastic lining of canned foods and, to a lesser degree, polycarbonate plastics that are cleaned with harsh detergents or used to contain acidic or high-temperature liquids.[16] Infants fed with liquid infant formula have among the highest exposures of anyone eating canned foods. Infants fed canned formula with polycarbonate bottles can consume quantities of Bisphenol A up to 13 µg/kg/day.”

Please read more information on Z Recommends about bottles and sippy cups:

Please also read the Environmental Working Groups Report on BPA in Baby Formula.

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