Out with the old and in with the new. This saying has been around the block a time or two and the meaning should resonate even more when it comes to choosing healthy products for your child. Plastic based feeding products are a thing of the past and there are much healthier alternatives such as glass baby bottles and stainless steel sippy cups. When digging deeper into the true harms of using plastic based products it is easy to see just how dangerous they can be to your child’s overall health and development.
BPA Free Does Not Mean Safe
Most people have been whamboozled by the claims that BPA free plastics are safe but that could not be further from the truth. Yes, BPA is incredibly harmful, especially for children and can cause a number of issues such as stunts in brain development, hyper activity, higher risk of obesity, asthma, ovarian development issues in girls, and the list goes on (ourperfecbaby.com). There are several other chemicals in plastics that put your child’s health at risk.
There is a new study recently published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology where researchers analyzed 34 different plastic based products and determined that 74% of those products are harmful in some way (Consumerreports.org). The research discovered over 1,000 chemicals used in these plastics and 80% are unknown. With that said, it is difficult to know how these chemicals affect the body, however it is known that additional common chemicals found in plastics such as PVC and phthalates can also be detrimental to human health.
BPA Replacements
The FDA banned BPA use in baby bottles and children’s sippy cups but companies replaced BPA with other toxic chemicals such as BPS, BPE, and BPF (madesafe.org). This is a common practice in businesses when certain chemicals become restricted. There is typically others added to replace them and in some cases they can be even more harmful than those banned in the first place.
For example, BPS (Bisphenol S), is a common substitute used by many manufactures in order label their products BPA free and appear to be safe to consumers. However, this specific chemical when recently studied by the University of Guelph, has been proven to have a rapid negative affect in mice when compared to BPA. In the study published in the Journal of Scientific Reports, BPS had a quicker impact within 5 minutes of exposure, meaning you do not need to have a buildup of the chemical over time to experience negative side effects (sciencedaily.com). These side affects can manifest as endocrine disruptors and causing added stress to the heart by depressing function and causing slower blood flow throughout the body.
Solutions For Your Child
Plastic is made with chemicals and for most manufacturers, they are looking for the cheapest way to create such products. It is best to avoid plastic all together when possible because it is impossible for regulators to continuously stay on top of the types and substitutes of chemicals being used. As you can see one harmful chemical is outlawed and replaced with an even more harmful chemical. This becomes and endless cycle.
Choose stainless steel, glass, or silicone based feeding products like stainless steel baby bottles, stainless steel sippy cups, and glass baby bottles. Be sure to ask companies if chemical liners are used in stainless steel cups and they it is free of lead before purchasing. Some glass, stainless steel, and silicone products may contain minimal plastic components, as long as they are not regularly coming in contact with your child’s mouth or their food and drink it is significantly more same than traditional plastic bottles.
