Baby Development – The Best BPA Free Bottles

By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist

A lot of evidence has pointed to avoiding or exercising caution when using plastic bottles because of the potentially harmful chemical bisphenol A (BPA).  While many media stories examine the debate amongst scientific communities as to the extent of potential health risks, little has been discussed about what to do in the meantime.  It is best to err to the side of caution as expecting or nursing mothers and infants are most at risk from toxicity.  Here are the best BPA free bottles for both mother and baby:

BPA Free Baby Bottles
Born Free : All born free products are free of BPA, phthalates, and PVC.  Born Free not only makes glass baby bottles, but also a line of chemical free plastic baby bottles, pacifiers, and training cups.  All Born Free baby bottles have a unique venting system to help reduce colic and the occurrence of ear infections.

Wee Go Glass by Baby Life: For those skeptical of using glass baby bottles, Wee Go bottles have a sleek, rubbery sleeve around each bottle to help babies grip and to protect the glass.

Green to Grow Baby Bottles: Green to Grow baby bottles are free of BPA phthalates, PVC, and lead.  This company also provides a unique service by providing new nipples to parents and groups who donate used baby bottles.

Think Baby:  chemical free, these bottles have a nipple that has a wide base- a feature that is helpful for helping babies adjust to a bottle after the breast- and include a venting system to reduce gas.

Medela: Medela is best known for being a popular breast milk storage and feeding bottle; not to mention being BPA free since inception.  If you are a nursing mother who is pumping, you can pump directly into Medela bottles, store, and use the bottles for feeding.  

Evenflo: Evenflo makes a classic, glass baby bottle that is sure to take you back to your own childhood.  These bottles are more readily available in stores and are often lower in price than other glass bottles.

BPA Free Bottles for Big Kids
SIGG: SIGG water bottles are the safest (and toughest) reusable bottles currently on the market.  They are not made with plastic so there is no worry of harmful chemicals.  Sigg also donates 1% of all sales to environmental causes.

Single or Limited Use Bottles
If you must use a plastic bottle on occasion, some choices are better than others.  Bottles made with polyethylene terephthalate or PET, are typically designed for single use and do not contain any BPA.  PET is also a highly recyclable material, especially when compared with other plastics.  To date, there is no evidence noting adverse health affects from PET usage, and you can visit Facts on PET for more detailed information.  Every plastic bottle has a recycling code at the bottom along with a number; bottles made from PET are labeled with the number 1.