Eco-Friendly Baby Bottles

Lately it seems like more and more eco-friendly baby bottles are hitting the market. I’m not sure which one to choose. What is the difference between all of them?

Feeding your baby is such an amazing experience - looking down into those innocent little eyes as she gazes up at you adoringly and makes those cute little swallowing noises. Not so cute, however, when you begin to think about chemicals leaching into her body via the bottle and formula. But what’s a concerned parent to do? As you said, there is so much information, and there are so many options. It can seem overwhelming.

Frankly, your biggest guide in choosing a bottle will be determined by your little master. Yes, her vote will be made clear rather quickly (and loudly). But to guide you in your choices, keep in mind that recent reports from both the National Institutes of Health (2005) and the Environmental Working Group (2007) have found phthalates and bisphenol-A to leach from plastic baby bottles, as well as from the cans containing infant formula. So you are wise to seek out healthier options. Bisphenol-A has been linked to abnormal development of the brain and reproductive systems, and phthalates seem to be hormone disruptors that particularly affect our reproductive systems.

Before you begin experimenting with brands however, here are a few guidelines suggested by my friends over at Environmental Working Group, one of the preeminent environmental health organizations.

• Choosing a Nipple: Avoid #3 plastics and start with a clear silicone nipple, which is much safer than plastic or rubber. Latex rubber nipples can cause allergic reactions and can contain impurities linked to cancer.

• The Bottle: Use glass whenever possible. Avoid clear, hard plastic bottles marked with a “7” or “PC.”

• Plastic bottle liners: Just so bad. Don’t use them. The soft plastic liners leach chemicals into formula, especially when heated. Editor's Note: Playtex recently released a statement saying that the Drop-Ins® (aka 'plastic bottle liners') for their Original Nurser Systems are BPA-free.

• Water: Use filtered tap water. If your water is fluoridated, use a reverse osmosis filter to remove fluoride, which the American Dental Association recommends avoiding when reconstituting formula. If your water is not fluoridated use a carbon filter. If you choose bottled water make sure it’s fluoride-free.

• Formula: Choose powdered as liquid formulas have higher levels of BPA.

Here are the brands we EcoMoms have found our babies love and that we feel good about. Remember, you may have to try a few before you find one your baby likes.

Green to Grow bottles are our favorite so far. Founded by parents Shelley and Michael Ritterbrown, these bottles are bisphenol-A-free and phthalate free, AND the company donates new nipples for every gently used bottle you donate via a Bottles to Babies partnership. Plus the babes seem to like the nipples.

Adiri’s Natural Nurser is a fantastic find for the persnickety suckler. These are, to be blunt, quite biologically correct. When my oh-so-verbal little nephew saw his new “baba” he happily said, “booby.” Originally invented by Founder Jennifer Morrill’s father, Adiri’s products have been refashioned bisphenol-A-free and polycarbonate-free and are getting rave reviews from moms and babes alike.