ou thought it was tough enough to get breastfeeding figured out. Now your baby has graduated to bottle-feeding in the middle of the biggest crisis to hit the baby bottle market in years. Turns out your average plastic bottle may not be the smartest delivery system for your baby’s milk or formula since clear plastic baby bottles are made of polycarbonate, which contains a chemical called Bisphenol A (BPA), the substance that makes the plastic hard and clear in the first place.

We asked two pediatricians to weigh in on the pros and cons of the plastic bottles available today. Relax, your next shopping trip just got a little easier.

Q: As a new parent or parent-to-be, what’s your best advice on how to select a baby bottle?

A: When you have so many reasonable alternatives today, it seems prudent to buy BPA-free/polycarbonate-free baby bottles, suggests Ari Brown, MD, a pediatrician in Austin, Texas, and author of Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby's First Year. “Based on the fact that there is some health concern in infants, limiting or avoiding BPA where you can is a good idea,” she says.

Q: So what are my options?

A: You’ll want to check the label and make sure the bottle is BPA-free. Or choose either glass or frosted plastic. These are all ways to avoid bottles that contain BPA, Dr. Brown says. “Most of the popular bottle brands offer BPA-free alternatives.”

Q: At the end of the day, how concerned should parents be about all the new studies of plastic baby bottles?

A: There is some cause for concern since, in animal studies, even low-level BPA may be linked to anything from early puberty to breast cancer. “The National Toxicology Program and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences convened an independent review panel of polycarbonate bottles that noted ‘some’ concern for adverse health effects on fetuses and infants, including the potential cause of neurological and behavioral problems in infants and children,” Dr. Brown says. “And, while ‘some’ is certainly open for interpretation, it is more than ‘negligible’ or ‘none’ which were cited for other age groups and health concerns related to BPA exposure.”

Q: Should I only use brand-new plastic bottles then?

A: Apparently, BPA’s chemical bond with polycarbonate breaks down over time, especially with repeated washings or heating of the bottle. “As a result, BPA may leach out of the plastic bottle or sippy cup and into the liquid,” Dr. Brown says. So the older your bottle, the more potential there is for exposure.

Still, keep in mind that the testing that has been done to date has only been on animals. “The truth is, we won’t know for years if there is a human health problem and it could be years before the government takes some regulatory action,” she adds.


Q: Are there any other helpful tips I should know if I’m already using plastic bottles?

A: Avoid washing them in a dishwasher (rinse them with warm, soapy water instead). Skip the microwave or sterilizer and toss any bottles that are cracked or cloudy. When in doubt, use glass bottles. “Obviously there is a risk of injury to baby or mom if the bottle is dropped, so glass isn’t a perfect alternative,” says Dr. Brown. “The other option is to buy bottles made of opaque plastic. These bottles (made of polyethylene or polypropylene) do not contain BPA.”

Q: So what's the bottom line on the plastic bottle debate?

A: "Everything about this is theoretical at this point," says JJ Levenstein, MD, FAAP, a board-certified pediatrician in Los Angeles (and member of The Cradle's Advisory Board). “However, if buying BPA-free bottles allows you to sleep better at night, buy them.”

All in all, it might be better to be safe than sorry. Until definitive proof on BPA is clear, it could give you some peace of mind to simply avoid it.

News update: JPMA Supports Safety of Baby Bottles

This article was reviewed by Christopher Gavigan, the Executive Director and CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World, and member of The Cradle’s Advisory board.