Should I use glass bottles or BPA free bottles?

SO interesting that you should ask this question.  Last night as I was reading my KIWI Magazine they brought up this exact topic.  They are both equally safe for baby but, basically it comes down to personal preference.  Here are the pros & cons of both.

 

BPA Free Plastics Pros: 

BPA Free

Lightweight

Sturdy (not likely to break when tossed by baby/toddler)

Recyclable

 

BPA Free Cons:

Plastic bottles are made w/ petroleum

 

Glass Pros:

BPA Free

Produced w/ out the use of petroleum

Recyclable

 

Glass Cons:

Heavy (weighs down your diaper bag)

Will break/shatter if tossed by baby or toddler onto a hard surface

I chose BPA free plastic and thank goodness I did!!!  Once my daughter took to holding the bottle herself she would chuck it on the floor when she was done (she has got a darn good arm too!) so could you imagin the mess glass would have caused in placed like the mall and such.....yikes!

One more type of bottle that isn't in this conversation is stainless steel!  Klean Kanteen (and I'm sure there are other companies that do this too) makes a baby sized bottle with a little sippy top.  I actually just saw some the other day when poking around a little eco store...they even come in fun colors like pink and green. 

 

Going along with the pros and cons...they're made without petroleum, they're BPA free, not as heavy as glass...and pretty sturdy.  Cons...well, I don't have a baby to test them out on so I can't be 100% sure, but using a stainless steel bottle myself, you can't see inside the way you can with a plastic or glass bottle so you can't quickly tell when you need a refill other than looking inside or feeling the weight.  When the bottles sweat, they tend to be more slippery than plastic.

 

Any other pros or cons for parents and kids that you guys can think of?

The manufacture of stainless steel uses plenty of hydrocarbons - as diesel at the mine, coal/coke, natural gas plus electricity, oxygen, argon, alloys all of which have hydrocarbons used in the making.

 

No idea about the baby side really but in 1945 all were glass and I survived - in the 80's when my kids were born all were plastic with everything included - somehow they seemed to make it just fine as well.   

 

Is that kind of resource consumption in the production of plastic similar? Of course, the plastic bottles themselves use petroleum while the physical makeup of stainless steel does not. But I would imagine the production process of plastic would still consume similar resources in terms of using electricity from coal-powered plants, etc. etc.

Maybe someone knows the inputs per ton of plastic and could add them. Steel I have a better idea of from my past work.

 

Steel & even more so stainless steel are quite energy intensive - I would expect the ratio of energy and material inputs for steel to be many times greater than plastic. The plastic bottle you can easily melt at home - try that with steel and again with stainless.

 

Materials handling/delivery in plastic production should be much simpler as well.

 

Now as to how much material goes into each bottle - very little.

 

Stainless should be longer lasting and more hygenic. It certainly should be able to go through generations before being scrapped.

I have seen the Kleen Kanteens w/ actual bottle nipples.  If they get slippery there are bottle grippers that can be purchased to place over the bottle. AND I just discovered that there are BPA Free glass bottle safety sleeves.  So if you choose glass then you will have more peace of mind if the baby chucks it.

 

 

 This is the new bottles I bought. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/11/camelbak_introd.php

Yes, the Klean Kanteen can be a bit pricey but, you may only need a couple.  I had no choice but to put DD on exclusively on formula when she was 5 months old so I actually had 15 bottles & 5 formula dispensers (3 days worth) so that I could have the water AND formula pre-measured and ready to go.  This was a HUGE time saver for me.   If your just planing to pump you will only need 1-2 bottles because you can keep your BM stored in bags or other containers that go w/ your pump.

 

HOWEVER, before buying more than one of any bottle, you want to make sure your baby likes the bottle and can easily latch onto the nipple.  Though most claim to be closest to the mothers breast, not all bottle nipples are created equal.  The bottle that helped my DD wean from breast to bottle was called BreastFlow by the First years.  But it was a pain in the but to clean and put back together especially when you have a hungry baby & I only had 1 so I had to clean it often.  So the hunt was on for a new bottle.  I went through 5 different brands of bottles before finding one that didn't cause DD to choke/gag or scream.  Once I found the one that worked I stocked up!

 

As for the teething, my DD only gummed on teething toys for short period of time so I'm glad I did not buy very many.  One thing you may want to try is Hylands Teething Tablets.  They work wonders!  Even now at almost 20 mo. old & cutting the really painful IT's and soon the 2 yr. molars the teething tablets still work great.  I call them my daughters "happy pills"  because she gets back to her cheerful self shortly after taking them....or she takes a nap and then wakes up cheerful.  They must taste great too because she loves taking them.

From my understanding to avoid BPA for your baby, your child, or yourself, look for the recycling number 7. It’s usually on the bottom of the plastic container or bottle. If it’s there, it may contain BPA. Although not all number 7 plastic is polycarbonate, all polycarbonate is number 7.

Plastic is harmful if its with bpa or without it. I would say stainless steel is the best. you also sipper type models. you only need one such bottle. How old is your baby? I would say feeding with a spoon is also another option. But if your husband is not comfortable, you can use a sippy cup made for stainless steel.

We ended up going with the BPA free simply because my kiddo likes to throw things.  Can you imagine a full bottle of breastmilk being thrown on the floor and the bottle breaking:(  It's like liquid gold.  I don't know about you but it takes me awhile to make an entire bottle.  So far my daughter is taking the bottle when I need to go out, her brother never did.

I heard about a company called Drop Guard. They have coated glass baby bottles that are reasonably priced. I consider this a safe, affordable option. Here is the URL:
http://www.drop-guard.com/

i use the bpa free feeding system by kinder baby. the system is based on liners which are bpa free, disposable, pre sterilized and recyclable. so good for me and good for the environment. i dont' know what i would do without it.

 

you can find out more about it from www.kinderbaby.com.au.

 

 

The main thing is, that you use BPA-free products!!!

If concerned about glass baby bottles shattering, take a look at Lifefactory bottles.  The glass baby bottles in this line are covered with a tactile silicone sleeve to help babies grip the bottle and also prevent against breakage.  Available in fashion colors too.

 

We sell them at www.organicbabygiftboutique.com and have received positive feedback from customers who have purchased them.