Struthious No More

Back when I reviewed The Complete Organic Pregnancy for MotherTalk, I used its advice to conduct a plastic audit. I threw some things out and got different versions in different plastics and even canceled my bottled water delivery and researched a good under-sink filter instead, having discovered that the 5-gallon bottles for my water were made of the unholy #7 plastic that is said to leach hormone-disruptors. (I have had water delivery for years due to my flouride sensitivity. Post water delivery I've tried drinking water that's been left out overnight so the flouride can evaporate. It sort of works. I wish I could just get my spring water back in glass bottles...)

I noticed, at the time, that Nat's baby bottles were lacking a recycling number label. That was odd. I was suspicious. But I buried my head in the sand and kept using them. What could I do otherwise? Go hunting down some other bottle, after finally having found a nipple she liked?

Well, a bit of labyrinthine linkange last night found me here and then found me ordering first a half-dozen glass baby bottles with nipples of unknown acceptability to Selina, then ordering the Avent bottles that have drop-in liners (and use the nipples we already know Selina prefers). Disposable liners are not so great for the environment, but lightweight for travel purposes. Hopefully these will get us through to bottle weaning, some 8-9 months away.

I am not too worried about Nat's prior exposure (though until she had teeth, I was mixing her formula with my bottled water, of course!), since they advise a few things to minimize risk when using the #7 bottles (like our old Avent ones). They advise buying new bottles for each new baby you have, and Nat was our first, so that works out. Also, they advise not heating the bottles to high temperatures. Well we did do that. I mean, come on, you sterilize baby bottles by boiling them, or at least running them through the sterile cycle in the dishwasher, right? (We used the dishwasher.) But Nat had little concern about the temperature of her bottle, so once we figured this out, we stopped warming the milk (well, formula) before feeding her.

Not so with Selina! She is using Nat's old bottles. (Some are "cloudy" or scratched, oh horror! I threw them out last night, too.) They are being washed in the high-heat dishwasher cycle. Selina spits out any nipple that contains formula a half degree below 98.6 F so we warm the bottles with religious zeal before offering them to her.

The glass bottles I ordered are out of stock, (well of course they are! And the land fills are brimming over with Avent bottles leaching their hormone disruptors right into the water table, too) so I have to wait a month to start using them. I am hopeful the drop-ins will arrive before our week-long trip to the in-laws next week. But meanwhile whenever I feed Selina now, I feel like I'm pumping poison into her poor unsuspecting little body.

I realize (or maybe "theorize" would be a better term) that baby bottles alone are probably not going to give my kids neurological damage. But combined with all the other toxins and contaminants out there, well, they must build up. Bio-magnification and all that, right? And I don't hold with the argument that 50 years ago people didn't know about this stuff and they used it and they're fine, because A) a lot of people aren't fine. People die too young of cancer and who knows why? Autism is on the rise and who knows why? and B) things really are different now. The sun is hotter/more damaging (due to ozone depletion) pesticides have built up and gotten tougher and tougher to combat resistence, etc. ad nauseum. I certainly can't prevent my daughters from ingesting any poison at all in their daily lives, but I sure as heck plan to prevent what I can.

Comments

[HeatherS]

I've been struggling over what bottles to use with kiddo #2 for these very reasons. I'm half-hoping Avent will pull its head out of its ass by the time we have a placement and manufacture a reusable BPA-free bottle. Because I really like their bottles and nipples (are you listening Avent?). But I really doubt that will happen.

[ashley]

We went through this same dilemma several months ago and it is really frustrating how little data there is to make an informed decision. We had been using the regular Advent bottles, but the possibility that they were leaching toxic chemicals into my baby's milk really bothered me. However, my son is really picky when it comes to his nipple and would only take the ones from Advent. We thought about going for glass bottles, but we were worried about him breaking them. We finally ended up getting the stainless steel bottles from Klean Kanteen.

http://www.kleankanteen.com/2products/klean-kanteen-12oz.html

We liked that they fit the Advent nipples and that when he outgrew the bottle stage, we could use them as sippy cups and then water bottles, which seemed like a more environmentally friendly choice. We have now had them for seven months and have been really happy with how indestructible they are and how fast the milk heats up in them. They are expensive, but it was worth it for the piece of mind and we figure we will have them from a long time. I would love to hear how the glass bottles work out for you.

[Jody]

I don't think you're wrong to make these changes, but oh, it makes me exhausted, thinking about all the environmental stuff we must attend to, to protect our kids these days.

[The Domestic Goddess]

I am almost happy my kids never took bottles (although, now that I know what is in my breastmilk, it ain't any better). It is scary to know what kind of world I am bringing my kids into and what poisons they no doubt have in their little bodies. Who KNOWS what causes autism? I agree with you. Both of mine are autistic, as are several nephews. I wish we knew, because we sure want a bigger family but just feel we cannot mentally handle it right now. I've also gotten rid of all the nasty-er plastics that they recommend you get rid of. We've stopped using plastic kiddie plates and cups except for ONE sippy cup that never goes in the dishwasher.
On a side note, I am proud of my 6yo. When we went out for ice cream last night, THe husband found a plastic bottle in the car and almost threw it out. The 6yo screamed, "DAD! DON'T DO THAT! We have to recycle it! It's bad for the environment!" I am so proud!

[Liza]

Tomorrow I'm going to a huge children and babies consignment sale held twice/year in my area. The last time I was there, they had a ton of glass bottles.

If you'd like, I'll pick some up for you and take them over to the UPS store for shipping. You can paypal me whatever the cost is.

Drop me an email and let me know. :)

[electriclady]

Babycenter.com has Evenflo glass bottles in stock--they are nice and lightweight (and I find Babycenter's shipping to be pretty fast) but they come with a yucky latex nipple. They fit any "standard" size nipple, but if Selina prefers Avent nipples she might find a standard nipple too narrow at the base.

We use the Playtex nurser with drop-ins--same concept as the Avent drop-ins, same wide-base nipple design. My daughter will take the narrower nipple on a glass bottle but because she's used to latching onto the wide Playtex nipple, she sucks practically the whole bottle top into her mouth and it makes ME uncomfortable.

The drop-ins are definitely VERY convenient--no more washing bottles!--but as you said, not great for the environment, and not exactly economical either. I can't wait until bottle weaning.

[shirky]

there may be glass bottles in the world not specifically for babies but with the same threading as a bottle ring. or maybe bottle rings or adapters with the same threading as glass jars/bottles?

just trying to think out the box here. i like to solve problems.

[luolin]

Born free bottles are bispheol free, if that's your concern. Because it seems to me that the glass bottles are always out of stock.

[lori]

Born Free also has new glass bottles. We use the Born Free plastic bottles and I love them. You can get them at Whole Foods or at newbornfree.com