Seeking Advice on Bottles -Stick with Avent???

I've put together a list of safe baby bottles as well as plastic-alternative sippy cups on my parenting blog. Please feel free to use these links as a reference:

Bottles: http://uggamugga.blogspot.com/search/label/bottles

Sippy cups: http://uggamugga.blogspot.com/search/label/sippy%20cups

We use Avent. I read that you just aren't supossed to heat them in the microwave. I heat the water & then put them in the water to warm. Then I don't have to worry!

Hi J.,
I went through the same stressing that you did, and in the end, I decided to switch to the glass Even Flo bottles. They're really affordable, and my little guy switched to them with no problem. Even Flo also makes the BPA bottles which are also affordable. Who knows if we really need to make the switch, but I did it for my own piece of mind. Take care.

I'm guessing it's not worth the stress. If you want to switch, it can't hurt, but if your daughter protests, you can always switch back. My son never had a preference for bottle or nipple type (as long as the nipple wasn't rubber). I guess he was easy because he didn't have any nipple confusion and could breastfeed, bottlefeed on 3-4 different kinds of bottles and use a pacifier. He also didn't care if his bottle was warm or cold. Quite frankly, we're liable to find out something in the safe bottles is bad for our child. I think the biggest risk is if you microwave/freeze this kind of plastic, isn't it? Maybe you would just need to avoid those things. I don't think babies use a bottle for long enough to really do much damage. Do whatever is going to make life less stressful for you.

Hi J.-

We used the Avent bottles with our first son, born in 2003, and for what it's worth, he seems just fine... That said, we've switched from the Avent bottles and nipples to the Evenflo glass bottles (http://naturalbaby.stores.yahoo.net/realglasbabb.html) with our newborn. They're inexpensive and the baby hasn't had any problem with the switch. It may well be safe to stick with the Avents or other plastic bottles, but the piece of mind we gained from switching was worth the minimal expense.

We have a couple of ThinkBaby "safe" plastic bottles (http://www.thinkbabybottles.com/) for times when it's easier to use plastic than glass, and they're fine, although the nipples are a faster flow than the baby really likes. He's not yet 3 months old and I think he'll be okay with these once he's a little older.

Hope that this helps-

M.

I just switched from the Gerber Comfort Hold bottles yesterday because they contained BPA. I did a lot of research before I did to find out what bottles were safe and cheap since I had already invested a lot of money in these bottles.
First off in reading a lot of different reports most all of the bottles on the market are FDA approved even the ones containing BPA because it has not yet been proven to be unsafe (but I'm not going to continue to use them, I'd rather be on the safe side).
Anyway the bottles that are free from BPA are as follows:
Gerber Brand Clear View (this is what I ended up buying; three of them for $2.69 at Target)
Gerber Brand Fashion Tints
Gerber Brand Gentle Flow; I read that these bottles are totally interchangable with Avent Bottles. I don't know this for sure but I read this on another mommy board somewhere and other moms were talking about it.

All Medela bottles are safe.

Avent; only the Via System bottles are safe

All Born Free bottles are safe.

Playtex Nurser System is also safe.

I did find while I was at the store a set of Evenflo bottles that said BPA free on the package but I don't remember what the style name was.

While I was at the store looking through the bottles, a lot of them did not have numbers on them and only the one Evenflo bottles that I mentioned earlier said anything about being BPA Free.
I hope this helps!

The Born Free bottle sold on line at Babies r' Us and in the Whole Foods store are pthalate and polycarbonate free and the nipple are shaped exactly like the Avent nipples. They also make sippy cups.

Good Luck!

Hi J.! I'm shocked by this as I did some research after hearing about the polycarbonate bottles on the news & had found some information stating that the Avent bottles weren't the #7 types & that the bottles have to specifically have the triangle with the #7 inscribed on them (which I just went downstairs & checked all the ones I have packed up & they don't have it), but of course I can't find the information now. Either way, if you're worried about it, I love the Dr. Brown's bottles!

Best of luck to you & your miracle baby (as we have one too)!

hi-
i haven't read all the other responses, so perhaps someone else already suggested the same thing, but...
i had bought all avent bottles prior to delivery, as i was told that they were the best bottles for breast-fed babies. then, all the info on avent having bpa led me to throw them all out. i switched to medela bottles--they are bpa-free and i could use my medela pump and pump right into them without needing to transfer the milk. and my daughter adjusted to the different nipple without any trouble. best of luck!

Hi J.~
I may be old fashioned but seriously, you are going to spend another ton of money to switch bottles? I am just going to keep using what I have and not worry about it. I think that we all had a ton more things that are now deemed "unhealthy" when we were growing up. And I think that they are just about the best bottles out there. I love them and my daughter did great with them. I couldn't see changing but if you feel the need to then do it. I think that if you have already called them and asked you are too nervous to stay so you should probably just switch to keep a piece of your mind. I am gonna stick with mine but you can do what you want.
S.

I would check out The Soft Landing for advice on a safe bottle. They have some amazing choices!

My understanding of the BPA problem is that the plastic tends to "leech" more of the chemical when it's heated up -- i.e. in the microwave or dishwasher (same goes for those Nalgene water bottles). So in theory, it's less of an issue if you wash by hand and don't heat the bottles up.
Hope that helps!

http://www.bisphenol-a.org/human/polyplastics.html

"...an average adult consumer would have to ingest more than 600 kilograms (about 1,300 pounds) of food and beverages in contact with polycarbonate every day for an entire lifetime to exceed the level of BPA that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set as safe."

The colored Avent sippy cups are BPA-free and the Avent nipples and white rings that screw onto the bottles are interchangeable between bottles and sippy cups.

The research I found states that it is OLD bottles that can leak the toxin. I too freaked out as I was on kid #2 with our Avent bottles. I threw them all out and bought Evenflow glass bottles. My son took it fine but he does get a lot more air with them. I decided to buy 1 Avent bottle as they are the only bottles that hold 11 oz. I don't heat them in the microwave and since it is new and not worn I am not too concerned.

You could always try glass bottles to avoid the plastic? Dr. Browns makes some. I'm not sure about Avent.

I did some research and found it interesting that it's actually more likely a baby will get more BPA from formula than the bottle itself in a comment in this article:

http://www.ewg.org/reports/infantformula

I use Avent, but since my daughter takes a bottle at any temperature, have never heated them and also hand wash them. So I'm planning on continuing to use them.

HI!

I have been doing a lot of research myself because of all the news. Even though Avent is FDA approved, that means nothing to me. I don't trust the government to make healthful decisions for me and my family. As for as swithing to another bottle, the best alternative is glass. I found some great ones ust by googling. Unfortunately, I did not find any with a wide neck like Avent. Born Free is a brand that is BPA free and has a wide neck. My only concern is that it's still plastic. I know they say that #5 (polypropylene) is safe, but with all the heating you do to a bottle, I'm not convinced. IMO, I say go glass. Your baby will adjust. Good Luck with your decision.

Hi there,

I used Avent exclusivley with my first and then found out about the toxic BPA that gets into our babies' little bodies. I switched and threw away the small fortune we had invested in Avent bottles. After some trial and error, here is what I found:

1. Born Free bottles: the most expensive (close to $10 per bottle) but the best. Wide, soft nipples are definitely preferred over the others by our 4 month old nipple critic. Born Free also has a unique suction system that is said to be easier for babies to suck which reduces the risk of ear infections from sucking too hard and reduces gas that can lead to colic. They also make sippy cups that make for easy transitioning.

2. Evenflo glass bottes: inexpensive- I think about $8 for three. Narrow nipples but the baby took jsut fine to them. Evenflo also makes BPA free plastic bottles that are great, too. I thought the glass would be a hassle but they are actually great.

3. Medela BPA free plastic: again I think around $8 for three and the nipples are the same size as the Evenflo nipples. I basically saw no real difference between the Evenflo and the Medela.

4. Nuby: hated it. So did baby.

Bottom line is that all the above are safe for our precious little ones. I prefer the Born Free, as does my baby so I will personally stick with them. If you don't want to spend the money, Evenflo (again, for us) was a great second choice.

I hope this helps!

J. ~ get rid of toxic baby nipples immediately. This is a huge health hazard and should be taken very seriously. Especially during the stage where the formula is heated.

Copy and paste this site in your browser. These are non-toxic:

www.thesoftlanding.com/bornfree-bottles.html

Also, more about toxin-free baby products:

www.safbaby.com

Hi J. :)

I purchased a ton of Avent bottles while pregnant but later found out from a friend (who had read a study on toxic baby bottles) that they were not safe. That was almost a year ago! I can't believe it has taken this long to hit the news. I threw out all the Avent bottles and purchased BPA free bottles that day. Check out thesoftlanding.com. They only sell non-toxic baby feeding gear like bottles, sippy cups, utensils. Etc. They offer many safe brands to choose from. They even sell a BPA free baby bottle sampler kit which includes 5oz bottles from different brands for you to try...that way you can find one your baby likes before buying a ton of one brand only to have them rejected. This website delivers quickly and everything has always arrived in great condition. I hope this helps. Good luck!

J.-
We used the Avent with out son exclusively, and then the Avent and Dr. Brown's with out daughter, but due to the plastic scare, decided to completely switch to glass bottles. We bought the old fashioned Evenflo glass bottles (available at Babies R' Us...they are ridiculously cheap....like $4-5 for four) and have been very happy with them. We did purchase the silicone nipples, however, since that was what my daughter was used to. The glass bottles are a little leakier than the plastic ones, but not horribly so, and the peace of mind is worth it. Good luck!

avent via containers. they're BPA free. msg me if you want more info.

Hi J., you have a lot of really good, detailed advice below so I won't rehash. I will say that once we watched the CNN piece with Dr. Gupta and his thoughts that was enough for me. We were using Dr. Brown's and switched.

We switched to Sassy Mam bottles and I LOVE them. They are polycarbonate free, not as expensive as Born Free, not breakable like glass, come in cute colors (though limited), and are wide mouth. Plus they have air vents for gas/colic control and the bottoms come off (as well as the tops) for easy cleaning. We've loved them since day one and so has our daughter who is now 10mo. The only place I've found them is online at Target. Our BRU doesn't carry them and they aren't "in store" at our local Target. Hope this helps!

We had the old Avent bottles from my first son, so we used them again with Baby #2 before we knew about the chemical issue. When we found out, we simply stopped using them in the microwave and instead use a glass measuring cup to easily heat the # of oz. we need, then pour into the bottle with the formula already measured in. We didn't use the dishwasher anyway, but would have stopped that,too. In the meantime, my first son turned out fine, and we actually microwaved the bottles with him. I would say it depends on your comfort level, but my guess is if the bottle itself isn't chipped or cracked, you don't heat it, and the liquid doesn't sit for a long amount of time, you would be OK.

i use the brand BORN-FREE. it's a no brainer, they're the safest bottles avalible. they come in glass or safe plastic. they also have sippy cups that are safe as well! you can find them at all the co-op's. our baby took to it on the first try. good luck!

The Avent nipples and sippy cup attachments will fit on the "Klean Kanteen", which is made of stainless steel. You can buy the Klean Kanteen at Linden Hills Co-op. They cost about $21.

hi J.,

BPA is a real concern. I have a bunch of Avent bottles I used with my 2 older children, before I became aware of BPA. As an earlier letter mentions, Avent bottles and BPA are FDA approved, but the 2 studies used to approve it were industry studies, meaning that the people who published the studies had a vested interest in the results. In other words, the people who wanted it declared safe stood to make money if it were approved. Now it is hard to reverse the approval process of the FDA. Some say that because only such a small bit leaches into the milk, it is okay. I prefer to err on the side of caution, knowing that may be true for an adult, but my baby is so small! BPA has been shown to cause damage to animals the size of my daughter at the level present in bottles.

There are other good suggestions of bottles. I have heard good things about the BornFree bottles. Because my daughter had trouble with the Avent bottles, I purchased some glass bottles online.

The good news about your bottles is, if they are new, they stand a lesser chance of leaching BPA. Washing them by hand or not drying them in the dishwasher will decrease the risk of leaching the BPA. Older, scratched bottles will leach more.

BPA is also present in many canned fruits and vegetables, infant formula cans, and canned soups. Minneapolis is looking at banning this chemical, as are other cities. I hope they are successful!

Good luck!

Like one other poster said - you have to come in contact with such a HUGE amount of this chemical that it isn't worth trying to switch everything because of it. I'm sure if you look into it, almost everything we come into contact these days could cause cancer.