Is it Worth it to Splurge on Glass Baby Bottles?
A study was recently published that showed levels of microplastics in the stomachs of newborn babies.
A number of recent studies have raised major concerns about the level of microplastics in the bodies of newborns and infants.
If you’re like me, you probably worry about every little thing when it comes to your babies being exposed to unnecessary toxins.
We get the unscented laundry detergent and the eco-friendly household cleaners and the BPA-free baby toys…but what about their bottles?
Plastics actually shed more micro particles when they are hot than when they are cold. So while storing your food in plastic containers might shed some particles, heating it up in plastic containers will shed substantially more into your food.
Now when you think of heating plastic for food, do you think of the traditional plastic baby bottle full of nearly-scalding hot milk?
I definitely do.
A study was done on the most popular brands of baby bottles, accounting for 70% of use worldwide, to test how much these bottles were actually shedding. During the sterilization process, the bottles shed over 16 million microplastic particles per liter! In the trial with even hotter water, at 203 degrees F, it was 55 million!
In other words…do NOT use plastic baby bottles.
But what are our alternative options?
I used the Phillips Avent bottles for both of my children, who were breastfed, and they were able to transition nipple to nipple, and back, with no issues. They are easy to clean and the glass is thick and sturdy, so you don’t have to worry about them breaking.
There are a number of other styles available, and sometimes a baby will prefer one style of nipple over others. The Phillips bottles have a nipple shape that is similar to the natural breast, which I found to be helpful for my breastfed children. Both of them had no issues going between the breast and these bottles.
I also recommend getting only the 4 oz bottles. Infants typically do not have a large enough stomach to manage more than 4 oz of liquid at a time. By the time they are old enough to get more milk than that, they are old enough to start using open cups. The recommendation is currently that you should stop using bottles by 12 months, because otherwise the bottle can start to cause oral issues.
Unfortunately, there is some unavoidable shedding that will happen because the nipples have to be made of plastic/rubber materials. But by having a glass bottle, you minimize the amount of plastic coming into prolonged contact with hot liquid that is going to cause serious particle shedding.
You can always try to avoid bottle-feeding altogether, which is a great idea in theory. However, that is not always a viable solution for everyone. Sometimes it’s nice to have someone else bond with the baby through feeding (and give mom a few minutes of a break). While the plastic shedding is not 100% avoidable at this point, we can make choices like glass bottles to minimize exposure.
Have you tried glass bottles before? What brand did you use?
Share your experience below!
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