Tips to Avoid BPA

Is this safe? Can I put my kids drink in this bottle? What does BPA stand for? There’s so much confusion and talk about BPA that I’m going to clear up a few issues and give you some tips for ways to avoid BPA and play it safe. As a mom I understand your concern.

First thing first, What is BPA? Bisphenol A, better known as BPA, is a chemical that can leach from the plastic lining of canned foods and polycarbonate plastics that are cleaned with harsh detergents. Almost all exposure is through diet, and infants fed with liquid formula are among the most exposed. Safe limits of this compound are under debate but the Environmental Protection Agency states that exposure of up to 50 mcg/kg/day (50 ppb/day) is considered safe. Studies have shown that we only reach about 1% of that allowance a day.

According to Dr. Maida Galvez, a pediatrician studying BPA, recommends parents stay away from bottles containing the chemical and says “We know the animal studies raise concerns, but there aren’t human studies showing effects yet…so, when we don’t have the evidence, what we recommend is that parents try to err on the side of caution.”

Therefore…TIPS ON HOW TO AVOID BPA according to the Organic Consumers Association:

Metal canned beverages appear to contain less BPA residues, while metal canned pasta and soups contain the highest levels.
Canned foods in glass containers are not a BPA risk.
Plastics with the recycling labels #1, #2, and #4 on the bottom are safer choices and do not contain BPA.
One-third of liquid baby formulas have higher levels of BPA. Powdered formula packaging is generally considered safer.
Avoid heating foods in plastic containers and do not wash plastic containers in a dishwasher.
When possible, opt for glass, porcelain and stainless steel containers, particularly for hot food or liquids.
Do not let plastic wrap touch your food in the microwave, or better yet, avoid microwave ovens altogether.

Shop Green & Clean Mom for BPA free products, click here.

Contributing Author and Consultant for Green & Clean Mom, Melissa Bathish

There's BPA in what?

Sorry for the blogging, hiatus (no beach or margarita) my baby girl has been sick, she had another asthma attack…I’ll post more on this later...but I’ve was participating in a mom-to-mom sale and all moms know how much work it is to go through the toys and clothing to decide on what doesn’t fit and what they don’t play with it. A great relief to get rid of the strollers we don’t need, the bouncer collecting dust and the tubs of baby boy clothing! I made some extra money, cleaned my house and was able to donate a ton of stuff that did not sell. Most importantly, I was able to talk to moms all weekend and hear about what was on their minds, what they were looking for and what they were concerned about. You might wonder why I would be doing this at a mom-to-mom sale but I always have my non-toxic cleaners, non-toxic bug stuff and information about my blog with me. This sparks a lot of conversation, which I love!

The hot topic, BPA frees products and what all this BPA fuss is about. A lot of moms were confused, in the dark, alarmed at what others were saying and wanted to know where and how they could get safe bottles. Unfortunately, it isn’t just baby bottles we need to be concerned about! I was eating lunch and a good friend was commenting on how much she loved this simply pure orange juice but how now she is all worried because it is in a number 7 plastic bottle. How simply pure is that? Many moms were selling old bottles and sippy cups but none of them sold. CNN recently reported,” … more than 6 million pounds produced in the United States each year, bisphenol A is found in dental sealants, baby bottles, the liners of food cans, CDs and DVDs, eyeglasses and hundreds of household goods.” Canada is acting on the risk of harm to infants, children and the environment but the here in the States, neither Congress or the U.S. has made a move to ban this toxic chemical. There is an actual report that links BPA, even low levels, to causing hormonal disruptions in newborns and linking it to cancer. Why isn’t everything with BPA pulled off the shelf moms were wondering? Well, come on….why are there still toxic chemicals being sold for us to clean our counters with and being advertised as safe? If the FDA makes a ruling against this chemical then the chemical industry could basically get in big trouble with some heft law suits. It's the same as toxic cleaning products and what’s allowed on the shelf and it not being good for us or pesticides that are allowed to be sprayed on our kids, it’s messed up! In my Green and Clean Mom opinion, don’t panic and just start trying to find BPA free products, safer plastics and voice your opinion any way you can. If companies know you won’t buy there stuff, even if it’s cheap, they’ll change. Moms are powerful. In the meantime, you can read my review about the BPA free sippy's I tried (giveaway over sorry) and Classy Mommy is giving away some BPA free bottles. The Soft Landing ,has great sampler packs of BPA free products and a wealth of information on the topic. Another great source is Z Recommends, with an extensive report and series on the topic.

WIN 2 BPA FREE Sippy Cups- A review and a sippy good time!

Sippy cup! Sippy cup! Oh, where is my sippy cup!?! Taking all of my daughters “usual” sippy cups away (bad plastic—evil BPA) and replacing them with this sampler pack of cups that I purchased and some great free ones, per request for this review, left her a little confused. It was for her own good though. Seeing that she could not actually tell me about the different cups my four year old son and I filled each of the sippy cups with water and tried all of them. Then we shook them silly to see which ones leaked water (that was the part they enjoyed the most). Over the last few weeks I’ve washed them, watched the kids drink from them and sometimes would offer two and see which one my daughter would grab. I wanted to give the cups a real test!

For each review you will see the cup description and company as well as a picture of the cup. All of these cups can be purchased at varies places, including the companies direct websites but I’m going to recommend, The Soft Landing. The reason being, I hope you pick up some other BPA free items along the way! The cups were rated from 1-5 with 1 being okay and 5 being super! Under each of the ratings I have good and bad points that I discovered through the review. The cups were scored based on leaking, how easy she accepted the cup, her preference, cleaning, parts and cost. All of them are considered safe and non-toxic so no need to rate that! Phew!!! Oh, and this is just my opinion and findings, you might have a different experience but here it goes...

Test Cup A:



One 7oz Foogo Stainless Steel Sippy with leak-proof valve
****
Good Points: Sleek and stylish, clean nicely in the dishwasher, easy to drink from, did not leak when we shook it, keeps milk cold for up to six hours and it seemed very easy for her to hold. She gravitated towards this cup many times.
Bad Points: Hard as a rock if it lands on your foot and she dropped it on my toe a few times! Ouch! A few parts to take a part for the dishwasher and if you don’t put them back together correctly it leaks. My bad not the cup!

*Costs a little bit more but it keeps the drinks colder and safer and the price for the straw bottle and the 9oz are the same price at the Soft Landing!

Test Cup B:

Foogo Stainless Steel Leak Proof Straw Drink Bottle
*****
Good Points: Again, sleek and stylish, cleaned very nice in the dishwasher and both my son and my daughter insisted on drinking out this. My son loved how the straw comes up when he pushed the button. He wanted to take it to school. Keeps things cold for up to 12 hours!!!
Bad Points: They both wanted it and I only had one! A few parts for the dishwasher but it was easy to assemble.


Test Cup C:


One 9oz Think Baby Training Cup with soft silicone spout and chunky handles

**
Good points: Easy to assemble after putting it through the dishwasher. The handles are a nice bonus but are optional. Probably best for a child new to sippy cups.
Bad points: Leaked when we shook it and she did not prefer to drink out of this cup. It had more of a bottle feel to it. For one cup that didn’t offer anything special I thought the cost of almost $9 was a little high.


Test Cup D:

One 9oz Fluid Sippy Cup by Boon with ergonomic grip

*****
Good Points: Unique and easy to assemble! Easy to hold once she got used to it. Came clean easily in the dishwasher and this was her preference every time because she didn’t need to tip it very much. Oh, and it’s very inexpensive ($6) and soft when it lands on your toes.
Bad points: I couldn’t find any that’s why it scored a five!!!

Test Cup E:

One 10oz Nuby Sport Sipper with silicone straw spout

**
Good Points: This is cup is cheap ($4) and I can find it locally. It was easy to clean and both my son and daughter can use the cup.
Bad Points: It leaked like crazy and she did not seem to prefer it.

Test Cup F:

9-oz. Born drinking cup, spout, and travel cover

***
Good Points: This cup would not leak no matter how hard I shook the thing!!! There wasn’t any access air when sipping from it and she seemed to like it just fine when it was offered to her. The handles being optional was a nice feature and the lid for on the go. A cup for the child in transition for sure! Easy to find locally and sold in sets.
Bad Points: Way too many parts for me to lose. It drove me nuts taking it a part and putting it together.


Still to come…

Safe Sippy but they’re on backorder so when they come out I’ll be sure to tell you all about them and maybe I can score giving one away!

Kleen Kanteen but for some reason when I ordered from the Soft Landing, I did not get this cup I got the Born drinking cup in the sampler pack. Oh, well.

Now for the giveaway…

One lucky winner will be able to try two of Josie’s favorite sippy cups! Fluid by Boon and Foogo by Thermos!! What do you have to do? Just post a comment on what sippy cup you currently use and what your child loves to drink from that sippy cup. I’ll randomly pick one lucky winner. Of course I believe in Karma so it helps me if you give me some juice and blog about this contest, stumble, subscribe or digg me!

Please leave me your spam proof email in the post (yourname at charter dot com)!

Begins April 15, 2008 and Ends April 25, 2008

Win a BPA Free Eating Set!!!

Alicia, over at The Soft Landing (the blog that all green moms have to subscribe to) is giving away two BPA FREE eating sets! One set for the little tyke who is just starting to eat solids and another set for the pro. She’s given you lots of ways to enter and you can pick which set you would love to win. Personally, either would be great. I’m putting together a bucket of all organic, natural, BPA free items for my sister’s baby shower and this would go perfect in her “reusable” bucket. I’ll be sure to list all of the items I’m including and take a photo for you. I’m very excited about this shower gift because it’s the perfect way to help my not so green and clean sister become a green and clean mom!

So cruise on over and try winning one of those eating sets and check out all of the other informative and fun stuff Alicia blogs about. Oh, and if you haven't tried to win a CamelBak, BPA FREE water bottle with me then do so now!!! Contests for BPA free stuff, it couldn't get any better OR could it??? Check back because I have a huge green cleaning giveaway in honor of Earth Day but to also stop you and your family from breathing in nasty toxins!

Fresh farm milk, bpa sippy cups, and my green blog agenda (with a contest)!

Happy Monday everyone! Good news to report, my family has made the switch to buying local milk (within a 100 mile radius) that is not certified organic but is only miss a sheet of paper. There are no antibiotics, no growth hormones used, no pesticides used and the farm is family owed. We can drive to visit the cows that make our milk and I cannot wait to do this! I researched this before I made the leap and wanted to know how the glass containers are cleaned ,why the farm was not organic, if they sold raw milk and other specific questions. I was actually excited and proud to take home my glass milk container and my husband thought the entire situation was weird. I don’t even like milk but decided to pour myself a glass so I could taste the difference. I have to tell you, it was remarkable. I had some organic milk from Horizon left over (which I like) but the fresh from the farm milk was so creamy and perfect. I might become a milk fan!!!

Ahhh, except I poured this healthy hormone free milk right into a BPA sippy cup. Yes, I know slap on the wrist a thousand times over (it was a gift). I’m recycling all of the "bad" sippy cups as soon as my samplers pack of BPA FREE cups arrive from The Soft Landing ( not all of my cups are unsafe, mind you). I have some things on my green and clean mom agenda that I am personally researching and changing over so that my family is safer and more" green".

In the very near future…

*I will blog about the new BPA water bottles I’ve begun using and why BPA is so bad, along with a giveaway!!! Yeah! This will be any day so check back real soon!
*I’ll be trying out some safe BPA free sippy cups for my two children and hope to have a ruling on which I like best, no my children like best! I’ve contacted several companies about their cups for samples or giveaways for my wonderful readers and hope to hear back from them!!!
*Crocs, everyone seems to be wearing them (including my kids) but they’re made in China and can you recycle them? Are they non-toxic and what’s the best way to really clean them (I have a secret). What is the company doing to be Earth Friendly???
*All about my C.S.A. and what I learned last year from my experience and some helpful tips.
*I will be personally, purchasing a wide array of healthy, organic snacks from http://www.yumyumsnacks.com/ to sample for my family and hope to blog about this experience. I don’t have many options in my small town. We have three grocery stores attempting to carry more organic food options, Wal-Mart that is completely sporadic with what they carry but cheaper and Kmart that has nothing. Cosco is four hours away!
My home is about 50/50 right now but Tiffany over at Nature Moms Blog, has inspired me to do better with her personal story and tips.

I have lots more in the works but I wanted to give you a heads up so you’re sure to keep checking back. I think it is very important to point out, I’m a mom just like most of you, trying to do her best to live some shade of green, each day. I’m not perfect and my family did not eat healthy or organic growing up so I am learning and sharing. I am trying new and safer products to share them with you and give you my feedback. I research, research, research and read, read, read and then hope to tell you my honest opinion, thoughts and findings.