Comments on: More BPA! Bisphenol-A in our Kids.

By: entrepreneurship

entrepreneurship — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 08:17:35 +0000

It’s interesting that no matter what someone writes, you want to read it.

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:36:45 +0000

Hi Shell. Good question.

First, I want to encourage you to look for non-plastic foodware. Even if a plastic product doesn’t contain BPA, it could contain other chemicals that we don’t want in our children’s bodies. The fact is that manufacturers are not required to disclose to the public what additives are in the plastics they produce, so we can’t know for sure whether any of those products are safe or not.

That said, there is a site called Z Recommends that reviews many children’s products and has kept a database of what products do and don’t contain BPA. You could check there to see if the products you are considering buying are on the list:

http://www.zrecsguide.com

It’s true that the hard plastics numbered 7 are usually the ones that contain BPA. But there are other plastic products which may not have a number that could also contain BPA.

Hope this helps.

By: Shell

Shell — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:26:03 +0000

I was just wondering if anyone knew how to tell if second hand items (such as bottles, cups, etc.) contain BPA….I know Playtex items label them BPA free on the bottom, but what about other brands? I am a stay at home mom with some health limitations and try to save money by buying second hand if/when I can. Needless to say, I am a fan of mom-to-mom sales where you can get cups and such for 25 cents each! LOL

My mom said that the ones to watch out for are cups labeled with a number “7″ inside the recycling triangle; but, I have some Gerber, Avent, etc. cups that don’t have anything written on them! Instead of contacting each company individually, I was wondering if there were any shortcuts….

By: Fake Plastic Fish

Fake Plastic Fish — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:47:00 +0000

Hi Mr. Curious. I believe most plastic cutlery is made from polystyrene. Check out this page: http://www.foodservicedirect.com/index.cfm/S/75/CLID/3361/N/101373/Medium-Weight-Polystyrene-Cutlery.htm

As far as I know, PS doesn't contain BPA, but it does contain styrene. According to the IATP Smart Plastics Guide, "Styrene is toxic to the brain and nervous system,
among workers with longer-term exposures, but also
has been found to adversely affect red blood cells, liver, kidneys
and stomach in animal studies."

By: Mr. Curious

Mr. Curious — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:38:00 +0000

Can someone tell where can I find ingredients for regular white / clear plastic tableware spoons/forks. I imagine that they contain bpa and other toxins? I just need a source.

By: Monice

Monice — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:34:00 +0000

I know this comment is a little late to the game, but the one justification for plastic tableware is kids banging their forks/spoons on the table. From the beginning we tried to just use smaller versions of stainless steel utensils for our little guy – our nice wood table is now gouged and dented from banging his fork on the table. So, we switched back to plastic until he is a little more civilized. But aside from that, yes, he eats of a regular salad plate and drinks from a small glass cup.

By: SkylarKD

SkylarKD — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:43:00 +0000

Regarding the comments about used child car seats: in many places it is illegal for consignment stores to sell used ones, for safety reasons. You can always get one from Freecycle, but that's something that I wouldn't feel comfortable buying used. Even a crack that you can't see on a car seat can compromise its safety. And chances are, no one is going to tell you if their car seat was in the car during an accident. It's also important to follow the manual's instructions to properly install the seat. Each one has it's own quirks, they can be tough to install in different cars, and most second-hand products don't come with manuals!

Also remember that all car seats have an expiry date (varies by manufacturer), and car seats (in Canada at least - I assume in the US) must have current motor vehicle safety standard tags on it, or you can be given a ticket for using it.

If someone can't afford a new car seat, a used one is much safer than no car seat, but for those of us who can afford it, buy a new one.

It's frustrating to see the waste - I don't know of any company that recycles old car seats - but I consider a new car seat to be necessary plastic to keep my daughter safe. We bought her an infant seat, and when she grew out of that, a convertible seat that will last until she is 65lbs (in the US a similar model goes up to 85lbs). So at least this seat will last her a long time!

By: Carol in Seattle

Carol in Seattle — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:30:00 +0000

Stephanie,
One suggestion about buying a use car seat. Here is Washington, you have bring your car seat to the hospital and have them make sure that it is safe and that you know how to use it before you can take your child home. Some use car seats may be determined to be below current safety standards or too heavily used to be safe. I thing the National Travel Safety Board has the latest on car seats. Since children are required to be in a car seat for 4 or more years, it is a good idea to invest in one that will last.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:07:00 +0000

I don’t understand the plastic spoons. You can easily find child-sized metal spoons at Wal-Mart. I have some in my silverware drawer for 2 toddlers that come over to visit regularly. My friend is guilty of plastic EVERYTHING for her boys. She doesn’t know and wouldn’t care about BPA at all. The sippy cups that she has are so worn out that the tiny plastic slots in the nipple are hanging off and can easily be swallowed. Even the pacifier nipples were getting detached from the handle. I’ve given up on her because it’s her responsibility to prevent stuff like that and it was stressing me out majorly.

When I have children I’ll try my best to avoid most plastic crap, buy/allow used plastic toys, and buy a used car seat and stroller. Why do parents have to have brand new strollers/car seats? There are at least 30 used ones for sale at Once Upon A Child everytime I go in there.

By: Anarres Natural Health

Anarres Natural Health — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:57:00 +0000

I've got two kids and we use:
~ metal spoons and cups for everyone
~ a stepping stool instead of a high chair with an Asian wicker baby basket to hold the baby in when she was smaller. We freecycled this to as thrilled mother.
~ forks to mash up adult food!

I take the baby (now 3) into the bath with me, so no mat necessary. Nonetheless, we have a rubber mat with suction cups that an occupational therapist sent me because my pelvis is unstable.

Our car seat is as plastic as it gets - no choices there. So is our bike seat, but our bike cart is mostly metal - okay, and some artificial fabric for canvas.

But we get rid of most plastic stuff as soon as it crawls in the door - there's this plastic zipper bag of 100 foam blocks that STINKS that the baby got for Christmas that we are passing on to the Salvation army along with a cartload of similar horrors. It's a shame that our children are the excuse for relatives to consume plastics. We have gotten to the point of NOT THANKING people for these unwanted gifts. Everyone is like OH MY GAWD, WHAT CAN YOU PEOPLE USE? We say "Just buy us food if you want to buy us something." So we get relish and "moisturizing" nylon socks from Avon.

Arrgh.