Baby Bottles and BPA

BPA-free baby bottles will soon be the norm

Baby bottles have been a topic of debate for the past several years. Some baby bottles are made of polycarbonate, which contains a chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) that has been found in studies to be potentially harmful to humans. According to an article in Cookie magazine, studies show that BPA has been linked to brain damage, cancer, increased risk of obesity and attention-deficit disorder. ConsumerReports.org has also entered the debate with an article summarizing current research on BPA in baby products. Editors cite a National Institutes of Health advisory that "BPA exposure during development may affect the brain and the reproductive system (through its ability to mimic activity of the hormone estrogen), and may cause other health problems."

ZRecommends.com, a blog network, is the most comprehensive source we found that keeps tabs on BPA content in baby bottles. The editors provide extensive and regularly updated coverage of issues related to BPA, including the ZRecs Guide to Safer Children's Products. Editors there take a more comprehensive approach than ConsumerReports.org, listing most available brands and rating them as excellent, good, fair or poor depending on what percentage of their products contain BPA. ZRecommends.com also has a useful blog entry with detailed reviews of five individual BPA-free baby bottles.

The ZRecommends.com blog also includes details about the March 2009 decision by six major baby-bottle manufacturers to stop selling BPA-containing baby bottles in the U.S. That decision includes Playtex, Gerber, Evenflo, Avent, Dr. Brown's and The First Years. According to the ZRecommends.com article, consumers will continue to see products containing BPA on the shelves for several months due to the long supply chain maintained by most manufacturers. Minnesota is the first state to enact a ban on BPA in baby bottles, and Connecticut has also issued a ban, according to a recent article on the Environmental Working Group website. According to this article, 21 other states and municipalities also have bills pending that would restrict the use of BPA.

Although much progress has been made toward totally BPA-free baby bottles, the use of BPA is still a central issue and it continues to be a focus of most of the reviews we found. Consumers should still take caution when purchasing baby bottles until a total ban on BPA is achieved or all manufacturers discontinue use of the chemical. In general, plastic that contains BPA is clear in color, while plastic that does not contain BPA is cloudy or opaque. It's also a good idea to check the bottle's packaging. Due to the ongoing controversy, BPA-free plastic is usually labeled as such. ConsumerReports.org has conducted tests to evaluate the BPA content of plastic baby bottles labeled "without BPA" or "bisphenol A free," with encouraging results.

Safety concerns aside, experts say the big things to keep in mind when you're choosing a bottle are that a baby's preference is everything and every baby is different. For that reason, we found parent-written reviews at Amazon.com, Target.com, BabiesRUs.com and Viewpoints.com most helpful. For baby bottles, where user experience is the most important factor, these sites offer subjective reports describing which products and features have worked best and which fall short. Amazon.com has a particularly good selection of baby bottles as well as hundreds of parent reviews ranging from glowing to disappointed. Target.com and BabiesRUs.com are also excellent review sources. Interestingly, although baby bottle preference is considered by experts to be highly subjective, parent ratings across review sites tend to be substantially in agreement on the specific pros and cons of many baby bottles.

Expert reviews, normally a useful source of ratings for baby products, are less specific for baby bottles. "Baby Bargains", a popular baby-gear book by Denise and Alan Fields, has a section on baby bottles, including a discussion of features and a buying guide. However, the authors stop short of actually testing or comparing specific baby bottles. Staffers at Cookie magazine evaluate several baby bottles and sippy cups, and although the results aren't ranked in order, the information provided about each baby bottle is informative and objective.

About.com has a few pages on baby bottles as well as some good general information on how to choose the right one. Pregnancy and childbirth guide Robin Elise Weiss ranks her six favorite baby bottles, but she makes no mentions of hands-on testing or comparison evaluations. Baby products guide Heather Corley includes a detailed hands-on review of Avent baby bottles, but no other bottles are reviewed.

We also found a number of forums that discuss which bottles are best for specific circumstances -- breastfeeding compatibility and colic, for example. While these resources don't specifically compare bottles, they can be a good source of information for parents whose babies have specialized requirements.