bbc news story on harmful baby bottles...

[misscathcart]

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7384856.stm

on bbc 1 now also..

The only ones I could find were Born Free and MAM. I got a pack of 3 MAM ones but there are so many bits to them and they leak so badly I don't want to use them for long. I don't want to buy flexible bottles because I'm trying to avoid pthalates too.

I'd certainly prefer to buy a supermarket's own brand of bottles. I bought a full new set of Avent bottles for my DS, and when I looked in Asda this morning I couldn't believe the price difference.

I'm not the sort of person who worries much about health scares but I use BPA and pthalate free drinking bottles for me, and I'm making a real effort to avoid flexible plastic bottles so I feel I ought to do the same for my child.

i used the MAM ones initially by happenstance rather than research on my part. They leaked on me on occasion as yeti said because sometimes you weren't paying enough attention when assembling them. But I got better at assembling them with time. It was worth the faff to me.

There is a different type of MAM bottle on their website which doesn't have the little rubbery ring and the screw off bottom so I am going to order them if Asda isn't going to bring these bottles out soon.

I have emailed Asda this morning to ask when the bottles will be available. I saw two types of Asda own bottles today - one was polycarbonate and one was flexible. What concerns me is that they might just rebrand the flexible one as BPA free and I expect it contains pthalates.

I find leeters more effective

OK this may be an old story but it's new to me - us new mums come to the table all the time! After DS's night feeds I was my usual bleary eyed self and found the report confusing.

Like many others I BF but my son also gets a bottle of EBM or formula. I use the Tommeee Tippee closer to nature bottles. Since these have PC written on the bottle I assume they have BPA in it.

If using formula I pour the water into the bottle when still quite hot, and usually add the formula when the water has cooled. Now I hear the formula is supposed to added when the water is still 70 degrees? But that we are not to bring water at 70 degrees in contact with the bottle. Now that is confusing???

They said not to use a microwave to sterilise - but is a microwave steam steriliser OK? To be honest I can't reaslly afford to go and get a new set of bottles and steriliser, and thousands of other wome in same boat I assume. So for me it's not a question of anti-FF or BF, we need to assume that most mums do both at some stage, so it's a question of getting the right information about what to do with our existing equipment. Can anyone clarify?

I agree Angechica. I also want to know if these chemicals are in other plastic products, like tupperware and ice cube trays. I presume yes?

BPA is in polycarbonate which is clear, lightweight and hard. It isn't likely to be in ice cube trays or things like tupperware which are slightly flexible. These items may contain pthalates though.

The NCT seemed to be saying that the microwave created hotspots within the polycarbonate causing increased leaching from those areas. On the BBC it was suggested that using an electric steam steriliser was better than a microwave one. They also suggested not heating bottles in the microwave.

If you are worried switching to cold water sterilising seems to be the cheapest option.

ikea rocks!

it is also about feeding equipment and toys children are likely to chew on.

ofgs, how anyone could try to turn this story round into an anti nct rant is beyond me
at least a few more people seem to have picked up on the actual issue, one of the last few threads on here about it took the 'you are all so anti ff' line for some totally bizarre reason, along with the 'weirdy lentil weavers rambling on again' lalalala fingers in ears response

i've started giving ds1 and ds2 all drinks in glass beakers but dd is still using a bottle for juices etc, have ditched but not chucked away the avent bottles, but not sure what to replace them with really. this soooo goes beyond bf/ff

I'm concerned that Tommee Tippee told me that the sippy cups are ok when they're not. Will call them again and ask for a definitive list of their products which don't contain BPA...

the TT sippy cups are ok as they are not clear hard plastic like the bottles. you will find the opaque/coloured cups are less likely to contain BPA. The website I linked to earlier even says they are BPA free too. This is from that website:

BPA-Free Products Bottles: Easyflow Bottle to Cup
Cups: First Cup, Tip It Up Cup, Easiflow Cup, Easiflow Insulated Cup, Easiflow Open Cup

Products Containing BPA
Bottles: Closer to Nature, Closer to Nature Anti-Colic Plus Bottle, Health Check Anti-Colic Bottle (discontinued)
Cups: None

Anyone just feel like they are penalising the bottle feeders?!?!

This is simply ridiculous, why start a raging campaign like this when people have been bottle feeding for HOW long?

I had to give up breastfeeding, I was going to be put in the loony bin had I carried on, plus, who the hell do you know that ia happy to feed her baby in public and not give a toss about getting boobs out for all to see?!

Sorry rant over, feel it is scaremongering on large scale..

wurly, why should babies not have bottles made of the safest plastic available? It is not about expense, or the lack of technology. I can't see why we expect improvements in safety in cars and gas fires for examples but not for something so much less complicated as a feeding bottle.

BTW, i don't mind getting my boobs out in public. I fed dd anywhere she asked for it. When my baby was hungry, my preoccupations and everyone elses came second. That is just how I see it.

oh, she was bottlefed expressed milk at nursery too and by her dad when i was away so it is not just bottlefeeders as i think you meant formula feeders who this issue touches.

You all need this site. It has BPA free and phthalate free bottle lists and als does sippy cups, dummies, teethers etc.

It's my bible now!

I completly agree that they ahould the problem, in my view is that the way they go about delivering the information to us. I just feel things get out of hand a little and we mums end up rushing out getting the newest things and feeling bad because we have been using something not recommended etc, you get the picture.

Btw I wasn't being offensive in any way re: b/f well done for b/f in public I couldnt do it and It was one of the reasons I stopped. If there wasnt this big taboo about b/f in public then I would have carried on but being a new mum I just couldnt face the stares and gave up and now, I feel so stupid and guilty and to a degree I hate myself for not giving my daughter the best.

Hope this doesnt put me in a bad light now - kiskideesameanoldmother

Why do you expect a stranger on the net to view you in any kind of light? I know nothing about you. I was responding to what i saw were unintentional misconceptions you may have had or were unwittingly giving to other readers of this thread. I am too 'old' at this thing to view any response I read in a bf vs ff light. I have bigger fish to fry.

I can't see what you mean about 'the way [the news about bpa plastics] is delivered to us'. On this site i have only seen informative and factual links about bpa in bottles and feeding bowls and cups. It is a different thing to feel scared from by the news than it is to say that scare tactics are encouraging mothers to go out and buy new things.