The philips avent glass bottles are very difficult to break!! I tried. I threw it onto concrete multiple times with a lot of force and it wouldn’t break.

Hi Chris,
Yes, this is a good time to clear up the whole FDA issue.
If you look at the following link to the FDA website you’ll see their version of the “FDA Approved” discussion. https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm047470.htm
My reading of it tells me that the FDA does approve and disprove of a wide variety of products. For instance, the FDA does not approve of any cigarettes, but the “FDA approves color additives in any FDA-regulated products.”
Generally speaking, the FDA reviews products once they are for sale. From their website…”FDA does not approve infant formulas before they can be marketed. But manufacturers of infant formula are subject to FDA’s regulatory oversight.”
Like any large organization, the FDA and it’s workings are complex and subject to outside influences and errors.

As for products “Made in China”… You say that “reputable brands” would never import bad stuff. I guess it depends on what you call a “reputable brand.” I could argue that there are lots of reputable brands that indeed sell harmful products. Harmful products are not limited to disreputable brands.

We do our best to present useful information. We are not always right and we correct things as needed.

1) “FDA Approved” verbiage is strictly forbidden by the FDA, and your repeated use of this terminology is misleading and completely false.

2) Any plastic that is flexible has phthalates in it. Your water bottle has phthalates in it. Your broad use of the term “phthalates” is also misleading. By saying ‘phthalate free’ it is only in reference to phthalates that have been deemed harmful according to regulations. There are materials referred to as ‘non-phthalate PVC’ which have similar physical properties, but without ‘harmful’ phthalates.

Just because something is made in China does not mean that it is ‘unsafe’ or harmful. By saying they ‘probably contain phthalates’ you are spreading misinformation. Any reputable brand would never import a product that violates federal standards for lead, phthalates, or other federally-regulated chemicals. Ya, I wouldn’t let my child teeth on a $1 plastic item from the dollar store, but if bought from a reputable brand, there isn’t such risk.

3) CE is NOT the international version of FDA, although some qualifications in the EU are required for medical devices under the assessment to attain CE marking/certification.

4)

-Sarah

I wanted to add that I do think that this blog offers a lot of great options in a variety of price ranges. I actually found my new shampoo here-Hugo Naturals. it’s just a little over $10 (ebay)and after experimenting with it a bit ( I dilute it with water to avoid residue) I think we have a keeper. 🙂

To be fair organic stuff in general does tend to be pricier but as you said “you get what you pay” for. ideally more upfront means better quality so you’ll save money in the long run on replacements, like with the organic mattresses for example. I don’t think Lyn considered this when she posted, and she’s also not considering Maia is not in charge of setting organic pricing, except in her own store of course. it really is a shame organic products cost more because everybody should have access to healthy things but there are a lot of factors at play there, that even I don’t understand because I don’t really know anything about economics.

furthermore, it really gets on my nerves when people do the whole ” it doesn’t affect me or so and so so it must be safe” thing. if you don’t feel something’s affecting you that’s great but other people deserve to know if something could be harmful to their bodies so they can choose to limit their exposure if they want.

Hi Laura!
The short answer is that all of the ones you mentioned are fine:)

-Clear finish standard bell rattle: A single sleigh bell is caged by 5 dowels – has all hardwood construction and a plant based natural finish. Made in VT by Maple Landmark.
-Kleynimals – stainless steel baby keys that are an eco-friendly, non-toxic, American made toy
-Grimm’s brand in general
-silicone teethers (looking for something that has a gum massager but am a little iffy on any I’ve found, i.e. Mayapple Baby Teethers, ZoLi gum massagers)

thank you in advance!!

It’s my understanding that cotton is the most sprayed (pesticides) crop in the world, so is not a good thing to chew on, unless it’s undyed organic cotton that has been washed in only water or non toxic soap.

I’m not worried about it. This might make you feel better: http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/17/health/sophie-giraffe-mold-parenting/index.html

Most of this stuff really is not that pricey. My husband and I make maybe slightly over 100k together and have never had an issue affording any of the things suggested so you don’t need to work on Wall Street. That statement of yours is beyond ridiculous. I’d rather spend the money up front for a good product rather than spend very little money on a not so great product. You get what you pay for. This site merely makes suggestions and talks about their own experiences. No one says you have to do everything exactly like they did. Also, who doesn’t shop on Amazon? With Amazon prime, I’m sure most people but apparently not yourself would rather order online rather than search for 10 hours in a store for one item.

My kids never took pacifiers, so I can’t offer much in terms of what your son might like best. From a safety perspective, anything silicone is fine:). I like that these ones are 100% silicone: http://amzn.to/2hLjbhs

Check out “ThinkBaby” bottles.. I just discovered them, great stuff.. I think? lol

I would personally not heat them if possible.

Yeah, I think the cotton part of those is fine but wouldn’t trust the plastic. 

Thanks! Unfortunately, I have not yet reviewed these brands. I would say you want to see that it’s natural rubber, and anything made in China is a bit of a red flag, although there are exceptions to that…

I’m not really into these, even though studies do suggest silicone to be inert. I’m just not 100% convinced we won’t eventually find out that it’s not entirely nontoxic, so I’d rather have my kid chewing on something else if we are talking about a daily habit. If it’s on occasion, I’d be fine with these.

Hello, we are manufactrer for natural Rubber teether.all the goods can stand in test of EN71-1,2,3 FDA and ASTM. our paint material is water color, so it is very safe for babies.
If you would like to know our company, pls visit to http://www.dgbanby.com ,my emaill is dan@dgbanby.com, any question pls contact me, thanks in advance!

Thank you! I have read that article. I wanted to triple check before giving her to my LO! Thanks again!

Yes, I consider Sophie safe. Here’s good info on why: http://www.safbaby.com/the-truth-about-sophie-the-giraffe-and-the-recall-rumors/

http://qparent.com/2013/08/08/choosing-a-safe-and-all-natural-teether-for-your-baby/

Thank you so much for the reply ?

Good stuff 🙂

Of these, only Comotomo is a good option in my opinion. The rest are just plastic, BPA/BPS free or not.

Thanks, not looking to use glass for the obvious reason that they break easily if dropped. Wondering what your thoughts are on Avent Natural bottles, BornFree Breeze, Comotomo bottles and newly designed Thinkbaby bottles that also claim to not only be BPA free but also BPS free.

Anything that’s glass or stainless steel is great. My personal favorite it this one:
https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/store/pura-kiki-insulated-bottle-with-nipple/

Yes, low density polyethylene appears to be a safer, non-leaching plastic option.

Would you consider the Kiinde breast milk storage pouches a “better” disposable type of collection bag? Their website says the pouch is made of low-density polyethylene (#4), and that they are BPA-free, pthalate-free, and PVC-free.

Thanks!

The short answer is yes, but you’d be best to look for American-made (rather than rubber from China).

Nalgene still doesn’t offer much info other than that their bottles are BPA free. I can’t find anywhere that they address BPS or other plasticizers.
http://nalgene.com/materials/

They didn’t make rubber teethers back then! I’ll have to look into them when we update this guide!

Just wondering if they got to your list because of the paint they use or they just didn’t have rubber teethers back than when you wrote it and only their other than rubber ones are of a concern?
Thank you

All silicone teethers are basically okay, but I feel better about the wood, cotton, etc. options listed above. Thanks!

Nuby Step 1 Silicone Teether

and

Bumkins Silicone Teether ?

Thanks!

We use mason jars with the reusable white lids!

Dear SIr,

I am sorry to bother you, could you please do me a favor to forward this email to your manager?
We are mainly doing baby products such as silicone teethers, pacifiers, baby bottles…
We located in Shenzhen city, China, mainly doing baby products, now we are working with big buyer in the world such as Nuby, Chewbeads, Sili…

We can make your customized designs, the mould cost can be very cheap or free on the customized design. If you have the design in hand, you can share with us.

Could you give us a chance to wotk with you?

Thanks
Simon Xiong
Shenzhen Cabasa Baby Co., Ltd / Shenzhen Wo Silicone Technology Co., Ltd
Email: simon@cabasababy.com;simon@wosilicone.com
WeChat: 453213717

Hi Pat and I am really sorry for the delay! Unfortunately, there really is no good option in terms of breast milk collection bags. For bottles, anything glass, stainless steel, or silicone is better than anything plastic!

Thanks for the update and so sorry for my delayed response. I only now saw these comments! You are right about Natursutten–it is Good Stuff and should be added to this list.

Hi Georgia-
Yes I believe that one is okay:).

Hi Lyn-
You are right that we’ve been delayed in responding to our readers on some of these pages…the notifications of new comments have not been coming through and I just now am seeing all these comments! So getting back to everyone now.