Finding Kid Safe Products: Where to Turn??
We need sippy cups at our house. Bad. We have at least four kinds, none with the same lid, and most of the ones we used to own are chez grandma (so we don't have to fill our increasingly expensive luggage space with them on our next flight). So the drawer is pretty bare and the mini jam jars - while hard to break and pretty high on the eco-friendly scale - definitely don't have lids. So. This afternoon I am off to buy new, all matching sippy cups. But where? I never manage to get more creative than Babies R Us (ugh) for a serious selection of baby and kid gear.
So I was pretty excited to learn that Safe Mama not only has a list of BPA-free sippy cups (my latest toxin worry), she now has an online store. Huge selection in one place. Have you visited? Ordered? Or, for the part of me that'd like to go local, can you recommend a Portland store with a wide selection of BPA-free sippy cups? And I mean the ones that don't cost $15/pop. I need the ones that we can hand out to the six kids over for a BBQ and lose without going bankrupt. Yup, the cheap ones.
Safe Mama is such a great resource! I've found some the sippy cups on her list at New Seasons in Lake Oswego and at Target.
Posted by: SoPo Mama | July 14, 2008 at 04:32 PM
Man, is it really that bad? My kids passed down sippy cups for, let's see...up to 6 years maybe until I got new ones just to be more fashionable, and what, are they all going to have cancer by the time they're 15? Ho-hum, there's so much to worry about. As for playdate cups, you can take all your kids out for a special treat like Dutch Bros hot chocolate a few times, and you've got yourself a nice collection of plastic cups with a cool lid and straw to boot. Maybe I'm really cheap and undereducated on the plastics issue, but that's one thing that's working for us.
Posted by: wendy | July 14, 2008 at 05:34 PM
i'd go with Nuby sippy cups - any kind seem to work well and do not include an annoying valve system. they do not leak...ever. they are about $6 for 2 of them - pretty affordable and BPA free. i purchased mine online at Amazon and a few more at Babies R Us. hope this helps.
Posted by: tcgray | July 14, 2008 at 05:41 PM
The super cheap colored ones that come in a pack of 10 or more for just a couple of bucks are BPA free. They are made by munckin. They are marketed as "disposable" but we've have our for well over a year. They aren't leak proof (they have tiny holes in the lid- no valve system). We also use the Nuby ones which I have found for under $2 a piece. We also use the Avent ones but my son doesn't like them too much.
Posted by: meg | July 14, 2008 at 06:48 PM
I second the munchkin spill proof disposables. We run them in the dishwasher and use over and over again. They are not drip proof, but they drip really slow and the lids stay on tight. A plus in our small kitchen is that the cups and lids nest very nicely so you can stack them in the cupboard!
Posted by: pdxmomto2 | July 14, 2008 at 07:27 PM
Playtex First Sipster is BPA free, easy to clean valve, fun colors. They sell them at New Seasons, Target, pretty much everywhere.
Here is a link to a very extensive research project by the two parents behind Z Recs. They've even set up a feature where you can have a BPA report on various products texted to your phone while you're shopping and trying to figure it out! It's the best independent research on the issue I've found yet: http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2008/02/z-report-on-bpa-in-infant-care-products.html
Posted by: Amy | July 14, 2008 at 11:28 PM
My understanding is that all Playtex sippy cups are BPA free. I just bought 4 for my daughter recently. I'm very happy with them after switching from Avent. They are insulated and easy to clean, dishwasher safe. I found them at Babies R Us and Wal-Mart at about $5 each or a 2 pack for about $7.
Posted by: Erin | July 15, 2008 at 10:29 AM
This week I picked up the Gerber "disposables" in a 3-pack at Target. Called Gerber directly who confirmed that they have no BPA in them (I guess I have to take their word for it -- several of the other Gerbers are BPA-free according to the website but they just keep changing the "model" so you can't always tell!).
We had been using the take & toss disposables in several sizes, but DD has been biting the spout & cracking it, so I've got 10 cups but only 4 lids right now. She likes the new Gerber cups, but you have to get the lid on just right to prevent the leaking. Most of the time.
We also use the Nuby cups with the straw but that also leaks & the straw got lost on one of them.
Posted by: SusanOR | July 15, 2008 at 10:55 AM
I think the plastics issues are real concerns, though certainly understand how overwhelming it can be to sort through all the product safety information these days. There is extensive information about BPA on the Environmental Working Group website here: http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/04/cheatsheet-bisphenol-a-bpa.htm. Also, EWG has a 'For parents' section of its web page here: http://www.ewg.org/forparents.
Posted by: Lisa @ EWG | July 15, 2008 at 01:15 PM
I recently went through our house and recycled all of our BPA-laden water bottles and sippy cups! I bought through The Soft Landing:
http://www.thesoftlanding.com/
Posted by: Colleen | July 15, 2008 at 01:35 PM
Just last weekend we purchased a BPA free sippy cup (with a straw) at Earth Mama on SE Clinton.
I can sympathize with those mamas who get tired of having yet another thing to worry about, but Safe Mama has really made it a lot easier with their cheat sheets. I copied their top recommendations for safe sippy cups, bug repellant and sunscreen onto an index card that easily fits into my purse, then went shopping (New Seasons on Division had the sunscreen and bug repellant, but the stock was almost depleted). Another resource I like for product reviews, including sippy cups, is the Z Report:
http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/05/sippy-cup-showdown-safer-bpa-free-sippy.html
Posted by: Andi | July 15, 2008 at 03:51 PM