Which plastics are safe for babies? + Savvy ideas to use less plastic

Many products in a baby’s life can be made from plastic: diapers, toys, the car seat, clothes, food packaging and much more. Plastic is lightweight. It doesn’t break easily, but it is easy to clean. It’s cheap. It can get wet. It does have a lot going for it. But which plastics are safe for babies?

Plastic is everywhere

First of all, plastics are everywhere. Yes, you can’t really escape the stuff.  Research has shown that micro- and nano-plastics are polluting the atmosphere. They can be found even in remote areas ¹. Plastic particles also pollute the soil. Studies have found that the plastic particles then end up in the plants we eat – from carrots to apples ². And in 2022, a study showed that micro-plastics even often make it into in breastmilk ³. They are also in water (both bottled and tap)²⁹. They have been found in blood, placentas, lungs and other organs, as well as baby (and adult) poo^{29, 30}.

Which plastics are safe for babies? Research about tiny plastic particles and plastic chemicals suggests the answer is none

Unfortunately, research shows that both plastic particles and the chemicals in plastic are bad news for babies’ health. Because it’s a long term effect and there are so many different chemicals used in making plastics, it’s not an easy area to study. But here are some of the concerning results that are already available:

• BPA ^4,5:  This chemical is used to make some types of plastic. It’s also used to line food cans. It increases the risk for behavior problems. It’s bad for baby’s brains. It also impacts functioning of body parts such as the thyroid and the reproductive system. There is also thought to be a link to certain forms of cancer. And BPA is linked to an increased risk for obesity and other health problems. And while the FDA hasn’t allowed BPA use in baby bottles, formula packaging  and sippy cups for several years, BPA is still allowed in other products.
• BPA replacements ⁶: Many (baby) products are marketed as BPA-free. But that doesn’t mean that they’re not harmful. Many companies simply replaced BPA with other similar chemicals. For instance, companies might use a chemical relative of BPA called BPS. But BPS is just as bad as it’s relative BPA.
• phthalates ⁷: These chemicals also damage baby’s brain development.  
• “unidentified chemicals”⁸: Yes, that’s really what studies call them. Researchers think that these chemicals contribute to, for example, cancer and obesity.
• plastic particles ¹⁰: Plastic does break down into tiny particles. These tiny particles can then be breathed in and ingested. Health concerns already include chronic inflammation and respiratory diseases. And research in that area is just starting.  

The toxic chemicals are often released when plastic is heated⁸. Think sterilizing a bottle or putting a sippy cup in the dishwasher. But using only cold water to clean plastic products doesn’t mean no leaching occurs. A study has shown that saliva can also lead to chemicals leaching from plastic ⁹. And since babies like to put everything into their mouth, even things like plates or toys will be exposed to saliva.

How much plastic babies are exposed to matters

While you can’t avoid plastic exposure completely, how much plastic babies are exposed to matters. Negative health outcomes are often at least somewhat dose dependent. For instance, “[m]ore than 90 percent of Americans tested have traces of BPA in their bodies” ¹¹. While even low doses can be harmful ¹², “[p]eople with higher levels of exposure have an increased risk” for negative health outcomes ¹¹.

Savvy ways to limit your baby’s exposure

Even if you don’t want it, your baby is going to be exposed to plastic through things like food and air. There are also quite a few products that have no plastic-free alternatives yet, like car seats. And, let’s face it, alternatives to plastic are often much more expensive. So for many people, it might not be possible to buy alternative products for everything even when they are available. But every little bit of reducing babies’ exposure to plastics can help.

Prioritize food preparation

One of the main areas to look at is feeding and food prep, because that’s where there’s potentially a lot of contact to heat and saliva:

• Plastic bottles, sippy cups or cups can be replaced with stainless steel or glass, even if those usually still come with a hard plastic or silicone lid.
• Instead of a plastic plate, a stainless steel one (similar to what is used for camping) can be used.
• Plastic spoons can be replaced by wooden ones.
• Plastic cutting boards for food prep can be replaced by wooden ones.

Prioritize teething toys (and pacifiers, if you use them)

Also think about other things that go into baby’s mouth a lot and get chewed on for instance, instead of a plastic teething ring, teething toy or pacifier use those made from natural rubber.

Replace plastic fabrics with cotton (or another natural fabric)

• Try to find a stuffed toy or other lovey made from cotton or wool instead of  polyester.
• Use cotton sheets instead of microfiber.
• Try to find clothes that are 100% cotton or almost 100% cotton (or another natural material such as linen or wool) instead of polyester, viskose, or a high in polyester cotton mix whenever possible.

Prioritize long lasting toys for getting a plastic-free option

Since for many people, only having plastic-free toys isn’t possible, prioritize those that are long lasting. For instance, blocks can be played with from when your child is a baby to well into primary school (and they’re really good for developing math skills). They’re also easy to put into the mouth, so there’s a lot of potential exposure. So get untreated wood blocks, not those made of plastic or plastic foam.

Let relatives and friends know your preference

Moreover, let relatives know that you would prefer plastic-free versions where possible. It’s probably not always going to work and you might still end up with quite a few plastic toys. But you might also get some beautiful wooden toys that way.

Most bamboo products contain plastic

Wondering why bamboo is missing from the list of ideas to reduce your baby’s exposure to plastic? A lot of sites recommend using bamboo as a safe and eco-friendly alternative ¹³ to plastic cups, plates, bowls or spoons.

Bamboo shoots are edible and an ingredient in many Asian recipes ¹⁴. Pure bamboo would be a natural material and a good alternative to plastic.

However, the most common way to make to make bamboo plates and cups  ^{15, 16} is to grind bamboo into powder and use that powder to create the shapes one wants ¹⁷. “As a binder, manufacturers most often use a plastic melamine-formaldehyde resin […]” ¹⁸. Thus, between “20 and 80 percent” of the final ‘bamboo’ tableware can actually be plastic ¹⁵.  And that resin is why you should stay away from bamboo products when you want to avoid plastic. 

Tests have shown that the chemicals from the resin can leach into the food or drink ^{18, 15, 19, 20, 21, 25} . This is especially the case when coming in contact with warm or hot food or drinks ^{18, 15, 19, 20, 21}. Leaching also increases when the food or drink is “slightly acidic” ^{18,19, 20.}  Some say that “there is no risk to health” when used only with cold water or cold foods ^19,. However, a study of (not specifically bamboo) melamine tableware showed that some leaching happened even with water that was only 25°C (77°F) ²³.

These chemicals are not good for babies’ health. Melamine can lead to kidney and bladder problems ^{18, 15, 16, 24} — or in the worst case, even death ²⁷. It can also “negatively impact brain development and even reproductive functions” ²² (see also summary in ²⁴). Formaldehyde can cause cancer ^{18, 15, 16} .

Some countries in the European Union have taken steps to limit the sale of plates and cups made from a bamboo-powder and plastic mix ^{16 , 21, 25,  26}. In the United States, no such action seems to have been taken yet. The FDA page on melamine does not mention bamboo. But it says that melamine is still approved for making things like cooking utensils or plates ²⁸. There are no rules that force companies to label whether their products contain melamine, for instance ^15,16. Asking might not get you that information, either, as a company might not reply. And unfortunately, when it comes to bamboo, there have been many cases of false advertising. Products are often said to be ‘compostable’ etc. when they are not — because they do, in fact, contain plastic ²⁶.

References:
1 Bourzac, K. (2022). Scientists race to study microplastic pollution in the atmosphere. https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/Scientists-race-study-microplastic-pollution/100/i7 (last checked May 11, 2023)
2 Toussaint, K. (2020). Our fruits and veggies are sucking up microplastics through their roots. https://www.fastcompany.com/90521397/our-fruits-and-veggies-are-sucking-up-microplastics-through-their-roots (last checked May 11, 2023)
3 Crist, C. (2022). Microplastics found in human breast milk. https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/news/20221010/microplastics-found-human-breast-milk#:~:text=The%20research%20team%20analyzed%20breast,the%20samples%2C%20or%2076%25. (last checked July 28, 2023)
4 Bureau of Environmental Health (no date). Protect your baby from BPA (Bisphenol A). https://www.mass.gov/info-details/protect-your-baby-from-bpa-bisphenol-a (last checked May 11, 2023)
5 Zuckerman, D., Brown, P., Walls, L., Mazzucco, A.E., & Jury, N.J. (no date). Are Bisphenol A (BPA) Plastic Products Safe for Infants and Children? https://www.center4research.org/bisphenol-bpa-plastic-products-safe-infants-children/ (last checked May 11, 2023)
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7 LaMotte, S. (2021). Chemicals in plastics damage babies' brains and must be banned immediately, expert group says. https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/20/health/baby-brain-damage-plastic-phthalates-wellness/index.html (last checked May 11, 2023)
8 Zissu, A. (2023). It's "BPA-free", but is it safe? https://www.healthychild.org/its-bpa-free-but-is-it-safe/ (last checked May 11, 2023)
9 Szczepańska, N., Namieśnik, J., & Kudłak, B. (2016) Assessment of toxic and endocrine potential of substances migrating from selected toys and baby products. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5124054/ (last checked May 11, 2023)
10 Ordoñez, M. (2022). Microplastics and Health Risks: What Do We Really Know? https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20221028/microplastics-health-risks-what-do-we-really-know (last checked May 11, 2023)
11 Grossman, E. (2013). Do Low Doses of BPA Harm People? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-low-doses-of-bpa-harm/ (last checked May 12, 2023)
12 vom Saal, F.S. & Vandenberg, L.N. (2021). Update on the Health Effects of Bisphenol A: Overwhelming Evidence of Harm https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7846099/ (last checked May 12, 2023)
13 e.g., Wild & Stone (2021). All you need to know about bamboo plates for babies. https://www.wildandstone.com/en-us/blogs/eco-tips-and-tricks/all-you-need-to-know-about-bamboo-plates-for-babies, Homeschool Hideout (no date). Are Bamboo plates safer than plastic for kids? https://homeschoolhideout.com/bamboo-plates-safer-than-plastic/, eco rascals (2023). Why should I buy bamboo tableware for my kids? https://ecorascals.com/blog/2023/01/27/bamboo-dinnerware-for-kids-safe-stylish-and-durable/; Avanchy (2021). The Benefits of Bamboo Baby and Toddler Utensils. https://avanchy.com/blogs/avanchy/the-benefits-of-bamboo-baby-and-toddler-utensils (last checked May 18, 2023)
14 Honest Food Talks (2022). Bamboo shoots, a complete guide. https://www.honestfoodtalks.com/bamboo-shoots-guide/ (last checked May 18, 2023)
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17 Good start packaging (2014). Guide to bamboo dinnerware. https://inspire.goodstartpackaging.com/blog/how-bamboo-dinnerware-holds-up (last checked May 19, 2023)
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19 German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (2019). Do not use "bamboo ware" tableware for hot drinks and meals https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/press_information/2019/47/do_not_use__bamboo_ware__tableware_for_hot_drinks_and_meals-243929.html (last checked May 19, 2023)
20 Bradley, E.L. et al. (2010) Comparison of the migration of melamine from melamine-formaldehyde plastics ('melaware') into various food simulants and foods themselves https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20931418/ (last checked May 19, 2023)
21 Bouma, K., Kalsbeek-van Wijk, D.K., & Sijm, D.T.H.M. (2022). Migration of formaldehyde from 'biobased' bamboo/melamine cups: A Dutch retail survey https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653521039138 (last checked May 19, 2023)
22 Chung, E. (2020). Wondering if Bamboo Dishes are Really Non-Toxic and Eco-friendly? https://ceh.org/yourhealth/bamboo-dish-melamine/ (last checked May 19, 2023)
23 Chik, Z. et al. (2011). Analysis of melamine migration from melamine food contact articles https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21607892/
24 Shannon (2021). Is Melamine Safe? Why You Should Think Twice Before It https://naturalbabymama.com/is-melamine-safe/
25 Tsang, H. & Krischke, U. (2021). Several EU Member States Announce the Prohibition of Food Contact Bamboo-Melamine Plastics https://www.sgs.com/en/news/2021/03/safeguards-03021-several-eu-member-states-announce-the-prohibition-of-food-contact-bamboo (last checked May 19, 2023)
26 European Commission (no date). Bamboo-zling. EU Enforcement Action on plastic Food Contact Materials (FCM) made of bamboo 'powder'. https://food.ec.europa.eu/safety/eu-agri-food-fraud-network/eu-coordinated-actions/bamboo-zling_en (last checked May 19, 2023)
27 Huang, E. (2018). Ten years after China's infant milk tragedy, parents still won't trust their babies to local formula https://qz.com/1323471/ten-years-after-chinas-melamine-laced-infant-milk-tragedy-deep-distrust-remains (last checked May 19, 2023)
28 FDA (2017). Melamine in Tableware Questions and Answers https://www.fda.gov/food/economically-motivated-adulteration-food-fraud/melamine-tableware-questions-and-answers (last checked May 19, 2023)
29 UCSD (2020) Autopsies show micro plastics in all major human organs. https://myhealth.ucsd.edu/RelatedItems/6,760413 (last checked August 24, 2023)
30 Carrington, D. (2022). Microplastics found deep in lungs of living people for the first time https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/06/microplastics-found-deep-in-lungs-of-living-people-for-first-time; Carrington, D. (2022). Microplastics found in human blood for first time. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/24/microplastics-found-in-human-blood-for-first-time (last checked August 24, 2023)