Happy Babies!

I have always been a big fan of Klean Kanteen and use the 16oz stainless steel pint cup on a daily basis. Everyone in our household is now using one with the GreenPaxx silicone lid and silicone straw. The fit is perfect! The lid stays on tight and the silicone straw is wide enough to drink smoothies or summer time milkshakes out of, no problem. What I really like is how light weight the Klean Kanteen stainless steel cup is. It cup only weighs 3oz!
A stainless steel cup + silicone lid and straw = no plastic

Kinderville Silicone Cups

We are having a Giveaway!  These Kinderville silicone 6oz.  cups are the perfect size and shape for little hands and little mouths!  The colors are vibrant and fun.
Kinderville Little bites cups feature a wide base and low profile to minimize tipping and spills. These little silicone cups are highly portable, easy to clean and a fantastic alternative to plastic! Bacteria resistant and, most importantly, BPA, Phthalate and Lead free!

To enter just leave a comment below on what your little ones favorite song is!  Winner will be chosen at random on Jan. 25th. US residents only.

Good Luck!

We Just picked a Winner!  CONGRATULATIONS  Latasha G.  entry #29, I just sent you a email for your address !  Thanks to everyone for entering!

EIO Kids Cup

We’re giving away an EIO Glass Trainer Cup…

Head on over to Homemade Mothering and leave a comment for a chance to win!
http://homemademothering.com/2011/11/testing-eio-training-cup-giveaway.html

How many baby bottles will my baby need? This is one of the most common questions we are asked. Let us break this down a bit.

Glass Baby Bottles w/Silcone Sleeves

If you are strictly bottle feeding you will want around 10-12 baby bottles. Depending on how often you are willing to clean your baby bottles.

If you are primarily breastfeeding and pumping into bottles on occasion or supplementing with formula you will most likely want around 4-5 baby bottles.

Most newborns will require a bottle every 2-3 hours. As your babies stomach starts to grow, and your baby is gaining weight you will be feeding your baby less often with larger amounts of breast milk or formula.

Should I buy small 4-5oz baby bottles or the larger 8-9oz baby bottles?

The small baby bottles (4-5oz.) are really nice to have at first while your baby is a newborn. One of the main reasons is that they are lighter in weight, making them easier for you to hold during feedings. Also smaller baby bottles can be used later for water or juice.

The larger size baby bottles (8-9oz) can be used from birth on, but are typically used by most parents when your baby starts drinking more than 4 fluid ounces per feeding. It really depends on your baby when you will start needing more than 4oz per feeding, but you will most likely not begin feeding more then 4 fl. Oz. for the first month or maybe even two.

As always consult with your doctor about your babies individual feeding needs.

View our selection of Glass Baby Bottles

View our selection of Stainless Steel Baby Bottles

SafeMama.com wrote about this great organization on her blog today, and with the holiday season approaching this is a must read. Here is a link to Toxic Toys R Us, a organization that is working to inform consumers about the sale of PVC-contaminated toys in Toys R Us stores.
http://www.toxictoysrus.com/about.htm

The President’s Cancer Panel released a report last week that really goes beyond what many in the medical establishment have been willing to come right out and say heretofore. Strongly advocating for better regulation of environmental chemicals in the water, air and food supply the panel states that Americans face "grievous harm" and  that the role of chemicals and pollutants as a cause of cancer has been "grossly underestimated."

Except plenty of blowback on this one. The scientific and political establishment has been challenged.

But that’s not all. The report takes aim at the dangers of chemical exposure during pregnancy by noting the 300 contaminants that have been found in umbilical cord blood and bluntly state: "to a disturbing extent, babies are born ‘pre-polluted.’ " Needless to say, the soon-to-be-born are at particular risk due to their physical size and developmental rate.

This is a big deal and we certainly hope you will be hearing a lot more about it in the coming weeks and months. We’ve talked about the lack of regulation of the chemical industry in this blog on several occasions (here, here and here), so we’re glad to see the issue receiving the light-of-day treatment it so richly deserves.

Suggestions from the 240-page report include:

• choose organic foods when possible
• microwave in glass and ceramic containers rather than glass
• check your home for radon
• filter your drinking water
• avoid well-done meats
• overhaul existing chemical legistation

Did you know asbestos has not been banned in the US? I thought it had. Not so. That’s in the report too.

More info here and here.

This is alarming…

Washington Post:

…Of the 84,000 chemicals in commercial use in the United States — from flame retardants in furniture to household cleaners — nearly 20 percent are secret…

Under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, manufacturers must report to the federal government new chemicals they intend to market. But the law exempts from public disclosure any information that could harm their bottom line.

So in other words if a chemical is harmful to human health a manufacturer need only claim profits will be compromised to keep that chemical secret and on the market. This is a loophole you could drive a fleet of Hummers through!

From the same article:

…Of the secret chemicals, 151 are made in quantities of more than 1 million tons a year and 10 are used specifically in children’s products, according to the EPA.

This is one reason we deal only with forthcoming companies/manufacturers. We applaud the efforts of the Obama Administration and Congress to tighten this egregious loophole.

The next best thing to a glass sippy cup, Silikids most recent product is the Siliskin Glass Cup. This little 6oz tumbler is the perfect transitional tool from a regular sippy cup to a normal cup. The glass cup is a great size and the 100% food grade silicone cover makes the cup less likely to break and, provides a better grip for little hands.

We’re frequently asked why nobody makes a glass sippy cup and the answer is that very young toddlers like throwing things, especially when those things make a loud crashing noise on impact, creating an obvious safety issue. But once kids get old enough to consider drinking from a real cup they’re usually past the tossing-things-for-fun stage making the Silikids glass a nice alternative to standard glass cups.

Our daughter who is a rather opinionated 4 year old liked the colors, aqua and lime, and thought that the holes on the silicone sleeve where cool. She also liked that she was drinking from a big girl glass cup.

Of course, there will be spills and more messes to clean up than a regular sippy cup, but the comfort that I have knowing my child is drinking from a glass cup free of BPA and other chemicals, instead of plastic, makes that worth the while.

You can purchase the Silikids Siliskin Glass Tumber at The Glass Baby Bottle.

The following article was originally posted on The Glass Baby Bottle website.

Due to all the uncertainty regarding which nipples work with which bottles, The Glass Baby Bottle decided to try and help clear up all this nipple confusion

Some standard guidelines are to use wide neck nipples on wide neck bottles, and standard or regular nipples with regular neck baby bottles. Also, as a general rule of thumb, if a bottle is vented to help prevent colic it is best to use only the nipple designed for that specific brand of bottle. Vented bottles tend to leak and cause irregular feeding when a non-brand specific nipple is used.

One last note, if you tighten the collar and nipple too tightly onto the neck of the bottle, you are more likely to have the issue of nipple collapse.  Keep the collar on just tight enough to prevent the liquid from dripping out.  Babies are finicky and often times it takes trying several different bottles and age appropriate nipples before finding the best combination for your little one.

Here is a list of the bottles that we carry and the appropriate nipples that can be used:

Weego (Lifefactory) glass baby bottles have their own brand of nipples, yet are compatible with any standard size nipple. The Weego 4oz bottle is supplied with a Stage 1 nipple (0-3 months) and the Weego 9oz bottle is supplied with a Stage 2 nipple (3-6 months).

Silikids glass bottles do not have their own brand of nipples. Silikids bottles are supplied with a Slow Flow Evenflow silicone nipple.  Any standard size nipple will work with the Silikids glass baby bottle.

Born Free bottles have their own brand of silicone nipples. Born Free baby bottles are a vented bottle to help reduce gas and colic. Born Free only tests their nipples with their bottles, and do not guarantee compatibility with any other baby bottle.

Dr. Brown’s baby bottles have their own brand of nipple, and are NOT compatible with other nipple brands. Dr. Brown’s bottles come with a unique anti-colic venting system and the nipples are designed accordingly. Using a Dr. Brown’s nipple on a regular non-vented bottle can cause your baby to have feeding difficulties.

Sweet Pea glass baby bottles do not have their own brand of nipples. Any standard size baby nipple will work with the Sweet Pea bottles. The bottles are supplied with a medium flow nipple (3-6 months).

Smitten Baby glass bottles do not have their own brand of nipples. Any standard size baby nipple will work with the Smitten Baby bottle. The bottles are supplied with a slow flow (0-3 month) silicone nipple.

Green to Grow baby bottles have their own brand of nipples. In addition, the Gerber NUK nipples work both with the regular and wide neck baby bottles. The bottles either regular or wide neck are supplied with the appropriate slow flow 0-3 month silicone nipple.

As for Adiri baby bottles, the nipples are an integrated part of the baby bottle itself. The Adiri bottles come in three different stages, to best suit your baby’s needs.