This post on eco-friendly baby bottles contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase from one of my links.
Eco-friendly baby bottles are naturally something many green & naturally-minded parents wonder about when they get pregnant.
It doesn’t help that there are SO MANY different kinds of bottles out there!
Does it matter which type of bottle you pick? Are there certain things to avoid or look for in a baby bottle?
Avoiding Plastic
Many people believe that people only want to avoid plastic food and drink containers because of BPA. However, the FDA banned the use of BPA in baby products several years ago. So if baby bottles are made from BPA-free plastic, isn’t that safe? Why do some people still avoid plastic bottles?
For starters, many products labeled “BPA-Free!” still contain trace amounts of BPA, especially if they were imported from certain countries.
Second of all, when BPA is taken out of plastic products, another plasticizer needs to replace it. There are concerns that many of these other chemicals aren’t any better for you than BPA!
Even if you don’t completely buy into this, the point is that minimizing exposure to BPA and other harmful plastic additives is actually quite easy to do.
We can’t completely eliminate BPA or other harmful chemicals from our lives as they show up in a lot of places (food packaging including baby formula, canned goods, etc). But we CAN take really simple measures to greatly reduce the exposure to these chemicals. If we know they’re bad, why wouldn’t we do what we can? Especially if it’s a pretty easy swap?
Enter glass bottles!
Why Choose Glass?
Glass bottles are practical, easy to clean and sterilize, can be heated and cooled, and are perfectly safe for drinking or eating. Glass is also easily recyclable, unlike all plastics. With proper care, they could be used for a LONG time– with multiple children, and then even passed on to other expecting families.
Some of you might be cringing at the thought of a glass bottle for a baby. Won’t they shatter? Surely broken glass is more harmful to a baby than plastic.
Baby bottles aren’t like a champagne flute. They are more durable than that, and many of them take measures to be as shatter resistant as possible (you can see how in my recommendations below).
I did not use glass bottles with my first two kids because back then, I figured BPA-free was good enough. However, I plan to use glass bottles with #3. I need new bottles anyway since I recycled our old ones after my youngest weaned (they were dingy, stained from the dishwasher, had a plastic-y smell, and I knew it would be quite a few years until we needed bottles again–so in the recycling bin they went).
Without further ado, here are some of the best non-toxic baby bottles recommendations.
Best For Colic & Gas
Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Glass Bottles
The standard Dr. Brown’s bottles have been a go-to for us. With my first, I just decided to take no chances with gas or colic, so despite the extra pieces I would be cleaning, I was sold on them (this was before the “options” version came out).
With my second, Dr. Brown’s is a commonly recommended bottle for cleft babies, so we kept on keepin’ on with them. I also loved their bottle warmer, and the standard tall bottles fit great in it.
While it’s harder to find the standard Dr. Brown’s bottles in glass now, you can easily get Dr. Brown’s “Options” (with the green insert instead of the blue). The “Options” bottle means you don’t HAVE to use the vent if you don’t want to (you had to in the original bottles or they would leak). Best of both worlds!
On top of being great for babies with colic, they are thermal-shock resistant, too, making them safe for fast heating.
You can also get the popular wide-neck Dr. Brown’s bottles in glass.
Best For Safety & Pumping Compatibility
I love Lifefactory glass bottles because not only do they have a standard neck that is compatible with most breast pumps, they are covered with a non-slip silicone sleeve! This helps with gripping the bottle and helping it be more shatter-resistant if it gets dropped (which unfortunately I have dropped a bottle or two when finagling with the pump).
They are thermal-shock resistant, and the silicone sleeve does not need to be removed for washing. They’re pretty awesome.
The 6-bottle starter set comes with four 4-oz bottles and two 9-oz bottles.
One downside of these bottles is that the liquid markings can be hard to see.
Best Price
It’s no secret that glass bottles can be a little more expensive than their plastic counterparts. However, Evenflow offers a 6-pack of glass bottles for under $20 (at the time of this post). That’s an awesome deal!
The narrow body of these bottles makes them easy to hold and store. They come with the patented Pro-Flow Venting nipples that Evenflow is known for. These nipples help reduce the number of bubbles in the milk or formula that end up in your baby’s tummy.
Another perk is that these are standard screw-top bottles, so they should work with most breast pumps!
The price, pump compatibility, simple parts, & easy-to-clean narrow body might make the Evenflow glass bottle one of the best eco-friendly baby bottles on the market!
Simplest To Use
The Avent Natural is a popular bottle choice due to how simple it is. There aren’t any extra pieces to clean or maintain, and it has been a popular option among babies. If you’re not concerned about some of the other features that come with fancier bottles, Avent Naturals are a great choice. Like the others, they are thermal shock resistant and safe for fast heating and cooling.
Mason Bottles are a simple & convenient bottle–they are simply a mason jar! You can purchase a set that includes the jar, nipple, and ring, or you can just purchase the bottle nipples if you already have mason jars and metal rings of the right size.
These bottles are ideal for people who plan to wash in the dishwasher. They are wide enough to get clean without any bottle brush!
A bonus to the Mason Bottles is that you can repurpose the jars once you’re done with the bottle stage–including with silicone sippy lids.
Don’t Get Too Set On One Kind
If you are pregnant and completing a registry right now, you may be tempted to choose the one you think is best and register for a ton of them. Most likely that would be okay, but some babies do get particular about bottles and you have no idea how your baby will be until he or she is here.
You may want to get a few different kinds to start with and then invest in more after your baby is here and you tested them out.
Neither of my kids was particular about bottles (and they were breastfed, too, but I was a working mom), but wow, did my youngest sure get particular about pacifiers!
He would only take one kind out of several brands, and after a couple of months, he refused them all together. My oldest also refused all pacifiers, though he did right from the start.
So while I had good luck with bottles, any time you use a nipple of sorts, you risk some pickiness.
Have you tried any of these environmentally friendly baby bottles? If not, would you give them a try? Let me know in the comments!
Wow. Your article is very informative and clear! I never once thought of using glass for my son’s bottles! I am not sure why as they are clearly healthier, very sturdy, and I am sure they clean up much nicer than plastic does. I love the look of the LifeFactory bottles. Do you know if they are dishwasher safe? I have a friend expecting soon, so I will definitely get her a set! Thanks!
Yes, they are all dishwasher safe in top rack. 🙂 That would be a great gift!
I never even knew that plastic baby bottles could be toxic! This is great information and definitely needs to be seen to spread awareness on this situation because there’s lots of people I’m sure, like me, who have no clue about this and could unknowingly use a plastic baby bottle. I’ll definitely let everyone I know about this. It really makes me angry that people are so out to make a dollar that they would sell these kinds of products that jeopardize a baby’s health. Great information you provided here keep up the great work and spread the awareness on these topics. all the best. regards,
-Jonathon
Thanks Jonathon! There is some debate as to whether or not plastic is as bad as some think. The scientific community isn’t totally in agreement. I figure that it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when it’s an easy swap to make. It’s not like using a glass bottle is inconvenient! And it is certainly better for the environment overall.
Glass seems like the most practical way to go with this. I especially like the mason jar style. My kids are all grown out of bottles now but I would highly recommend a more sanitary way of living to anyone, primarily newborns. The fear of it being glass only confusing us as to how safe we actually are when it comes to our babies. I someone seriously going to break one of these over a baby? I know accidents do happen but in any logical scenario I don’t see a baby being near something that could potentially break one. Everything is generally as padded as we can get it to keep the baby safe.
Thank you
Joe
Thanks Joe! I agree that the odds of it shattering on a baby are pretty dang low.
Before i forget, I want to say that your logo is so cute 😊 and your website is really clean.
I’m also a big believer in using glass whenever possible and avoiding plastic as much as I can to avoid those nasty BPAs. It’s not always easy, though. One downside of using glass is the extra weight compared to plastic. I clicked on the link to see the price and I think it’s worth it if it prevents the potential illnesses associated with BPAs.
Yes, they are heavier than plastic bottles for sure! You get used to it, though, and babies can still hold them themselves when they are big enough. 🙂
With the level of toxicity contained in these BPA laced plastics, it’s hard to blame parents who are particularly skeptical of using plastic baby bottles.
Glass bottles are surely better alternatives for babies with concerned parents.
Furthermore, the options can be overwhelming which makes it difficult to decide the ideal fit. Your recommendations seem really detailed and straightforward. Also I agree that these bottles could be used to supplement each other, like the Evenflow and Avent Natural.
Thank you for sharing
Thanks Rhain!