You Should Switch to Plastic-Free Food Serving Products for Your Babies (and what products are worth the money!)

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I just wrote a post about 6 products in the non-toxic, natural living world that I think are actually worth the money. I explained a little about my product recommendation philosophy and it went a little like this:

There is so much out there you could spend your money on and so many products people are pushing. I mean, this is how people online are making money. It’s how I make money. Unfortunately, it can be really, really difficult to know what’s actually necessary, helpful, or worth spending your money on. 

If you’re like me, you don’t have extra cash to spend on every little thing floated your way. So what is going to truly benefit your life? That’s kind of my whole point with this entire blog, helping you understand actual facts around non-toxic and natural living so you can spend your money and make choices in a way that will actually add to you life. 

Anyway…

When I got to the products I would recommend investing in, I realized one of my recommendations was more of a category than a product… And that’s plastic-free baby food serving items. Honestly, plastic-free baby items is the way to go in my opinion, but especially food serving items.

Why? That’s what we’re going to talk more about today. 

Why plastic-free food serving items for babies are totally worth the money

Is silicone really better than plastic?

What products do I personally use, love, and recommend

Why plastic-free food serving items for babies are totally worth the money

Personally, my babies and young children in general are PRIORITY when trying to limit toxins. Why? Because their bodies are way more vulnerable to compounds called “endocrine disruptors.”

I’ve covered this in more detail in my work on endocrine disruptors so I recommend reading that post if you want a more thorough run down and some research links. But essentially, we are learning that there are several chemical compounds that impact the endocrine system negatively and disrupt development, leading to higher risk of negative health outcomes. Additionally, in utero, the first few years of life, and puberty are considered some of the most vulnerable times in a person’s life in terms of experiencing negative consequences due to exposure. This has to do with these times being times of rapid development largely depending on the endocrine system. Anyway, go read that post for a way better explanation.

But why plastic free? Why does that matter? Well, for one, plastic is a large source of our exposure to endocrine disruptors and plastic has other negative effects like those caused by microplastics. I won’t get into it further here, but, again, go read that post or do a quick google and you’ll find a ton of information on this. 

Why food serving items, specifically? There are two major problems with plastic: 1) plastic leaches chemicals (like endocrine disruptors) when heated, and 2) plastic leaches chemicals when it wears out, through time and cuts or damage. Additionally, endocrine disruptors and chemical exposure in general are the most detrimental when consumed orally. Dermal absorption is a thing, but it’s much less of a risk than all the things that we eat and drink. 

So, for my babies, no plastic. ESPECIALLY for things that are going to hold hot items. This means glass bottles, silicone or ceramic plates and bowls, silicone or metal utensils, silicone everything basically. Let’s be real, silicone is a must for most baby products they are just going to throw on the ground. 

Do I try to go plastic-free with toys as well? Yes. But it’s not as high of a priority as food items. (except maybe teethers, I try to avoid plastic for those for sure)

Is silicone really better than plastic?

If you’re like me, you’ve found yourself researching whether silicone is really better than plastic. Are we just going to find out in 10 years that all these silicone products have the same problems as plastic always did?

I can’t necessarily answer that question with certainty, but I can hopefully provide some assurance. Yes, silicone really is better than plastic. 

I’ll try to keep this brief, but there are a few important things to know about silicone. 

Silicone is not a “different kind of plastic.” Plastic is made from petroleum byproducts. It is a petrochemical product with all of the issues and toxicity that come with petroleum. I’ve talked about this a million times throughout my posts so I won’t get into that here. 

Silicone is made from silica, which is just a combination of silicon and oxygen particles and exists naturally in the environment in things like sand and quartz. It’s a very stable, non-reactive, and doesn’t appear to have any toxic effects. The only potential concern for toxicity is through inhalation by workers dealing with the manufacturing of silicone. It’s a chronic exposure issue in a very specific setting and not relevant to typical use of silicone products. 

Don’t go shred your silicone bowls and inhale the dust and you should be fine.

Silicone is helpful and “better than plastic” because it acts more like rubber and is even more durable than natural rubbers. The primary benefit of silicone is that it is highly heat and abrasion resistant, which are the major issues when we talk about plastic leaching chemicals. It also just doesn’t have the petrochemicals to leach. 

It does appear that nanoparticles can be released from silicone treated in very specific ways (like heating then physical abrasion), but that the nanoparticles do not appear to be toxic.

Be at ease, silicone really is better than plastic.

What products do I personally use, love, and recommend

So PRODUCTS. Here are some of my favorite plastic-free baby food items. Some of them are more expensive than plastic. That’s a bummer. But for me, it is MORE than worth it. I would buy these 1,000 times over to reduce the chemical exposure of my babies. It’s just something I care a lot about based on my research.

I tried to cover this pretty thoroughly without getting too annoying or nitty gritty. So there are a lot of products here! But I do truly love them and use them and recommend them. 

Breast milk storage

I know this is probably a hard sell. But I’m all for non-plastic breast milk storage. I mean… my baby’s only food is sitting in it. Microplastics. EDCs. Not for me. I get that plastic pouches are going to be easier for a lot of people. However, I have done the silicone pouches and it’s doable. (maybe not if you’re trying to build a massive stash but I don’t have experience with that so I don’t know.)

For pouches, I used these Haakaa storage bags that come with date tags. I’ve also researched this PandaEar brand, which would probably work as a cheaper option. I also just saw these and would probably try these instead if I had to purchase again…

The other way I tackle this is using silicone trays to freeze basically breast milk ice cubes… and then putting those in a glass container for longer term storage once frozen. You have to find a system that works for keeping track of dates, but again, totally doable if you’re committed to it. I used these WeeSprout trays and really liked them. The portion sizes work well and they’re easy to pop out. I will say you have to have a flat place to put it in your freezer because the lid doesn’t suction and it will spill if tipped.

Other nursing equipment

These aren’t necessary but I love them and have to mention them. They do capture warm milk, so the receptacle is important to me. I won’t get into why they’re awesome and you should definitely invest in them… but they’re life savers for sure. 

Haakaa manual breast pump and lady bugs. I definitely recommend getting the lid… you don’t want to spill your milk in the middle of the night…

Glass bottles

I personally use these LifeFactory glass bottles because they have different lids that can then be used as sippy cups and even water bottles. I love products that can grow with you for different purposes. My son used the bottles when he was little, now he uses them as a sippy cup. They also have a silicone sleeve to prevent shattering, which I love. 

There are a bunch of options for glass bottles and obviously everyone is going to have different preferences. I know Dr. Brown’s is a popular option, and I have used these glass versions with one of my nephews. They do have a plastic anti-colic piece, which you can take out if you really want to get rid of the plastic. But this is a great option.

I’ve heard great things about these mason jar baby bottle attachments. Seems a little hefty to me but people love them. You can also just buy the lids so it’s a good option if you’re trying to use supplies you already have.

Food Pouches

I have used these so much at various points in my son’s life for so many purposes. You saw me mention them for breast milk storage. I also used them for baby food that I made and now I use them for homemade applesauce pouches because those are so freaking handy but I *try* not to use the plastic all the time. 

Here’s the OG Haakaa that I have. I like them because they worked well for liquids because of the way the lids are but they also sell squeeze pouch lids, which are awesome. Here’s the PandaEar option again.

Food storage containers

This is another great way to do baby food. It’s very convenient because of the portion sizes. You just pop it out of the fridge just like you would grab a jar off the shelf. I like these WeeSprout jars but there’s a ton of options. I’ve also just used mason jars. 

Tableware and silverware

This doesn’t have to be complicated. I often just use the ceramic bowls and metal utensils I already own. However, toddlers are crazy and silicone is nice… Again, there are a lot of options for this. Here’s a great multi pack if you want to try it out and see what you think. But just look it up on Amazon, there’s tons of options.

Silicone snack cups

If you’ve never heard of this, these are amazing. You can put goldfish or puffs or yogurt melts in these and hand them to your kid and they don’t spill alllll over the place. I love them. This is another product I use WeeSprout for.

I hope I was able to sell you on at least one of these swaps! I get that sometimes it can be more work but some of these are easy and I think it’s so worth it to reduce the plastic exposure for your babies. If you’re ready to try a swap, I think these are all things worth the investment and I hope you found something that may help you here!

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