• HOME
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
    • Work With Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • green living
    • green living
    • go toxin free
    • green baby
    • green bath & beauty
    • green bedding
    • green clothing
    • green eating
    • green garden
    • green health
    • green home
    • green kids/toys
  • essential oils
    • Intro to Essential Oils
    • Using Essential Oils
    • Young Living FAQs
  • recipes/DIY
  • reviews/shop green
  • parenting
  • rants/raves/life/love
  • #YEG local
  • Home
  • green baby
  • rants raves life & love
  • parenting
  • RANT: It’s Okay to Bottle Feed and Safe Baby Bottles

RANT: It’s Okay to Bottle Feed and Safe Baby Bottles

February 26, 2015 6 Comments Written by Judith Lam Tang

bottle-feeding-juicygreenmomOkay. Breastfeeding vs bottle feeding babies always seems to be a hot topic. On one hand, we know that breastfeeding is ultimately better for your baby’s immune system and nutrition, and of course is much greener than bottle feeding, because you’re not generating and consuming so much waste. And then there’s the issues around what kind of bottles and nipples you’re using, and if they’re safe, and if the formula you buy is full of safe ingredients, and whether the formula is stored in containers that could be leaching toxins.

On the other hand, we know that bottle feeding is absolutely a necessity for some new moms who cannot breastfeed. This post is for you – the new mom who has tried desperately to breastfeed, and feels defeated and guilty because bottle feeding is the only option. I am here to say:

You will not be depriving your baby by bottle feeding instead of breastfeeding.

Your baby’s future will not be determined by whether or not you were able to breastfeed.

You do not need to feel any guilt, shame, or defeat for bottle feeding your baby.

You are an amazing and wonderful mother for doing whatever your baby needs.

I desperately wanted to breastfeed but couldn’t. I could go into the long list of reasons, but actually, I won’t. Because it’s irrelevant. I don’t need to make excuses for why I couldn’t. The guilt and burden I carried – because of the environmental impact and ultimate health of my child – were overwhelmingly horrible. My experience was that breastfeeding was pushed onto new moms so much that if you couldn’t do it, you were a failure as a mother. I felt guilty and ashamed that as a “green” mom I couldn’t do that for my child, and actually tried to hide it from people. So – sensitive topic? YES!

Because I wasn’t prepared for bottle feeding (I had new-mom syndrome where I thought my baby would cooperate with what I planned to do – breastfeed), I had oodles of nursing covers and ZERO bottles other than what the hospital gave us. Plastic, of course. At the time, the only non-plastic bottles I could find were glass Evenflo ones (I broke several of them). Now there are SO MANY MORE OPTIONS for safe baby bottles!

Lifefactory glass bottle with silicone sleevesilicone-glass-baby-bottle

I just bought a Lifefactory glass bottle for grown-ups and am LOVING it. Would have loved to have had this when my daughter was a baby!

Kid Kanteen stainless steel bottle from Life Without PlasticK09BABY-BS (I did have the sippy cup to use with my daughter and it was fabulous. Best part was that after she was done with the sippy spout, I got a regular cap and we still use the bottle all the time!)

Nuk First Choice Glass Baby Bottle

Seeing this one makes me a bit angry because it was Nuk nipples that worked best with my daughter. I spent hours online trying to find a way to get these glass bottles – at the time they were only available in Europe. Hallelujah, they are available here at last!

Some other options:
 
 

If you’re bottle feeding, here are some resources for you when looking at bottles and formula:

  • How to avoid BPA in baby formula (Queen of Green)
  • Food Babe has a comprehensive post about How to Find the Safest Organic Infant Formula, as does Baby Food-E.
  • Healthy Child has put out an eBook for safer baby gear including some pointers about baby bottle materials.
  • My Plastic Free Life has a Safer Plastics Guide including information on baby bottles.
  • Women’s Voices for the Earth has a Baby Non-Toxic Shopping Guide (pdf download).
  • The Mindful Home also has a Guide to Non-Toxic, Eco Friendly Baby Gear.

What’s your experience with bottle feeding?

 

(Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and the Amazon.com.ca, Inc. Associates Program, affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com & amazon.ca. This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase products via these links, a small percentage of the sale will be given to me at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting juicygreenmom.ca!)

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google
  • Tumblr
  • Print
  • More
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pocket

Related

green baby, parenting, rants raves life & love
bottle feeding, safe baby bottles
Is Borax Toxic or Safe?
GREEN DEAL ALERT: 40% off Mabel’s Labels Tag Mates

6 Comments

  1. innovativemama innovativemama
    February 27, 2015    

    I love this post. I plan on breastfeeding my baby for as long as I can, but I also plan on pumping for occasions when she might be with a family member or sitter. The idea of feeding my baby BPA or some other toxin when she feeds from a bottle terrifies me. Thanks for helping other moms out and sharing this information!

    Reply
    • Judith Lam Tang Judith Lam Tang
      February 28, 2015    

      Thanks so much for your comment! I can definitely appreciate your concerns about toxins in bottles – I am amazed at how many more options there are now compared to just 4-5 years ago. I hope you find the right bottles that work for you!

      Reply
  2. melindapedersen melindapedersen
    March 16, 2015    

    Thanks for this post. I think it’s important to respect and accept women whatever their breastfeeding choices. They are making the best decision for themselves and their child and they shouldn’t feel shame if they choose not to (or can’t) breastfeed. Every new mom is in a different situation with her body, her baby, and her support system, and women should be empowered to make informed decisions about what is best in their situation.

    Reply
    • Judith Lam Tang Judith Lam Tang
      March 17, 2015    

      Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. I totally agree with you. Every situation is completely different.

      Reply
  3. christine christine
    June 21, 2015    

    5phases GLASS baby bottles are great too! http://Www.5phases.com

    Reply
    • Judith Lam Tang Judith Lam Tang
      June 21, 2015    

      Neat! Thanks for sharing!!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

judith lam tang juicygreenmom

Hi! I'm Judith. I'm passionate about green, toxin-free, healthy living. I share my journey and experiences on Juicy Green Mom so you can feel empowered, enlightened, and inspired to make educated eco-friendly product and lifestyle choices.

Get a monthly digest email!

Recent Posts

  • EARTH DAY: Stay Away From Bottled Water – INFOGRAPHIC
  • 6 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day
  • LIFE: How to Remember the Ones We’ve Lost – Hunter’s First Birthday
  • The Only DIY Lip Balm Recipe You Need
  • Utama Spice REVIEW: Nebulizing Diffuser, Body Butter, and Yoga Mat Spray

Categories

evolve theme by Theme4Press  •  Powered by WordPress

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.