Toy “R” Us and BPA in Baby Products

I just checked my email and saw this email from the PR Manager at Toys “R” Us. I knew they didn’t carry products containing phthalate, but this is their response to the media attention on BPA….

Hello,

We saw that you recently wrote about BPA and wanted to be sure you were aware of what Toys“R”Us, Inc. has been doing regarding the issue of BPA in baby products.

Toys“R”Us, Inc. is committed to the safety of all its customers and is vigilant about staying current with emerging scientific and other thinking about ingredients in products sold in its stores.

While the FDA has not changed its position on the safety of products made with Bisphenol-A (BPA), in light of growing consumer concerns on this topic, the company has been working with manufacturers to phase out all baby bottles and other baby feeding products containing BPA in its Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us stores nationwide. This process is ongoing and is expected to be completed before the end of 2008.

Given continuing scientific research into BPA as well as growing consumer interest in the availability of BPA-free baby bottles and other baby feeding items, Toys“R”Us, Inc. began to work with its manufacturers to offer the widest assortment of BPA-free products in its stores. For the past year, the company has provided its customers across North America with a broad selection of BPA-free baby bottles and other baby feeding products in its stores.

_________________________________
Bob Friedland
PR Manager
Toys”R”Us, Inc.
Times Square Office
1514 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
email: friedlab@toysrus.com

Did you catch that?? They said, “This process is ongoing and is expected to be completed before the end of 2008.” Yahoo! That’s not that far away! I’m going to send them an email back right now encouraging them to get teethers and bath toys with BPA off the shelves as well.

BPA and Baby Bottles in the News…again

Bisphenol A (BPA) is all over the news! If you haven’t heard, Canada is pulling baby bottles made with BPA off the shelves and it seems the US is reconsidering the position that BPA is safe. I guess Gerber might have to stop telling consumers who inquire about BPA in their products that it’s perfectly safe. See the article below….

Plastic bottle chemical may be harmful: agency

By Will Dunham Posted Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:42pm PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A chemical in some plastic food and drink packaging including baby bottles may be tied to early puberty and prostate and breast cancer, the U.S. government said on Tuesday.

Based on draft findings by the National Toxicology Program, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, senior congressional Democrats asked the Food and Drug Administration to reconsider its view that the chemical bisphenol A is safe in products for use by infants and children.

The chemical, also called BPA, is used in many baby bottles and the plastic lining of cans of infant formula.

The National Toxicology Program went further than previous U.S. government statements on possible health risks from BPA.

For the full story you can find this article at:

green.yahoo.com/news/nm/20080415/sc_nm/plastic_bottles_dc.html

BPA free Sassy Bath Toys

I finally got Madeleine some new bath toys! Before I made my purchase, I checked with Sassy to see if the toys I was considering were BPA free. All Sassy products are phthalate free, but some of their products are made with BPA. I got the Snap & Squirt set (see above) and I’m pretty happy with them. The little bag has suction cups on it so you can attach it to the tub for storage which is a nice. They do snap together, but come apart very easily. They each squirt a little differently which honestly entertains me more than the baby! One problem pretty big problem though….most of them hold the water in so I will have to find some way to clean them…maybe some hot water and vinegar every now and again???

I also bought the Aquatic Bobbers (see below) which are quite cute, make great teethers and ALL the water drains out of them! I’m very happy with these.

FYI…the Counting Bath Time Bucket is BPA free as well as…

…the Counting Fishing Net

Happybaby Happybellies

I’ve been trying to introduce food to Madeleine on and off for the last 3 months. She’ll be 9months this week (they weren’t kidding when they said it would fly by!) and so far has shown very little interest in food. I haven’t pushed her. I just keep trying to see if she’s interested. I’ve tried all kinds of stuff like apples, pears, mango, banana, carrots, avocado, rice cereal and even the occasional teething cookie-all organic of course. A couple of times she sort of liked apples and once she was fairly interested in avocados. I’ve had a container of Happybaby Happybellies Oatmeal Cereal in my cabinet for about a month (because I thought it would be better to start with fruits and veggies first) and tonight I went for it.

Well…Madeleine practically jumped out of the highchair trying to get more after the first bite! She was kicking her little feet, squealing with happiness and diving towards me with her little mouth open. I’m not making this up. She has seriously not shown this much interest in food before. She LOVED it and I’m trilled because I feel really good about the quality of the cereal. Here is a little about it….

Happybaby is a new line of healthy organic baby food which is supported by the well known & trusted Dr. Sears. The products are all natural, all organic, allergen friendly and a portion of the profits go to a charity called Project Peanut Butter which provides meals to children in Malawi. Wait it gets better…the cereal, Happybellies, has probiotic in it! Here is what Dr Sears has to say about that… Continue reading »

Baby Gap gets Green!

Yes…even Baby Gap has organic cotton clothing, bedding and bibs now! It seems that the organic cotton line is exclusively online right now, but at least they are making an effort to become more environmentally conscious! I’m really in love with their safari sheets (they come in blue and pink version!).

Some of the organic clothes are just adorable like this velour hoodie!

Currently, the line of organic cotton products is small, but I’m sure as more people start becoming aware of the benefits (for baby and the environment!) of buying organic cotton the demand will increase and more products will become available!