I received a great question from Melissa regarding what to use when freezing home-made baby food. I know the ice cube trays I used many years back probably contained BPA (because they were old and didn’t have resin codes) and I’ve always felt badly my boys had to eat chemicals along with food that was supposed to be nutritional.

So back in August when I wrote Organic, Non-Toxic Gift Ideas For Baby, number 5 on the list was Baby Cubes by Petite Creations, which are ice-cube trays designed to store and freeze baby food. For only $6.49, I wanted to mention them again because I can’t think of a better stocking stuffer or shower gift add-on for an expecting mama or gift for baby. The wonderful estore Nayla Natural Care sells these trays which are actually very hard to find. Nayla is an on-line Canadian store and are dedicated to providing natural, non-toxic products for parents. Also available at this site are Food Trays by Fresh Baby, which are great to store expressed breast milk and baby food freezing. They have covers that completely seal the tray so there are no spills or mess. These trays are made from food safe plastic and are phalate-free, plasticizer-free and BPA free.

While you’re checking out Nayla, load up on stocking stuffers for older kids with their Trukid products. I discovered Trukid when trying to source non-toxic products to help with my daughter’s last eczema outbreak.  I’ve tried most of their product line and I’m a big fan. Give your children the gift of phalate and BPA-free products this Christmas – practical gift ideas they’ll love to receive.

Related articles:

Organic, Non-Toxic Gift Ideas For Baby

Protect Your Family From Phthalates In Your Home

Plastic Food Storage Alternatives – Glass, Stainless Steel, or Bamboo anyone?

I received a question via ‘Ask Suzanne’ and have wondered about it myself.  The question is “Has anyone figured out a way to remove the smell of Bounce from fabric? Sometimes I buy items at a yard sale or thrift store, and the smell lingers a long time, even through washing and hanging in the sun.”

It’s scary that the scent from Bounce sheets manages to linger long after multiple washes.  I was surprised when researching my article Dryer Sheets and Fabric Softener – A Household Toxin with how many chemicals these sheets contain and how unhealthy they are for your family to inhale or wear.  It is amazing when you receive hand-me-downs if the previous owner of the clothes has used Bounce sheets – you are able to detect the smell immediately. 
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Around the time of writing Home Made Eco Friendly Cleaning Solutions I heard about a company called Norwex and their motto appealled to me because it’s ‘Cleaning Without Chemicals’.  I am so glad I attended a Norwex product demonstration and now after getting my supplies and putting them to work in my messy house…I’m ready to report my findings. 
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I received a question from Jackie regarding an alternative to wrapping her food in plastic to store in the freezer.  Funny enough I was wondering how to eliminate wrapping meat that I buy to freeze in plastic wrap, then popping them into a freezer bag.  I’m no longer comfortable with having my food in close contact with plastic and I’ve realized I have a serious addiction to plastic baggies that I’m trying to break.  They are just wayyy too handy to use.  BUT – after googling Pyrex glass food containers, I’ve found my solution to both of these problems.  We know that glass baby bottles have been recommended rather than plastic for babies and toddlers, well it’s back-to-basics with all food storage. Pyrex is a name that has been around forever and they are very cost effective.  I find it shocking how expensive Tupperware is and they don’t code their products with a plastic recycling code.  Really, it’s scary to know what kind of plastic they use…and it costs a fortune! 

With food storage, Pyrex products can go into the refrigerator, freezer,  microwave, or oven.  They are also dishwasher and microwave safe. Unlike the plastics we are so suspicious about, they won’t absorb food flavors, odors, or stains…including tomato-based sauces.   I always wondered after storing left-overs with tomato sauce, why my plastic was stained from sauce. Well now I know the cheap plastic was probably leaching BPA into my food.  Lovely.

Pyrex is also made in America.  If you’ve purged your kitchen of all plastic containers, it’s time to start fresh with a quality product..and won’t it be nice to have lids that match the container?  <smile>

If you divide up bulk food to freeze from Costco, etc., this 6 piece set looks great for larger items.

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I received a question from Leslie wondering if Ikea plastics contained BPA.  Her concern was the children’s tableware line that I think every family I know owns!  The popular line ‘Kalas’ that includes the colorful tumblers (cups), plates, bowls and cutlery are perfect for kids and is the only tableware plastic my kids are now using.  Everything else has been recycled or thrown out.  When I purged my cartoon character plates and glasses, I found they were all coded number 7, while these from IKEA were coded 5.  They are also inexpensive, easy for kids to use, and dishwasher safe.  Well a few weeks ago I emailed IKEA and asked them to confirm their children’s tableware was BPA-free.  Here was their response but according to other sites; it just might depend on when and where you purchased them from IKEA:

Thank you for your interest in our products. The IKEA product range is subjected to comprehensive tests and complies with the strictest applicable laws and safety standards, and we have detailed regulations on the use of chemicals and other substances in the manufacturing process. If one country tightens its rules, we introduce these new regulations on all IKEA markets, whenever possible.

IKEA is in control of the product development process and through our trading areas we work closely together with our suppliers in place, which is an advantage when it comes to securing product quality. Please be aware that the bisphenol A (BPA) is not allowed in any plastic IKEA product.

A product risk assessment is made during the development of the product. Tests and follow-ups are done both before we start the production and then on continuous basis. We test our products according to our own requirements and applicable international standards/legislation at accredited internal and external test laboratories.

At IKEA, we test our products regularly and we put demands on our suppliers to have verification test reports and certificates available within 24 hours.
The number of tests will vary by product and will depend on the initial risk assessment of that product.

If you have any further concerns about our products, please do not hesitate to contact us.

According to the Z-recs most (I repeat…most) of IKEA’s products are BPA-free…here are their findings.  Please note that any of the products listed with BPA from IKEA, I could only find on the American site (www.Ikea.com).  So I included 2 pictures of the 2 lines that have been sited by Z-recommends as having BPA.  If these items look familiar you need to contact your local IKEA and ask them if they have a recall list for their products.  The Canadian site (www.Ikea.ca) appears to be correct in their statement about their tableware currently not containing BPA.  I say currently because I used that blue spoon in the below picture this morning to give one of my kid’s breakfast.

BPA-Free Products
Cups: Kalas Tumblers, Grossby Tumblers
Utensils: Kalas 18 Piece Cutlery Set, utensils in: Mata set, Mumsa sets, Hungrig set
Tableware: Mata Dinnerware Set, Mumsa 5-Piece Set, Grossby
Mata Bib, Barnslig Djur Bib, Kladd Bib

Products Containing BPA!!
Cups: Hungrig cup (part of 6-Piece Set)
Utensils: (check for imprinting on items not listed here as BPA-free)
Tableware: Hungrig 6 Piece Set (plate, bowl, and cup), Mumsa 3-Piece Dinnerware Set (sippy bottle is polycarbonate)

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