AVENT Bottles - Are they safe?

So I heard ACA had a report that they are not safe and can cancer. Something about having BPA???? Is this true?

Should I discontinue use?

If yes, does anyone know what other bottles to use (not glass ones)?

TIA

After seeing last nights news that they are going to be discontinued, it is quite worrying!
Back when I started this thread, I went out and bought a few BPA free bottles but couldnt afford to pay all that money to replace all of my bottles, so I still use a combination :redface:

I realy feel like these companies should recall the botles with BPA if they are that concerned with the potential dangers.

Avent have BPA free bottles, and they are labelled as such on the packaging when you buy them.
Im not sure about the ones you are using, look for the triangle symbole, and check the number thats inside the tirnagle - what number is it?

I would take anything ACA "reports" with a grain of salt...no doubt it is sensationalised and the 'real' facts get lost in the story...

That said, I just had a look on the Phillips website (AVENT manufacturers) there is some info on their bottles in the FAQ section under bottlefeeding :)

We've been AVENT bottles since DS started bottlefeeding and the only thing he's had is nappy rash (which he's got now)

They're perfectly safe. They wouldn't be on the market otherwise and they are one of the biggest names in baby supplies.

xxx

ACA and TT should never be listened to. I learnt that the hard way when our nice story was flipped around to sound terrible!

I have used Avent BPA-free bottles only. They worked well, but I prefer the Pigeon glass ones, personally.

The fact that any baby bottles containing BPA have been banned in the States does concern me. The chemicals in Polycarbonate (which the original Avent bottles are made from) have been proven to be a hormone disruptor (you can Google that for more info). The amount of this chemical that is leached during regular and extreme use (temperature variations) has been researched and confirmed. They are, however, currently in the process of determining just how much of this leached chemical can disrupt the hormonal chemistry in little bodies (adults appear to tolerate it quite well). So, personally, I am waiting until these research-findings are published before I will use polycarbonate for my baby.

I think TT and ACA are rubbish, but the facts about BPA and its potential safety risks have been well-documented in many medical papers. So whilst they probably sensationalised it (as they do so well), the bare fact remains that there is mounting international concern as to how the small bodies of infants are able to process and metabolise (or not, as the case may be) the chemical that is leached. The major concern is that the supposed effects (hyperactivity, sexual dysfunction and a myriad of other symptoms) of the chemical may often only manifest later in life.

Having said all of that, millions of mothers the world over still use the original Avent bottles and are very happy with them. For me personally, it just isn't worth the risk.

Pigeon BPA-free (they have just come on to the market), Tommy-Tippee, (some) Nuby, Medela and Avent BPA-free are plastic alternatives you may consider if BPA bothers you.

I use the tommee tippee BPA free bottles after I heard that lots of countries have banned BPA products...you can get advent BPA free bottles

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I do normally take everything ACA and TT say with a grain of salt but this story (that I didnt see but heard about) has concerned me only because apparently Australian standards are so far behind the rest of the world and they have been banned in the USA.

Pandora- I looked at my bottles and cant find a triangle on them. Unless you are talking about the triangle in the word AVENT but there is no number in that either. I have bought all these bottles in the last 13mths. Good to know that Avent do have some that are BPA free as I quite like them and they dont leak.

SS-Storm- I'll go check out that website. Thanks hun.

ETA-

PartyofFive- How are you liking the TommeeTippee range?

LifeisGood- The effects that BPA can have are very scary. I might have to do the same. Thanks for all of your info.

Bella - you will know if you have the BPA free one's as they are a slightly yellowy colour - not the clear plastic. I have been using a mix of the normal Avent one's that I had before I ever heard anything about BPA and also now a couple of BPA free Avent one's that I have since purchased. I tend to rotate them trying to use the BPA free one's the most.

I believe (and someone can correct me if I am wrong) that the time to get worried is if your bottle becomes cloudy - that is the time to discard.

Perhaps you could do like I have and grab one or two of the BPA free ones and use in rotation - all the attachments work with them just the same.

Janie xxx

Has everyone seen the latest newson these??

No what does the latest news say? I was planning on going Avent again for bubba number 2, should I be rethinking?

I'll try and find an article....

but coles, kmart, target baby shops, etc are not going to sell anymore bottles that contain BPA. They will sell off the remainder of their stock but are phasing it out because of the dangers. Bottles containing BPA are already banned in America.

Apparenty its not just AVENT but every baby bottle brand.

Oooh that's not good. Yeah but they will still keep in the BPA free avent bottles right?

Sky News: BPA baby bottles to be phased out

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BPA baby bottles to be phased out
Updated: 06:28, Thursday July 1, 2010
Baby bottles containing a chemical which has raised toxicity concerns will be phased out in Australia.

The nation's major retail chains have agreed not to introduce new stock of the bottles which contain Bisphenol A (BPA).

Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health Mark Butler says the phase-out will begin from today and follows rising public concern and a safety review ordered by US health regulators.

He says while Food Standards Australia New Zealand has concluded intake levels are very low and do not pose a risk to babies' health, the government has listened to public concerns and taken appropriate action.

There have been rising concerns that BPA poses a particular risk to children during their formative years.

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Yep, so soon they will only sell BPA free bottles

About time, i say. The only downside is that BPA-free bottles are significantly more expensive than the regular ones - so some people will struggle with that. Now Australia just has to get up with banning all of the food additives and colours that other first world countries did ages ago!!! This is a good start, though :)

Thanks for the update BB

Life is good- That is exactle how I feel about it. Its very expensive to replace over half a dozen bottles. I feel they shoukld offer some kind of trade in.

Life is good - where can you buy the glass bottles?

baby09 - I have seen them at Bubs baby shop and you can also buy them through the Pigeon website and various online baby shops. No idea of price, though as I bought mine in South Africa. I am still using them and have yet to encounter a BPA-free plastic bottle (even the new Pigeon BPA-free ones!) as good :) Just bear in mind that you can't let your bub give themselves their own bottle eventually - you will need plastic ones if you want to do that.

The other thing the article said is that they won't introduce any new stock - they will still be selling out what they have on their shelves before they get the BPA free bottles in.

I have been desperately trying to wean my son off formula and onto cows milk so he can go totally to sippy cups and we can ditch bottles... But at 18 months old we still have digestive issues with cows milk (could be from being sick, he's having a rough winter). You just can't mix formula properly in a sippy cup!

But then some of my avents went cloudy... bye bye avent bottles!

In Big W I found some dymples brand bottles that are BPA free. They come in wide-neck and the regular skinny ones. Less than $8 for two bottles. I felt a little silly buying new bottles for an 18 month old toddler, but you do what you need to in order to keep them fed and healthy. I now have 4 BPA free bottles in the house, and he's suddenly started drinking more of his milk again.

Anyway, that was a long-winded way of saying that there are cheaper BPA-free bottles out there! There was no way on earth I was going to spend $18 on one BPA-free avent bottle!

BW

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I think TT and ACA are rubbish, but the facts about BPA and its potential safety risks have been well-documented in many medical papers.

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Well said! Since 1998 hundreds of independent studies conducted around the globe have overwhelmingly concluded that BPA is harmful to human health, particularly that of the growing fetus, baby and child. In 2007, 38 of the world's leading scientific experts on BPA warned policymakers of potential adverse health effects of exposure to the widespread plastic. They concluded that average levels in people are above those that cause harm to animals in laboratory experiments. Nothing was done.

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They're perfectly safe. They wouldn't be on the market otherwise and they are one of the biggest names in baby supplies.

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I would have to disagree with regards to the safety. Thousands of products are on the market are not safe for humans because they contain toxic chemicals and one of the reasons they remain there is because it is simply too hard a task for governments to remove them.

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I believe (and someone can correct me if I am wrong) that the time to get worried is if your bottle becomes cloudy - that is the time to discard.

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If your bottles are cloudy then yes get rid of them as they are leeching higher doses of chemicals. You also need to get rid of the bottles if there are any scratches on the plastic as these will also leech higher doses of chemicals into the food.

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Australia just has to get up with banning all of the food additives and colours that other first world countries did ages ago!!!

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As you are probably aware Australia is notoriously slow at changing laws and banning harmful substances compared to the rest of the world. We have been for decades. The worrying aspect of this is that if we don’t move quickly with the rest of the world in banning harmful substances (not just voluntarily phasing them out of a few shops!!) then we will become the dumping ground for Europe and America’s banned items, particularly toys. Our kids will be the ones to pay the price.

Don’t forget that BPA also exists in more than just baby bottles. What do you serve your child’s food in? What do you use to store food and heat food in the microwave? Do you eat foods from a can and/or jar? BPA is also in fungicides, antioxidants, and even dental sealants just to name a few.

Now don’t get me started on the other notorious endocrine disruptor found in more products than BPA – phthalates! :p