BPA In Avent Tempo Liners

Updated on February 22, 2008
J.M. asks from Crystal Lake, IL
16 answers

After trying several bottles, my daughter loved the Avent bottles (and I liked that they were easy to clean and she hardly had any gas). I was horrified to find out that Avent bottles leached the most BPA. Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time switching to BPA-free bottles (baby girl just won't take other bottles or she's had bad gas). After doing some reading, I found out that bottle liners such as the Playtex Drop-ins do not contain BPA. Does anyone know if this is true for the new Avent Tempo liners (the formula would be slightly heated)? If I can continue using Avent, I would, but my daughter's safety and health comes first.

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So What Happened?

Thanks to everyone who responded! I found out that the liners in Avent Tempo bottles do not contain BPA so I tried them and love them! My little girl has had no trouble switching. I like that there is less to clean (nipple and ring with an occasional bottle) and the liners are recyclable. I thought that there might be a problem with heating her rtf formula, but I simply pour the formula into the liner, set it carefully into a Pyrex cup with warm water from the tap, let it warm, and then attach it to the bottle. I also liked that we could use the same nipples from the original Avent bottles. Hope this helps out anyone else who was thinking of switching.

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S.R.

answers from Chicago on

Hi. Have you tried the Born Free Bottles (they do not contain any BPA)? A lot of moms I know switched from Avent to Born Free without a problem. GOod luck!

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C.K.

answers from Chicago on

There is no BPA problem with any liners, and you can't heat them. They will explode in a microwave or bottle heater. It says so on the box and we had a party one night where we tested it. As long as the formula is heated prior to going into the liner you're fine, however you can place the liner in a glass of warm...not boiling...water to warm it up. They are amazing in helping with gas issues, because you can squeeze all of the air out of them beore beginning feeding.

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H.S.

answers from Chicago on

J.,

My husband and I also worried about the chemicals that were being leached into her milk. We decided that after our daughter developed a lump in her breast (premature thelarche) to switch to glass bottles and avoid plastics all together. We had success switching to evenflo glass bottles. It took her a couple of days to adjust to the nipple, but once she did...she did better with evenflo than the avent bottles!

There is a company called Born Free (http://www.newbornfree.com/) that makes BPA free bottles and sippy cups. Additionally, the nipples look similar to the Avent nipples. Finally, someone earlier mentioned the MAM bottles...they are BPA free as well, but they are difficult to find and are often only found online through Sassy or Target.

I hope this information is helpful.
Sincerely,

H. S.

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J.N.

answers from Peoria on

I really liked Mam bottles, they worked better than Avent in my opinion. The only thin is, I'm not sure about the BPA -- it wasn't really a concern when I had my baby. The other possible solution would be to give the baby formula cold or make it with room temperature water because there is no medical reason for the bottle to be heated. I have several friends who have done that and it makes life a lot easier for everyone.

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N.

answers from Chicago on

BPA? I donot know what this is? my daughter 5 mths use avent too. plz let me know if you find some thing else
thanks

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J.G.

answers from Chicago on

I used Avent with my baby too, and he loved them as well. However, I switched to Born Free bottles that do not have BPA (you can find them at BabiesRUs). I found it was the Avent nipple they like so much. So I bought the Avent nipples, and use the BornFree bottles without the circle insert thingy. They fit great. I don't wash any bottles or nipples in the dishwasher.

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

Are you heating the liners? If not, then you probably don't need to worry much.

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B.D.

answers from Chicago on

I am sorry but I do not know what BPA is. And sadly if it is harmful, the Avent bottles were the favorites of both my children. If I was to have another - that is what I would use.

I looked online, they say nothing about BPA... however you can contact Avent.

Here is the information:

www.aventamerica.com or call 1.800.54.AVENT

Hope this helps.

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D.P.

answers from Chicago on

HEre is some information.

Concern with soft plastics are also Pthalates (research this toxic chemical).

Glass is best- as often there are other plastics in BPA free bottles that we don't know much about either.

http://www.onfulfillment.com/adiri/ This is a new BPA free bottle.

Also, regarding gas. Try feeding baby in more upright position. See the video Dunston Baby Language to better interpret what baby needs and ideas for gas relief.

Consider food allergies and changing up the formula.

Consider possible reflux and making adjustments for this - burping after every 10 minutes of feeding, keeping baby upright 30 mins after feeding, sleeping on a slant. Signs of reflux are burping, hiccoughs, spitting/throwing up with it coming through nose. Reference Dr. Sears books for good description.

Here's an article:

Report Shows Dangerous Chemical Can Leach From Baby Bottles
Environmentalists want bisphenol A banned from products for infants

THURSDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Environmental health organizations in the United States and Canada are calling for a ban on the use of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles, toddler sippy cups, water bottles and other food and beverage containers.

"This is quite concerning. All 19 polycarbonate bottles [investigated in the study] leached BPA when heated. This is clearly showing that BPA is certainly leaching from popular and common consumer products," Judith Robinson, special projects director with the Environmental Health Fund, said at a Thursday teleconference. "We're calling for an immediate moratorium on the use of BPA in all baby bottles, as well as all food and beverage containers. It's not necessary, and we're calling for an end to it immediately."

The call for a ban coincides with publication of a new study, Baby's Toxic Bottle: Bisphenol A Leaching from Popular Brands of Baby Bottles, commissioned by the same group of organizations, showing that BPA leaches from popular brands of plastic baby bottles when the bottles are heated.

This study comes just days after another study found that exposing plastic bottles in general to boiling water can release BPA 55 times faster than normal.

There is concern in many quarters that BPA, an environmental estrogen, may pose some risk to development and reproduction, although it's unclear at what level that harm begins to occur.

The fear has been that exposure to BPA can cause birth defects and developmental problems. In addition, exposure to BPA has been blamed for a variety of other problems, including cancer, diabetes, obesity and attention-deficit disorder.

Dr. David Carpenter, a professor of environmental health sciences at the State University of New York at Albany School of Public Health, said BPA taken into the body before birth and in the early years of life can alter the ratio of sex hormones and affect development.

"It's absolutely obscene to use a substance that can make little boys less masculine and opens the chance that little girls will go on to develop breast cancer," he said at the teleconference.

But a representative of the plastics industry dismissed the alarm.

"There is nothing new in this report," said Steven Hentges, executive director of the American Plastics Council's Polycarbonate Business Unit. "The data that is presented has been known for years and, most importantly, data of that type has been reviewed by government agencies around the world in their comprehensive reviews on BPA and, in every case, they reach a conclusion even after considering this kind of data that polycarbonate baby bottles are safe for use."

The new report tested six major brands of plastic baby bottles available at major retailers, including Wal-Mart and Babies-R-Us, in the United States and Canada. According to the study, 95 percent of baby bottles on the market contain BPA.

The brands tested -- which included Avent, Disney/The First Years, Dr. Brown's, Evenflo, Gerber and Playtex -- all leached BPA when heated. According to the study authors, these same levels of BPA caused a range of adverse effects in laboratory animals.

Among U.S. bottles, Dr. Brown's brand had the highest level of leaching while Avent brand bottles had the lowest levels, the report said.

The report authors called for manufactures to phase out BPA and switch to safer products and urged the federal government to update regulations concerning this chemical.

More information

View the full study at babystoxicbottle.org.

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E.B.

answers from Chicago on

As far as I know, the plastic liners are safe, or at least safer than the bottles. The #7 symbol on the bottom of the bottle means that it contains BPA. That type of plastic is hard and clear, so a plastic liner is obviously the opposite of hard. I also think that the danger of the plastic comes from it being used over time (so the plastic liner isn't an issue since you dispose it each time) and when it's heated to extreme temperatures, like boiled, microwaved, or in the dishwasher. Again, that's not the case with the liners. They seem to be a better alternative.

I'm due in two months and I have Avent bottles from the last time that I was disappointed I couldn't use again. Let me know how you like the liners!

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D.C.

answers from Chicago on

I use Avent too and asked my doctor about this last week and he said it's fine to use the bottles, he just recommends not putting them in the dishwasher or microwave (I only put them in the micro with the steam sterilizer when my son was first born, dr. said it's also unnecessary). He said washing the bottles in hot, soapy water is just fine. If you, or anyone else, has heard otherwise, will you please let me know? I planned on using the same bottles for my next baby, but if lots of people think otherwise, I"ll make the switch. I tried to do some research online but what I pulled up was very technical and hard to digest.
Thank you, D.

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G.T.

answers from Chicago on

I used Avent bottles with my two girls and Dr. Brown's with my son (who were preemie triplets). My understanding is the BPA leaches because of the extreme heat but I could be wrong. If you don't want to get rid of your Avent bottles, I would suggest just hand washing them and not putting them in the dishwasher. Since I've been hand washing them from the beginning (we don't have a dishwasher) I felt comfortable enough that I wasn't posing a dangerous threat to my children.

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B.C.

answers from Chicago on

all bottle liners are fine, and best of all, recyclable! we switched to the tempo bottles after hearing about all of this when my daughter was about 7 months old or so. they're also really easy to travel with since you can bring just one bottle and smush a bunch of liners into a ziploc rather than bringing a bunch of bottles!

if you want extra bottles, i have 4 8-oz tempos you can buy/have... let me know!

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J.D.

answers from Chicago on

You can buy the Avent sippy cups which are made with a different type of plastic. You can take off the sippy cup part and the nipple fits on the cup. The cups are basically the exact same thing as the bottle part. I think it is so ridiculous that bottle companies continue to use the plastic that is unsafe, it drives me crazy. I feel like they are just trying to safe a buck and putting our children at risk because of it...don't get me started. Good luck!

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J.J.

answers from Rockford on

I use the Playtex drop-in's and I love them. You can push all of the air out of the bottle before you give it to her and that usually takes care of the gas. Not too sure about the Avent liners...I would say that if the bottles have BPA, the liners probably do too, but you should be able to call them and find out.

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