What You Need To Know

Having a milk warmer to heat bottled milk (whether expressed breast milk or formula) to just the right temperature is convenient and can save a lot of stress. If you use a milk warmer, it’s important to consider what kind of baby bottle you are using. 

AVOID 

• Most baby bottles are made of one of several types of plastic, including high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). HDPE is rigid and durable and less likely to release any toxic chemicals than LDPE and PVC, but like all plastics, it’s derived from fossil fuels. Only a little of it gets recycled and most ends up in landfills and oceans, hurting precious ecosystems that humans need to thrive. 
• BPA (bisphenol-A), an endocrine disrupting chemical, was banned in 2012 for use in baby bottles. Unfortunately the replacement chemicals, like BPS, are no less harmful. These too can disrupt healthy hormonal messaging in the body and undermine neurodevelopment and reproductive health. 

BETTER CHOICES

• Glass bottles are free of harmful chemicals. They can be a bit more expensive, but you can easily wash, sanitize and reuse them over and over. Given the quality of glass these days, it’s also extremely rare that glass bottle might break. 
• Plexiglass still contains plastic (with all the associated risks) but it is shatterproof and doesn’t scratch or leach chemicals in the same way that bottles made solely out of plastic do.
• Bioplastic bottles are made from renewable plant sources, such as corn or sugar cane, rather than petrochemicals. They are free of harmful chemicals used to make plastic, but when they’re heated they sometimes melt or lose their structure a bit. Plus, how these plants are grown can have negative environmental impacts.