A practical guide to sidestepping concerns about chemicals in plastics and our favorite products that can help.
Concerns about the safety of plastics, including bpa-free plastics, spiked again in the news recently.This isn’t new news. It’s an issue that raises its head every year or two and parents can’t help feeling worried about it, potentially overwhelmed. We understand. MightyNest was founded by parents who share your concerns about the safety of the products your family uses.
After spending countless hours researching the safety of plastic, reading every piece of information we can get our hands on, there’s no doubt that the results of the research are concerning, conflicting and frustrating. Fortunately, there are easy steps you can take to avoid the controversy.
1. Avoid plastic by choosing products made from glass and 304 grade stainless steel, materials with a proven safety record.
2. If a product contains plastic components (a lid or a sippy top), make sure they are made from the types of plastic that are considered the safest. See our Mighty Guide to Plastics to learn more.
3. Don’t ever heat food in plastic or put hot food in plastic. (Heat causes the release of potentially harmful chemicals.)
With these simple changes you can skip the debate entirely and get back to living. At MightyNest we take our own advice. Every product is hand-picked by parents who care deeply about providing the best safe products for your families mighty life.
For those of you that have changes you’d like to make, below we’ve highlighted practical places to start and products that your family will love (and will provide you with peace of mind):
Water Bottles for Kids and Adults
Insulated options like our 12 oz Hydro Flask vacuum bottle help both hot and cold beverages stay that way. As an added bonus, the double wall steel bottles are sweat free! LifeFactory Glass Bottles have wide mouth openings so it’s more like drinking out of a glass than a bottle. The colorful silicone sleeve gives good grip and helps prevents breakage. For a totally plastic-free option, use Klean Kanteen’s all-stainless loop cap on their 12, 18, 27, or 40 oz Classic Bottles.
Baby Bottles & Toddler Training Cups
Safe, practical, and durable; Wee Go glass baby bottles in 4 and 9 oz sizes offer the best of all worlds: pure, clear glass with a soft, easy togrip silicone sleeves. Designed to grow with your child, Pura Kiki stainless steel bottles are the only plastic-free sippy cup on the market and convert from a bottle to a cup with the switch of a silicone nipple or spout. Both are dishwasher safe which is essential for busy moms.
School & Work Lunch Containers
When it comes to lunch containers, choosing the right size for the meal is key and it’s a lid that won’t allow contents
to leak into your bag is crucial. One of our most versatile containers is the stainless steel U-Konserve Large To-Go Container (as the name implies, it’s great for taking to restaurants for leftovers, too!) For school lunches, stainless steel Lunchbots (both the container and the lid are made from high quality stainless steel) make for creative lunch packing. The Duo, Trio and Quad come with stainless dividers to seperate lunch foods.
If your lunch is headed for the microwave, the solution is glass, like the Wean Green Glass Meal Cube. Plastic-free options include Sanctus Mundo's all stainless tiffin or the large airtight stainless container -- both ideal for lunch or picnic supplies, and Klean Kanteen vacuum insulated food canisters.
Baby Food and Snack Containers
Our hands-down favorite are the Glasslock Wean Bowls in the Garden Pack. They freeze, microwave, and serve with ease. Leakproof lidssnap on and off easily. For on-the-go, lightweight, rugged stainless containers by kids konserve are leakproof and easy to toss in the diaper bag.
We offer so many great options in this category -- Can you tell that we MightyNesters love our coffee and tea? Our favorite spillproof tumbler is the Thermos 16oz vacuum insulated tumbler with a super simple, leak proof, push button lid for sipping on the go. Klean Kanteen vacuum bottles have amazing insulative properties -- keeping hot beverages for 8 hours and iced up to 24! The included screw top has a stainless insert, so no plastic need touch your beverage or your lips. The optional cafe top makes for easier sipping and is made of BPA-free polypropylene. For the ultimate in eco-friendly resourcefulness, pick up a silicone lid and stainless steel straw from Eco Jarz, and convert any small mouth jar into a favorite to-go drinking vessel!
MightyNest is here to support you in making simple changes with a mighty impact. If you’re ready to explore alternatives to plastic, why not start with your child’s water bottle? Join over a thousand Take this simple pledge and support the school of your choice in our MightyNest for Schools program.
