Safer Kids Cup and Dish Guide

Posted on April 9, 2008 by softlanding

NEWLY UPDATED 6/25/2008

Finding safer cups and dishes for older kids has been a challenge. We’re embarking on an expedition to see what we can find. Our list is slowly growing as we we are able to confirm more BPA and PVC free options, so check back soon!

Thermos

Thermos continues to pump out toxin-free feeding gear. New FUNtainer designs are fresh off line for 2008. In our experience, you just can’t top their the versatility, durability and cuteness. We often entice our older kids to drink their water by loading up a straw bottle - it helps keep them from from feeling like they’re missing out on those sugary drinks.

Think Sport

Think Sport has turned their grown-up water bottle into a mini me for kids! Just like the adult version, Think Sport’s super light weight stainless steel bottle has an elegant design and is easy to hold and drink from. It holds 12oz, is vacuum sealed to keep drinks hot or cold for hours, won’t “sweat” and fits into most car cup holders. The new mini me is be the perfect solution for sports teams on those hot summer days!

Obentec

Obentec, Inc. was founded by two Moms with school aged kids. Their mission is to help families improve lunchtime nutrition and reduce waste. They believe that healthy kids come from healthy communities and work hard to provide products free from BPA, PVC and Lead. The Soft Landing is excited to offer Laptop Lunches at our store.

Laptop Lunches Bento Box Set

Laptop Lunches Stainless Steel Bottles (11oz and 16oz)

Recycline

Recycline Preserve dishware is made from recycled polypropylene (#5) which is BPA, PVC and phthalate free. Their products are reusable, dishwasher safe on low-heat cycles and made in the USA. You can find them at the Recycline website.

16oz Tumblers

7″ and 10″ Plates

Cutlery Sets

Arrow Plastics Manufacturing

Arrow is based in Illinois and all of their products are manufactured right here in the U.S. All of their plastic scrap, used corrugated containers, wrapping materials and pallets are recycled (none of these materials are deposited in landfills). You can often find these products at Walmart, but they are not currently available online (we’re working with Arrow to add their children’s line to our store soon). They have a huge line of products, so we’ll just focus on great stuff for kids. All of the following products are made from polypropylene and are marked with recycling code #5.

Frostware Tumblers (12, 20 & 30 oz)

Frostware 24oz Bowl

Frostware 10″ Plate

Sip-a-Cup

Sip-a-Bowl

8oz Juice Sipper

Divided Plate

Plate

IKEA

IKEA’s Stated Commitment: “IKEA works to ensure that products and materials are environmentally adapted and are safe for our customers from a health perspective. As part of our business idea, we insist on keeping costs low and always try to use resources wisely when designing our products. We strive to use renewable and recyclable materials in our products.” You can locate an IKEA store near you here.

Children’s Tumblers

Children’s Bowls

Children’s Plates

Children’s Utensils

ZAK! Designs

Safe Mama did some digging and found out that all of their children’s dinnerware is BPA free. Their cups are made from polypropylene (#5). Their plates and bowls are made from melamine, which I have to admit, we still have some reservations about, although it is BPA free. In the research we’ve done so far, melamine seems to be a very durable and stable plastic. Our concern comes in to play when it’s used improperly in the microwave. We’ll keep you updated on our findings.

Stay tuned - we’re working on gathering photos for the next brand and will add many more options soon!

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

Filed under: Arrow, IKEA, Laptop Lunches, Preserve, Safer Kids Cups and Dishes, Think Sport Kids Bottle | Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

« Chick in the Kitchen Locates BPA Free Kids Cups Adiri Natural Nurser Wins 2008 Medical Design Excellence Award »

21 Responses to “Safer Kids Cup and Dish Guide”

  1. olga, on April 10th, 2008 at 6:01 am Said:

    thank you. i look forward to seeing more brands here (hopefully ikea will make the list too)

  2. kelly, on April 10th, 2008 at 8:50 am Said:

    very timely post! i have been meaning to email you this — i contacted the Crocodile Creek company to find out if their plate sets had BPA in them. they replied that “they do not contain BPA”.

    hope this helps!

    best,
    kelly

  3. softlanding, on April 10th, 2008 at 8:52 am Said:

    Hi Olga,

    You must have felt our vibes! IKEA is now a part of our list :)

    Alicia

  4. softlanding, on April 10th, 2008 at 8:52 am Said:

    Hi Kelly,

    Thanks! We also appreciate the info on Crocodile Creek dishes.

    Alicia

  5. Kathy, on April 11th, 2008 at 12:30 pm Said:

    Oh totally…I’ve been yammering about these IKEA dishes for months. I love them and they are totally affordable.

  6. Bridget, on April 13th, 2008 at 6:49 pm Said:

    Thanks for the dishes info! I’m wondering where melamine is on the risk spectrum?

  7. carrie, on April 15th, 2008 at 6:41 am Said:

    I too would like to know about melamine? Could you post on this? I know alot of the controversy over it was in the powder form being put in dog food (yuck!) but I think it is a safe option for “plastic”. Though I do think itmay be a #7…I do not think it has BPA in it. Do yo know??

  8. Danielle, on April 16th, 2008 at 7:34 am Said:

    What about dishes made from melamine? I thought I read somewhere that it is safe.

  9. Learning Your Way Around Bisphenol-a (BPA) « The Soft Landing Blog, on April 16th, 2008 at 6:50 pm Said:

    [...] Safer Kids Cup and Dish Guide [...]

  10. ellie, on April 16th, 2008 at 10:42 pm Said:

    where is the Laptop Lunches sets made in? please say not in china!

  11. softlanding, on April 17th, 2008 at 7:02 am Said:

    Hi Ellie,

    Here’s an excerpt from the Laptop Lunches FAQ:

    “Our Laptop Lunch bento sets, bento bags, bento sleeves, and ice packs are made in Northern California. Our carrying cases, water bottles, lunch jars, and travel flasks are made in China. The How to Make a Healthy Lunch DVD and the Laptop Lunch User’s Guide come from Southern California.”

    Best,

    Alicia

  12. Nadine, on April 25th, 2008 at 7:03 am Said:

    Does anyone know if the snack trap is a safe container?
    Thanks!

  13. BPA free dishes for kids « Family Health & Parenting, on April 28th, 2008 at 11:21 am Said:

    [...] 28, 2008 The Soft Landing has a great guide for kid-friendly dishware that is BPA free. And more suggestions may be found [...]

  14. Melanie, on May 3rd, 2008 at 3:33 pm Said:

    I just got a Laptop Lunches Bento Box Set based on your recommendation and love it. I just wished that the inner container set came with more lids so that I could store more of my 16 month old’s food. For now, I have to cut or mash any of his foods that I bring after we get to our destination. I’m sure when he’s older this won’t be an issue. Thanks again for the recommendation.

  15. Reeda, on May 10th, 2008 at 4:59 am Said:

    I was just wondering if Tupperware kids plastics are safe? We have just bought some and hope that they will be added to the list

  16. Kelly, on May 10th, 2008 at 2:14 pm Said:

    I’m trying to find the “right” stainless steel water bottles for our family… haven’t seen any direct reviews of the obentec ones (the “laptop lunches stainless steel water bottles”), and only a couple reviews of the thinksports… I don’t suppose anyone could either point me toward some reviews, or give me some feedback? :-)
    I just want to know about leaking, ease of use, durability, you know… that kind of thing.

  17. softlanding, on May 11th, 2008 at 7:09 am Said:

    Reeda,

    It’s been tough getting info from Tupperware, especially on their children’s line. ZRecs.com was finally able to get the materials list from them and it looks like they have some non-polycarbonate options for kids, but they also have make some containing BPA. You can find the complete list here.

    Hope that helps,

    Alicia

  18. softlanding, on May 11th, 2008 at 7:11 am Said:

    Kelly,

    You’re so right - that’s a topic that needs more discussion!

    We’ll take your suggestion and get busy writing a review of the stainless bottles right away.

    We’ll try to post it for you soon,

    Alicia

  19. Carolyn, on May 29th, 2008 at 12:29 pm Said:

    hi,
    Just wondering about Ikea, I see that their rainbow line of dishes is safe, but does anyone know about their other dishes? ( e.g. I remember seeing a cute set with dish, sippy cup and utensils in a penguin theme… ) When i first heard about the rainbow set, I was told that it was because all of their stuff is approved for sale in Europe, where BPA is not allowed, which should apply to all of their dishes. However, i don’t know if this is true or not. Anybody know?

  20. Passionate Homemaking » Blog Archive » Avoiding Harmful Plastic Products, on June 4th, 2008 at 4:17 pm Said:

    [...] reveal what products are safe for your baby in every area from bibs, to bath toys, to pacifiers, to safe cups and dishes. A great resource! Definitely do a little research before buying all the plastic gadgets for [...]

  21. JudiAU, on July 3rd, 2008 at 10:20 am Said:

    We have those IKEA dishes. They are microwave and dishwasher safe too!

    I just got a new Pottery Barn Kids catalog in the mail. Their new line of cool-looking food containers are polycarbonate and the bibs are PVC. Why are they launching an unsafe line? Gross. I am going to complain and I suggest you do to.

    California has a law requiring that cancer-causing products be labeled at the point of purchase (i.e. Prop 65). One of our local grocery stores (Gelsons) had a huge sign over their small baby section with a Prop 65 warning and a note saying that they were searching for a BPA-line to use. (Most of the stuff was Gerber). I was really impressed.

Leave a Reply