Simple Ideas for a Less-Toxic Home

Choose Safer Plastics

What you can do to reduce your baby's phthalate exposure:

Toys: Of course, you can try to limit your child to playing with cloth and wooden toys and drinking out of glass bottles, but that's not always practical. Check out this guide to eco-safe toys, from the nonprofit group Healthy Child Healthy World.

Bottles: According to the Children's Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC) you can minimize risk by avoiding polycarbonate bottles, which can be identified by their rigidity and typically have the number seven (#7) imprinted on them. Instead, purchase tempered glass or polyethylene bottles (that bear the symbols: #1, #2, and #5). Both Medela and Evenflo manufacture safer plastic bottles. When using plastic containers, always check for scratches which can collect harmful bacteria. Also, never heat breastmilk or formula in plastic containers; this causes the dangerous chemicals to bleed into your baby's lunch.

Take a look at the CHEC's suggestions for avoiding plastics.