An Unusual (But BPA-Free) Holiday Suggestion

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I’m a longtime Tupperware fan. I’ve been using it since before microwaves were invented. (Okay, not actually true. Microwave ovens were first sold in 1947). I’ll say that my family was a relative latecomer to the microwave era. Now I don’t know how we ever lived without it.

But with the miraculous dose of non-ionizing radiation that cooks and heats our food comes risks. The risks aren’t from the microwave radiation, necessarily. It’s from the containers we place in the microwave to cook our food.

Years ago, we’d stick any old piece of Tupperware in the microwave and heat up our leftover. It didn’t really occur to us that if the cheese was melting the sides of the plastic that we might be ingesting some of those plastic polymers. Then we learned about the chemicals that are leeched during the heating process.

The whole term BPA-free caught me a little off guard. I bought a whole line of Tupperware made from polycarbonate because it was supposed to be extremely durable, stain resistant, and versatile in the kitchen. I still have it and I still use it. But unfortunately, I learned that polycarbonate is made from a monomer known as bisphenol-A. If you’re a parent, you know it as BPA.

The debate about the uses of BPA with food substances didn’t really come into the spotlight until after my son had moved on to sippy cups. You know, right after I weaned him off of his Dr. Brown’s polycarbonate bottles. So far, we have all our limbs intact so I’m hoping that whatever risks there are from BPA stays at bay.

Of course, once I knew about BPA and the possible risks, I avoided it as much as possible. And manufacturers of any kids’ food and drink products were quick to promote if their products were “BPA-free,” a label I’d recommend that any parent out there pay attention to.

So now I come to the crux of this post. Yes, I realize it took me a long time to get there. The crux of the post is that I have found some really awesome kids cups that will make you forget you ever heard the term BPA-free.

Do you know the best way to relieve yourself of wondering what plastics are being used in your cups and which ones are BPA-free? DON’T USE PLASTIC. So what’s a mom (or dad) to do?

Kid Basix decided to rethink all those plastic sippy cups. BY GETTING RID OF THE PLASTIC!

Kid Basix created The Safe Sippy Cup as a completely different alternative to traditional sippy cups. The body of the cup is made entirely of stainless steel with a plastic spout, handles, and sleeve on the cup.

I’m sure you’ll agree that they look and sound awesome. But we’re well beyond the sippy cup stage. So I got a chance to try The Safe Sporter for bigger kids.

What I liked about it:

• It’s made of stainless steel. We have several grown-up cups that we take on the road with us made of stainless steel and we love them.
• It’s available in 2 sizes: 12 oz. lunchbox size (which we tried) and 16 oz. soccer field size
• It’s available in different colors. Yes, that is very important.
• It’s insulated so drinks stay cold for quite some time.
• It’s dishwasher safe. If I have to hand wash, you can just forget it.
• It’s kid tested and approved.

Don’t believe me on that last point? Since this was going to be Evan’s cup, I had him pick out exactly what he wanted and then I put him to work. Here’s his official video review:

So, here are your questions (because I know you have them).

1. Umm, there is still plastic on that cup. How do I know that’s BPA free?

Great question. I wondered that too. Here’s the answer:

“Any plastic used in any of our products is #5 plastic or polypropylene which is the safest and most stable of all plastics. All plastics used are tested free of BPA and phthalates.”

2. I have a baby. I’m not ready for sippy cups and big kid cups yet. Anything for babies?

Why, yes, there is. I think these are by, far, the coolest baby bottles I’ve ever seen.

3. How expensive are they?

I know the way you think. You don’t want to know how much they cost. You want to know how far out of your price range they are. My cup retails for $14.95 but some cups are available for $9.99. I probably wouldn’t buy 10 of these but one or two is perfect for my son.

4. Why are you telling me this now when I’m currently blowing my budget on toys for Christmas?

Sometimes, it occurs to me that my son does not possibly need another toy. And while a cup doesn’t sound too thrilling, he was super excited to get his very own grown-up-looking cup. And it didn’t hurt that it was in his favorite color.

Hope you have fallen in love and I’ve answered all your questions. If not, leave them below!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.