Evenflo Glass Bottles are Healthy (non-plastic), Sturdy, Cheap, and Generally Well-Designed
Written: Sep 19 '07 (Updated Sep 20 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cheap, thick glass, not plastic, environmentally friendly, sterilizing is great (durable)
Cons: Glass can break (of course), latex nipples, heavy
The Bottom Line: These glass bottles are easy to clean and will last for as long as they don't break. Without the additional concerns of plastic, these are an easy choice!
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| Javelina's Full Review: Evenflo Glass Nurser |
With a lot of controversy surrounding plastic baby bottles (and plastics involved with food storage), I started looking for alternatives. I originally started using non-breakable plastic bottles, including Dr. Brown’s. Although the controversy is currently a hotly-debated topic, I don’t see any reason to take any chances. I bought some Born Free bottles (Bisphenol-A free plastic) but they are expensive and I wanted more bottles on hand. I took a quick look for glass bottles and lucked out at Babies R Us, as they carried Evenflo brand glass bottles.
Evenflo glass baby bottles
I found these bottles at Babies R Us, in their store. They were the only brand of glass bottles that were offered, and I have not seen glass bottles elsewhere (although we have very few baby stores near me). They offered the bottles in both 4 oz and 8 oz sizes. My 8 oz bottles came in a 3-pack for $4.99.
The bottles are clear glass and have markings as to oz and mls. They are tall and narrow. They come with caps and latex nipples, and you can purchase other nipples (silicone, different flows, etc.).
Plastics & Bisphenol-A
From http://www.bisphenolafree.org/
“Bisphenol-A is a hormone-disrupting chemical considered to be potentially harmful to human health and the environment. It has been known that scratched and worn polycarbonate feeding bottles will leach this chemical into liquids.”
My Thoughts & Experiences
Although the plastic bottle issue is debatable, I don’t want to take risks. For $5 for three bottles, I didn’t need any more of an incentive.
~ ~ ~ Pros ~ ~ ~
▪ glass, not plastic: Yes, it’s a debate. But I don’t want to take chances, and plastics can leach, which brings me to…
▪ no wear and tear: unlike my plastic baby bottles, I can use the harshest, scratchiest brush I want – and the bottles won’t get scratched up. No more of that hazy, scratched up appearance. I can put these in the dishwasher, heat them up to as hot of a temperature as you would like, without worrying. The bottles won’t melt, and despite hot temperatures, won’t leach. (Plastic bottles can melt or leach even more in hot temperatures).
▪ sterilization is a breeze!: Just to pound in my previous point – these are safe in the dishwasher, safe to boil, safe to scrub the heck out of! I don’t have to use a “sponge on a stick” baby bottle brush, or worry about using a gentle bottle brush. I can scrub as harshly as I want, get in those corners and scrub away anything that could possibly harbor germs and bacteria.
▪ clear, thick glass: These are not wimpy glass bottles. The bottles are completely clear, so no matter what happens, you can read the markings. I have had some numbers rub off other bottles, but that is not a concern with these bottles.
▪ cheap: I am pretty sure these are the cheapest bottles I have come across. I could be wrong, but I am sure that the average price of a bottle is higher than just a few dollars a piece.
▪ environmentally friendly: glass is infinitely recyclable, and there are not environmental issues involving their production like plastics.
▪ Micro Air Vents™ - supposedly these are built into the nipples to reduce air going into baby’s tummy.
▪ Dr. Brown’s nipples fit on these bottles: As I mention below, I am not a fan of the latex nipples these come with, not to mention how these bottles don’t have any vent system. However, the Dr. Brown’s inserts and nipples fit right on these bottles! I don’t know how effective the venting system is in the Evenflo bottles, but they do fit!
~ ~ ~ Cons ~ ~ ~
▪ glass is breakable: Yes, we all know glass is breakable. I am more careful with these bottles, and I am much more likely to use these at home instead of taking them “on the road” so to speak (literally and figuratively!). The first day I had these, I put all three on my bottle drying rack, and the rack tipped from the weight of the bottles. Again, just something to be cautious about. I have not broken one of these bottles, so I can’t say how easy they are to break. They have fallen on carpeted floor, but I haven’t dropped any on tile or hard floors, so I cannot comment.
▪ latex nipples: I was disappointed that these bottles came with non-silicone nipples. Most bottles come with silicone, and my daughter hates the latex. As soon as I stick a latex nipple in her mouth, she scrunches up her face and spits it out! Fortunately, they sell packs of silicone nipples for very cheap (I believe a 2-pack was about $4).
▪ venting system: The bottles I choose generally have some kind of insert, air-flow or venting system (Dr. Brown’s, Playtex VentAire, Born Free, etc). I was disappointed these Evenflo bottles come with vents only in the nipples, and I’m not sure how effective they are. (However… see above – the Dr. Brown’s inserts fit). I cannot comment on the Evenflo venting nipples because I do not use them.
▪ heavy: these bottles are definitely heavier than a plastic bottle. When my daughter is old enough to hold her own bottle, I will stick with plastic bottles (Born Free), but in the mean time, I do feel the heavy weight in my hand. It isn’t particularly cumbersome to hold. Glass is also a little more slippery, so combined with the weight, I am a little more cautious when washing (water and soapy water!) and I would certainly be more careful with a child who might have wet, sweaty, “drooly” hands.
Overall
These bottles are a fantastic price and there are no worries about sterilization, durability (in terms of long-term wear and tear), or plastics issues. It is interesting how generations change, because years ago, there were only glass bottles, but now most everything is unbreakable plastic. When my daughter gets older and can hold her own bottles, I will probably have to use Born Free bottles, but for now I will stick with the Evenflo glass bottles.
Evenflo: http://www.evenflo.com/
Born Free: http://www.newbornfree.com/
Recommended:
Yes
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