Even without BPAs, should you consider plastic baby bottles?

We know that baby’s first food, milk—either breastmilk or formula—is essential for development and it should be as pure as possible. While all baby bottles are BPA-free, are BPA-free plastic baby bottles the best for baby’s first food, or should you avoid plastic bottles whenever possible?

“Some studies suggest that harmful chemicals leach from any type of plastic–even those that don’t contain BPA—especially when heated,” says Hansa Bhargava, board-certified pediatrician, member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and author of Building Happier Kids. “As a mom myself, I try to store almost all food and liquids in glass containers, and always heat foods in non-plastic containers for my children.”

For the longest time, this created a paradox when it comes to baby bottles: The purity of glass containers is best for milk and formula. However, the durability of plastic is hard to beat. (The last thing any parent wants is for a glass bottle to break while feeding their baby.) As a result, parents were forced to pick between two less-than-perfect options during a particularly critical stage of their child’s development. 

That changed with ChiccoDUO™, a first-of-its-kind hybrid baby bottle that capitalizes on the best features of glass and plastic without the drawbacks of either. Made using a breakthrough medical technology, impermeable, with an Invinci-Glass™ lining on the inside of the bottle, your baby’s milk or formula only touches pure glass. Surrounding that is an unbreakable, crystal-clear, premium plastic bottle. The result is a bottle that is free of BPA, BPS, PVC and Phthalates, yet still durable and lightweight.

How is this possible? Innovative containers with Invinci-Glass™ were first introduced into the pharmaceutical market to eliminate breakage and contamination of liquid injectable drugs. Advanced materials science and engineering were used to blend the best attributes of glass and plastic to protect and preserve the drug formulation for patient safety, says distinguished professor Dr. Glenn Fredrickson, Director of the Center for Advanced Materials and Complex Fluids Design Consortium with the University of California at Santa Barbara.  

A microscopic layer of Invinci-Glass™ is inert, flexible, contaminant-free and ensures the plastic never touches the liquid contents. The same technology in novel pharmaceutical containers was applied to unbreakable DUO baby bottles to ensure milk protection from plastic for either potential leachables or taste changes but no risk of breakage like glass—a combination unmatched by ordinary glass and plastic baby bottles. 

Ingeniously, the two layers are bonded at a molecular level that prevents the interior glass layer from shattering, chipping or breaking. (Amazing fun fact: This is the same technology used for specialty medical products like syringes for injectables put into eyes for macular degeneration and Covid vaccine vials.)

The Invinci-Glass™alone is enough to set ChiccoDUO™ apart—but that’s far from the only advantage the bottles have going for them. In addition to using pure glass for the lining, the bottles feature anti-colic Intui-Latch™ nipples that are accepted by nine out of 10 babies. With only four simple parts, the bottles are also simple to clean and are safe for the dishwasher, bottle warmer, freezer or sterilizer. 

As a board-certified pediatrician, Bhargava recommends exclusively using bottles made of glass, stainless steel or hybrid materials. That’s because, when warmed with breast milk or formula inside, traditional plastic bottles run the risk of leaching chemicals into your baby’s precious food. Not to mention the fact that plastic can release an unappetizing odor or taste when warmed. Those hazards are completely avoided with the pure glass lining in ChiccoDUO™ bottles while you can also feel secure in the knowledge that the unbreakable bottles can withstand falls. 

As a parent, you always want to make the best choices for your child. Thankfully, when it comes to your baby’s bottles, you no longer have to pick between breakable glass or potentially leachable plastic when you now have the benefit of hybrid ChiccoDUO™ bottles. 

Take a closer look at the science behind ChiccoDUO™ bottles and shop the Hybrid Baby Bottle Starter Gift Set.