Kid Tested and Mom Approved…The Green Things

For the past 5 years we have been hearing more about how important it is to do the GREEN thing.  How important it is to, not only help our planet by reducing waste, but also to protect ourselves and families by reducing exposure to chemicals.  Our society has gone from working on the homestead, with minimal exposure to anything that didn’t grow from the ground or ate that which grew from the ground, to having everything marketed as a convenience item.  “Disposable” this and that, colorful, nonbreakable cups and dishes all had an instant audience with the mom crowd.  The stuff was cheap to make and easy to sell.  Since then, the market has only gone on to make more cool plastic stuff.  And as society does, we started researching and reevaluating what the last generation was doing. Don’t worry, in 20 years, I’m sure this post will be an example of how silly we mothers were in our ignorance of trying to do what was right.

Most of us have probably heard about the dangers of BPA that looms in several places you wouldn’t expect.  While the main dangers lie in the variance of extreme temperatures, it doesn’t make me feel much better.  Most companies jumped on this train and started creating BPA Free products (pregnant mamas and children especially need to choose this option!)   You can find thousands of articles on “Why you should go green” or “Why is plastic so bad” all over the internet.  I’m linking you to an article that shares some very good information (much of what I agree with) about choosing different alternatives for our food and drink containers.

I am going to come right out and tell you that I was raised on the idea of moderation.  I believe in the words that my father spoke over and over and over…”Everything in moderation”.  Our cabinets still have our fair share of plastic cups and plates that were purchased before I was enlightened to sustainable products.  I have slowly tried to change our stash to stainless and glass, although I’m fairly certain I will never get rid of the Hercules collectors plates from McDonalds.  When my oldest was a baby, I bought glass bottles.  I was bound and determined to do things the “old school” way.  But after the sixth one broke, and my husband started saying my name like it was a cuss word, I decided to grab the BPA Free option.  That was four years ago and the market has boomed with glass products.

I am a mom and I want to tell you, a mom or dad, that my destructive children and my clumsy self have found some options that work! (There are two products I haven’t tried on this list, but think highly of the brands and like their other stuff.)  So without further ado, here is my list of favorite products.

1. Thermos FUNtainer / 2. Innobaby Din SMART Stainless Cup / 3. The Safe Sippy 2-in-1 / 4. Hydroflask 12 oz. / 5. Klean Kanteen Sippy and Sport Lid / 6. Klean Kanteen 9 oz Baby Bottle
1. Thermos FUNtainer / 2. Innobaby Din SMART Stainless Cup / 3. The Safe Sippy 2-in-1 / 4. Hydroflask 12 oz. / 5. Klean Kanteen Sippy and Sport Lid / 6. Klean Kanteen 9 oz Baby Bottle

Let me walk you through my list, above.

#1 – The Thermos flip-top lids with straws are fantastic for kids who prefer to have a straw.  We have experienced minimal leaking and it keeps their drinks cold for several hours (read: good for milk).

#3 – This little guy is a great 2-in-1 option.  I had a hard time keeping up with the extra top plug, which prevented spills.  My assessment is, if you have one child, it might be easier to monitor the plugging up of the spout before throwing it in the diaper bag.

#4 – Hydroflask is my favorite out of the bunch.  It is insulated so that it keeps drinks at the temperature that you initially desired for at least 10 hours (Read: GREAT for milk).  The main draw back is that it comes with a screw on lid.  But the good news is…

#5 – the Klean Kanteen lids fit perfectly.  This is what makes up the majority of our cups.  We have two of the Klean Kanteens for each kid and one Hydroflask.  They are not cheap, but they perform well and are extremely hard to break…sustainable.  The one flaw is if you get a fun color in the Klean Kanteen, it will chip as soon as the cup is dropped on the driveway while you try to get everyone in the car.  They are all top rack dishwasher safe, but the Hydroflask colors bubble after a few washes.

#2 and #6 are the only ones I have not tried.  I love the simplicity of this little cup to use at mealtime.  We use small glass jars, but for the stainless route, this one looks great with the handle.  And the baby bottle is another one that I didn’t, but should have, tried when my youngest was taking one.  I can vouch for the brand, Klean Kanteen, and I wanted to include the little-little ones on this list.  I would think you would need to take caution of the material getting too hot, if you plan to heat breast milk in it.  I would probably heat it in another place and transfer to the bottle.  If you own either of these products, please leave a comment and let us know how they work!!

1. Glasstic 16 oz. / 2. Klean Kanteen / 3. Camelbak Glass / 4. Hydroflask
1. Glasstic 16 oz. / 2. Klean Kanteen Insulated / 3. Camelbak Glass / 4. Hydroflask

Why do our kids get to have the cute, sturdy and safe water bottles?  I am trying to be better about consuming more H2O during the day and so I keep mine on a continual rotation.  Glasstic is the coolest and smartest idea when it comes to glass.  Glasstic is a shatter proof bottle, because the glass is enclosed in a plastic case.  Go to their website and watch the videos, it’s great!  The Klean Kanteen and Hydroflask get the same reviews as their child cups: GREAT!   The Camelback has lasted for over a year without breaking.  I’m not sure why it is so much stronger than other glass bottles, but I haven’t had any problems and I love the straw.

1. Din Din SMART Stainless Bus Platter / 2. Lunchbots Trio / 3. Innobaby Din SMART Bowl / 4. Ball Mason Jar / 5. Stainless Straws
1. Din Din SMART Stainless Bus Platter / 2. Lunchbots Trio / 3. Innobaby Din SMART Bowl / 4. Ball Mason Jelly Jar / 5. Stainless Straws

I have absolutely LOVED these compartmental trays for my kiddos.   Both #1 and #2 have lids that fit tight, but are easy for my kids to remove by themselves.  The bus slides perfectly into a backpack for lunch at the park or Science Museum.  And I send my kids to Mother’s Day Out with the Lunchbots box.  As I stated before, we use 8 oz. mason jars for our kids at the dinner table.  When I whip up a smoothie, I pop one of those stainless straws in their cup.  You wouldn’t believe how easy they are to clean compared to a silly straw.

I hope that in some way you have been helped by this review and that maybe, just maybe, you will not have to spend a fortune doing your own test trial.  Happy sipping!

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Anna
Anna is a born and raised Arkansan, transplanted to OKC for her husband’s job. She has 3 fantastic kiddos who are currently three and under. Although she has never taught in the school system, her degree is Family and Consumer Sciences Education is put to use every day in her full time career as a stay at home mom. Anna is also a lifestyle and portrait photographer. She’s Yoga practicing, lover of sewing, cloth diapering, DIY-ing, baby wearing mom who loves to bake with processed sugar. You can keep up with her over at Barefoot Mamma.

5 COMMENTS

  1. I got a Pura Kiki stainless baby bottle and LOVE it. It works great! I’ve tried other stainless bottles that I didn’t love because of leaks. This one is perfection. Anyone looking for a baby bottle should look into these.

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