When feeding your little one, remember that the container as well as the contents could affect the baby’s health.

Bottle battle: Is plastic the best choice?

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Recent news of rocket fuel in baby formula has many parents rethinking what goes into their babies’ bottles. But what about the bottle itself? Between glass, with its potential to break and leave pointy shards all over your floor, and plastic, which has been in the news because of the chemicals it can release, it can seem like a difficult choice. Which is better?

THIS: Glass baby bottle

Pros: Glass is a completely inert material that poses no health problems, and neither hot nor warm liquids cause the material to break down (as they do with plastic). Also, glass can be recycled as often as needed.

Cons: Breakage is a major concern, and the fact that glass is heavy makes lightweight plastics an attractive alternative. From an environmental standpoint, glass manufacturing is a very energy-intensive process.

THAT: Plastic baby bottle

Pros: Plastic is lightweight, and plastic bottles labeled #5 (polypropylene, or PP) haven’t been found to leach any hazardous chemicals (yet). Also, it’s unlikely to break if it falls on the kitchen floor.

Cons: Environmentally, plastics are difficult to recycle, and when they are, they can only be reused a few times before the material loses its integrity. Healthwise, plastics raise a lot of issues. Bisphenol ABisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical produced in large quantities for use primarily in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. (BPA), a chemical used to make rigid-but-shatterproof polycarbonate plastic baby bottles, is being scrutinized from every angle right now, since scientists have linked it to everything from diabetes and obesity to hormone disruption and developmental problems. BPA leaches out of plastics when they’re exposed to hot liquids or acidic materials, and a federal bill to ban the substance in children’s products has been introduced in Congress. Most major bottle manufacturers—Playtex, Gerber, Evenflo, Avent, Dr. Brown, and Disney First Years, to name a few—have already removed the chemical from their products and replaced polycarbonate with newer materials. But those haven’t undergone the same safety testing other plastics have.

THIS OR THAT?

THIS. Go with glass. There are safer plastics that are free of BPA, but glass is best if you want total assurance that your baby won’t be exposed to chemicals that seem safe now but may turn out to be bad news down the road. And those health benefits far outweigh the environmental costs of glass manufacturing. WeeGo, a line of glass bottles sold at Amazon.com, even wraps their bottles with silicone sleeves to protect them from shattering all over your kitchen floor.