Are Glass Baby Bottles Better than Plastic? [Pros + Cons]

Are you in this article because you are a soon-to-be mom (or parents) trying to figure out the best baby bottles for your baby?

Maybe, you are like me, who has been using baby bottles for so long and has only pondered about plastic baby bottles and glass baby bottles because a friend told you so.

Nevertheless, I am with you, and we will venture into parenthood by asking ourselves “Are glass baby bottles better than plastic baby bottles?”

Let’s get this feeding concern started!

Are Glass Bottles Better than Plastic Ones?

Yes! Glass baby bottles are BETTER than plastic baby bottles because they have NO toxic chemicals, including Bisphenol A or BPA.

BPA is often present in polycarbonate plastic, a staple in producing plastic bottles and other materials.

Experts say it can be hazardous to an infant’s brain development, mainly when there are BPA chemicals leaching into the baby’s formula that the baby drinks.

BPA leaches from bottles, especially when made out of plastics.

The production of infant formula packaging, baby bottles, sippy cups, and lids became BPA-free after the FDA banned BPA production in these products.

The absence of BPA, phthalates and other toxins makes glass baby bottles SAFE!

However, glass tends to be heavy and breakable compared to plastic baby bottles. These glass bottles are also expensive.

Benefits of Glass Bottles

If you want to buy glass baby bottles for your baby’s milk formula or water, here are the benefits that you can expect!

Dishwasher Safe

As working parents, we need baby bottles that cannot be that time-consuming to clean and can keep up with our busy lives.

For that, a glass bottle is what we need!

With glass baby bottles, you do not need to worry about manually washing your baby’s milk bottle, as the dishwasher can do the job for you!

As these are dishwasher safe, you can now tick off from your list of worries the melting of bottles when exposed to heat, particularly in dishwashers.

This means you can sterilize and dish wash all you want!

These glass baby bottles can be efficiently cleaned by dishwashers or soapy water without milk formula residue and, most importantly, without damaging the bottle.

Although it can be costly, with this kind of performance, you will surely get the best out of your money.

No Harmful Chemicals

Aside from helping in multitasking, glass baby bottles can be safely consumed by babies as it does NOT have any harmful chemicals leaching and is not susceptible to heat damage.

In particular, glass baby bottles are BPA-free and phthalates-free.

Studies show that these two, present in almost all plastic bottle products, show significant risks to children’s overall development and hormones.

Environment-Friendly

Another favorable aspect of using glass baby bottles is that it is environmental-friendly! You can reuse these glass baby bottles for a long time without losing their quality.

With these, you do not need to buy baby bottles monthly or yearly. Also, manufacturers can use recycled glass to form other glass bottles if you break one.

These make you help the environment as you contribute to lessening the non-biodegradable wastes in the world!

Risks of Glass Bottles

With the benefits come the risks. In purchasing and using glass baby bottles, here are the risks that you need to be mindful of:

Expensive

Glass baby bottles have higher prices because of how they are produced and the materials used to ensure their longevity and efficiency.

Yet, glass bottles last more and are reusable for as long as it does not break!

This means you can still save a lot of money in the long run as your buying pattern for baby bottles limit by the year.

Break Easily

A glass baby bottle can easily break if your babies drop it from a higher place into a hard surface.

As it breaks, you can watch your money and breast milk formula fall!

However, there have been changes in how manufacturers produce their glass bottles.

Nowadays, most use tempered glass, borosilicate glass, and silicone sleeves to protect the bottles from breaking.

These innovations also made glass baby bottles more durable and safe in high temperatures and even low-temperature settings.

Heavy for Baby

If you intend to let your baby hold the glass bottles, these may be too heavy for them to carry. Also, it will be difficult for traveling parents like you, as it will add weight to your baggage.

Nevertheless, if you are always at home and you have figured out a way to help your babies hold their bottles without the risk of shattering glass, this is not that big of a problem.

Benefits of Plastic Baby Bottles

For you to choose the better option between glass bottles vs. plastic baby bottles, you also have to weigh the benefits of a plastic baby bottle.

Here are some to consider.

Affordable

Plastic bottles are easy to manufacture and have inexpensive materials, which makes these bottles AFFORDABLE.

Also, you can easily buy it on the market or any online site as it is everywhere. If you break one due to exposure to a higher temperature, you can easily replace it.

Lightweight

These plastic bottles weigh lighter than glass bottles which make these easy to hold for babies and easier for us parents to carry in our diaper bag wherever we go.

With these, you do not need to worry anymore about the constant slipping of baby bottles from your baby’s hands, which also saves the milk product inside.

Does Not Break Easily

The benefit that separates plastic bottles from glass is that it is not as breakable as the latter.

Plastic baby bottles will not make you worry about shattered glass when your babies drop them, as it can injure or hurt you and your baby.

Moreover, plastics are durable and can be efficiently designed into ergonomic shapes so your baby can hold them well enough to avoid sliding and falling out of hands.

Risks of Plastic Baby Bottles

A better perspective comes when you also consider the risks of using plastic baby bottles. These things are what you need to be wary of:

With Harmful Chemicals

Some plastic bottles have BPA and phthalates, which are known ingredients in every plastic product.

Although the FDA banned BPA in 2012 for baby bottles and sippy cups sold, some still have slight traces of BPA, especially older plastic bottles manufactured before the FDA decision.

Moreover, BPA and phthalates combined can cause the following diseases and health problems:

• Diabetes
• Certain cancers
• Obesity
• Allergies
• Asthma
• Damaging issues in estrogen
• Reproductive system problems in early puberty

Unsafe in Higher Temperatures

The harmful chemicals in plastics make them unsafe when exposed to too much heat, like in a bottle warmer, resulting in leach chemicals.

With this, babies’ immune systems can be put at risk as BPA and phthalates cause health complications like the mentioned diseases above.

Also, consuming these chemicals, which try to seep into the plastic bottles during heat damage, can disrupt the brain development and behavior of infants and children.

Challenging Cleaning Pattern

To clean baby bottles, you must sanitize them or put them in dishwashers. However, you cannot do these as the chemicals may react with the heat, affecting your baby.

This gives you one option: Manual handwashing.

This is okay for those who enjoy cleaning plastic baby bottles by hand. However, this can be very time-consuming, and you cannot ensure it is squeaky clean.

Nevertheless, a good bottle brush can help you out!

Alternatives to Glass and Plastic Bottles

I do not want you to think that your options are only limited to plastic and glass bottles.

In fact, there are other baby bottles you can choose from that cancel out most or even all the concerns from glass and plastics.

These are the stainless steel bottles and silicone bottles.

Silicone Baby Bottles

A silicone baby bottle with a silicone sleeve is BPA-free and flexible, meaning your baby can throw it anywhere without the danger of breaking it.

Yet, you need to be aware that it can easily change shape; the silicone sleeve can wear out, just like the baby bottle nipples, because it is bendable and bite-able.

Stainless Steel Baby Bottles

A stainless steel bottle is made from food-grade materials, BPA-free, and does not contain any harsh chemicals that can harm your baby’s health.

The best part is you can sterilize it for quite some time in boiling water without the risks of damaging the bottle and leaching chemicals.

EXTRA TIP: If you have a premature baby, choose any of these baby bottles for preemies to make feeding time for them easier!

Conclusion

With these facts on a glass baby bottle vs. plastic baby bottles, what is the real deal? The truth is a glass bottle is a BETTER alternative to plastic bottles.

Choose glass baby bottles and other non-toxic food storage containers as they have NO toxic chemicals, can be sanitized, cleaned on a high-temperature surface, and are reusable, making them environmentally approved.

Nonetheless, if this is an expensive option for you and you are worried about glass breaking, you should go with plastic bottles.

The most important thing to note is what baby bottles your baby is comfortable with and enjoys drinking milk from.

So, what are you waiting for? Get the best glass baby bottles on the market and enjoy your baby bottle feeding!

FINAL TIP: For more natural feeding product options, you can check out this guide!