Most new moms don’t need an introduction to Medela. When you’re registering for your baby shower Medela is the brand that pops out at you. The breast pumps, though intimidating, are widely recommended and touted as “best” by doulas and lactation consultants.
Up until now Medela has only supplied women with plastic bottles for breastmilk storage. This week they have expanded their line to include glass bottles. The glass bottles are 8 ounces each and are designed to work with most of the Medela pumps.
Why glass bottles though?
It seems to me that Medela has been a company who consistently puts family health first. There is nothing more healthful than breastfeeding. It’s as green as green gets. It’s the best for Mom and for baby.
Until Mom Can’t. Take. It. One. More. Second.
Until Mom is ready to scream like a banshee if she doesn’t get to sleep through the night.
Until Mom has to go back to work.
There are a plethora of reasons that mothers need want need to bottle feed. Some exclusively, and others as a supplement to the breast. Medela’s polypropylene plastic bottles which have always been BPA-free. There’s something about a glass bottle that thrills me though. According to representatives at Medela, every item that comes in contact with the breast, baby or milk is BPA free.
I like that glass is recyclable with relative ease. I love that glass retains the integrity of the product it stores. I appreciate that Medela glass bottles are both safe and durable.
I worry that glass bottles might not be practical for a life on the run. Those of us with more than one child know that that second (and subsequent) children are all too often fed on the run. Quite often we were at parks, playgrounds, shopping malls or just hanging out in the car when I fed my littlest one. I’m not sure that I’d have wanted to add the extra weight to my diaper bag.
Also, toddlers have been known to fling their bottles about with impunity. (Okay, I realize that only bad mommies still give their toddlers bottles, but I’m fairly certain that I established myself as a bad Mommy long ago).
There are many practical reasons to continue using plastic bottles, but I’d recommend adding in a set of these glass bottles and seeing how it goes. It’s very appealing to Mother Earth. Now let’s see if it’s appealing to us Mommies.
Jessica Gottlieb is a freelance writer in Los Angeles; this is an original post to Eco Child’s Play.
I’ve always LOVED glass bottles. That said, in my world bottles were only used for storage and the occasional Mommy is gone and baby needs milk moments, so we didn’t carry them around (breasts don’t break, leak all over diaper bags, require any mixing, heating or special handling).
By the time the kiddos were 6 months old, anything liquid they received that didn’t come directly from the breast, came out of sippy cups, I was determined not to wean from breast to bottle then to have to wean off bottles!
I appreciate how Medela keeps the plastics safe and I appreciate that they have now introduced glass bottles for those who just want to avoid plastic storage all together!
Cheers!
Jamie
I tried glass bottles for my 2nd. We had 6 Evenflo glass bottles with latex nipples, old school. I was a bad Mommy too, and let him use them until well after his first birthday. My rule was: after you smash the last of these bottles, it’s only sippy cups for you, kid. He adjusted.
Thanks for the info, though I’m long past this stage. Also thanks for championing those of us who had to use bottles. Yes, some of us so-called “bad mommies” had very good reasons for not being able to breastfeed or not being able to breastfeed exclusively. Thanks to Medela for making it possible to do so as greenly as possible.