Safe Teethers: Plastic is NOT Fantastic for Baby Toys, Ecobold Blog

Safe Teethers: Plastic is NOT Fantastic for Baby Toys

Learn From the Experts
Safe Teethers: Plastic is NOT Fantastic for Baby Toys

I have a confession. I was one of those first-time parents insanely protective of their new babes. When she was a newborn, I required everybody to scrub their hands as if they were going to perform brain surgery before they were allowed to hold my daughter. I followed the two finger rule every time she was strapped into her car seat. Each shopping trip I sterilized the shopping cart infant seat. I nursed my daughter even after she had a mouthful of teeth and made nearly all of her baby food in my kitchen (with organic produce, of course). Unfortunately, she was born before the dangers of plastic toys for children under 3 made headlines.

Soft plastic baby toys like teethers and rattles often contain substances called phthalates. These plasticizers are added to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products to make them more flexible and durable. Over time, phthalates are leeched from the PVC, especially when exposed to heat or chemicals (that’s why plastics harden). Babies can ingest phthalates by chewing or sucking on a toy that contain these plasticizers, or by just merely touching the item then sucking on their fingers. The health risks of phthalates are many. Phthalates exposure may increase the risk of liver, kidney and testicular cancers, reproductive abnormalities, and autism. Researchers have also found that phthalates interfere with normal brain development. Since babies’ brains are developing at warp speed, and teething babies put everything in their mouths, avoiding phthalate-laden plastic teethers is a safety measure any over-protective parent (like me) should take.

What can parents do to limit phthalate exposure? Luckily, there are plenty of safe, phthalate- or plastic-free options for teething babies out there. Of course, parents will need to do a little homework to find toys without phthalates. Many online eco-baby stores carry teething toys manufactured with plastics that do not contain phthalates (look for phthalate-free label claims). The internet is a good place to find lovely handmade wood or natural fiber teething toys (wood and natural fibers like cotton and wool are innately phthalate-free). If your wee one prefers a hard teether that they can really chomp down on, natural wood toys are the way to go. Just look for toys that are not finished, or made with an organic or natural oil coating. If your little one opts for more pliable toys, then crocheted or knitted teething rings, or blanket buddies made with organic fibers would be a great choice. These items can help ease teething pain-- just soak an organic cotton teether in water and chill it in the fridge or freezer to soothe your little peanut’s sore gums.

After learning about the dangers of plastic teething toys, I started crocheting baby rattles, teethers and amigurumi toddler toys with organic cotton yarn. I strive to make all of my items as safe as I can for babies and children—I only use natural and organic fibers and never use plastic eyes or small felt pieces that are potential choking hazards. My organic teething rings are crocheted with a double layer of 100% organic cotton that has been grown, spun and dyed according to the Global Organic Textile Standard, so parents will never need to worry what chemicals their baby is ingesting every time they put the rings in their mouth. I enjoy giving parents safe, handmade options to plastic teething toys.

This is a "Learn from the experts" guest post by Jolene, owner of locoMOmomma a shop that offers handmade organic teethers for your baby. You can browse her great and affordable teethers here: www.ecobold.com/shops/locoMOmomma