Eco-Friendly Mama: Safe product recommendations with a focus on organic and Made in USA!

Sippy Cups/bowls/spoons

The best sippy cup is a topic that comes up often! I’m VERY happy to finally have 2 Made in the USA options, although they are not the perfect beginner cup. I always, always strive for using glass whenever possible. When my babe turned ~1 year I purchased a Life Factory bottle (http://www.lifefactory.com/) for him (bottle made in France as well as silicone nipple for baby bottles, silicone sleeve & lid for one cap model made in the USA. One lid is made in Poland). I absolutely loved this bottle, for the 1 week we had it before he managed to shatter it (silicone sleeve & all) by throwing it from his high chair (a $20 bottle!). So, after lots of research I went with a stainless steel Safe Sippy 2 http://www.kid-basix.com/ (NO stainless sippy’s/water bottles are made in the USA, had to order from China), but I felt this was the best option as I was reluctant to go with glass until my babe was a bit older. Now, at 18 months, we have 2 options I’m very happy with. Yes, the lids are plastic (BPA-free of course), and I’m trying really, really hard to rid our house of all plastics, but sometimes it does have a place in a product, until there’s a better alternative, I’m OK with my babe drinking from these! All Mason jars I’ve ever seen are Made in the US, so both these lids make for great, entirely Made in the USA options! He’s thrown Mason jars from various locations many times & not managed to even chip one yet, no sleeve needed!

Re-Cap on the top left (I bought 3 for ~$20.00 w/ free shipping) http://recapmasonjars.com/. My babe generally drinks pretty well with this lid, the only thing I wish was that the opening was a bit smaller, especially for those just learning to drink from a cup. He does sometimes pour some on himself, and is now in a phase where he likes to stuff things in his glasses (food, leaves, etc). I love, love, love these lids on my homemade hemp milk, vinaigrette, bulk maple syrup & more. They are working on a design for wide-mouthed jars currently!

Cuppow on the top right ($11.00 shipped) http://cuppow.com/. I think this is a great product, and only wish I would have come up with it myself! There are wide-mouthed options available also.

Updated 6/23– the above lids made by EcoJarz are NOT made in the USA, but the lids are silicone, which is preferable to plastic, in my opinion. Please read my review of these products, and the stainless straws in the following link. While I would prefer an entirely made in the USA option if a plastic-free alternative existed, I will choose silicone & stainless over plastic whenever the option exists (even if it is BPA-free plastic): https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=683105751705068&set=a.568349859847325.144572.397517646930548&type=1&theater

SILICONE DIVIDED TRAY:

Kiddiebites: http://amzn.to/2kXg1de

BOWLS:

Nova Naturals- wooden baby & toddler spoons, bowls & sets, made in USA: http://www.novanatural.com/growing/dishes-and-utensils/where/feature-group/made-in-the-usa

Camden Rose-wooden children’s spoons & bowls, made in USA. Available from their sister site Palumba (a great company on my Safe Toys List): http://www.palumba.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=spoon, also available on Amazon.

Vermont Bowl Company- http://owgd3.onewebgroup.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=Vtbowl&Product_Code=COLONIAL_Bowl

Pyrex- glass bowls of all sizes. Most people think glass is out of the question with a baby/toddler. I’ve been using Pyrex bowls with my son since he was ~1 year old. He’s just about 3 at this time & we’ve had no issues using Pyrex, not one has broken, a few have a chip here & there. Readily available at any “big box” home store, or online of course. I use Pyrex & mason jars for all my food storage as well! Pyrex is made in the USA!

UTENSILS:

stainless steel spoons are a great option, and I’m so pleased that there are 3 options I know of!!

Origin: https://ecofriendlymamausa.com/2016/05/26/origin-finally-a-made-in-usa-stainless-steel-baby-spoon/

Kleynimals: http://kleynimals.com/product/kleynimals-3-piece-baby-flatware-set/

Liberty Tabletop has some options: http://libertytabletop.com/

Plastic (BPA, PVC & Phthalate-free): Re-play http://dandelionforbaby.com/blog/2012/03/introducing-re-play-recycled-tableware-for-toddlers/

Green Toys: http://www.greentoys.com/greeneats/index.html

Other non-made in USA options:

Onyx offers small stainless plates & divided trays, as well as utensils. NOT made in USA, but many love stainless as an option. http://www.thetickletrunk.com/

Bamboo is a good option as well, for both flatware & utensils, I haven’t found a brand made in the USA yet. Bambu is a good quality brand, I have a few of their kitchen spoons that have held up great!

Possibilities for other cups, which I’ll be looking into some more: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=803895386292770&id=397517646930548