Chick in the Kitchen Locates BPA Free Kids Cups

Dara of the Chick in the Kitchen has been on the same quest we have to find BPA free kids cups. This has not been an easy task by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, we’re still short on options and will continue to keep in the hunt.

It is really amazing to me how much work it has been to find kids’ cups that are plastic, but not plastic made with bisphenol A (BPA) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). (See “An Inconsistent Mom Goes BPA-Free“)

I did find a set of cups in Target (the small tumblers in this set) that looked like they were probably polypropylene (cloudy, hard plastic, listed as dishwasher-safe), but they weren’t labeled with a recycling number or any material information. Customer service in the Mt. Kisco store was unable to help me. I bought them anyway, thinking I’d try to track down the manufacturing information from home, and that I’d just return them if I couldn’t find it. I called Target’s main customer service number, and they had no additional information. But, surprisingly, the rep offered to give me the name of the manufacturer. Even more shocking, it’s an American company — U.S. Acrylic in Illinois. (I figured I’d be attempting to contact China.)

I put in a call to U.S. Acrylic and got a response only a few hours later. The cups are acrylic, but are BPA- and PVC-free, according to the company. For whatever reason, Target elected not to include a recycling number or material information on the mold the cups were made from.

Dara did a fantastic job of stepping up to the challenge and following the process all the way through until she found an answer. You’re inspiring to us, Dara!

Here are a couple of other options for older kids:

  • IKEA Kids Rainbow Cups and Utensils (thanks to Safe Mama for this info)
  • Stackable Steady Cup by Steady Co. – these are hard to find in the US, but we did see them at One Step Ahead
  • FUNtainer by Thermos
  • Nuby Wash or Toss 10oz Cups – they can be found here, and can be used without the sippy lid
  • Kid Kanteen 18oz Water Bottle by Klean Kanteen
  • Think Sport Stainless Steel 12oz Water Bottle – available at The Soft Landing
  • SIGG Kids Water Bottle
  • Sip-a-Cups and 12oz Tumblers by Arrow Plastics – we found them at Walmart (look for the #5)
  • Wave Small and Large Cups by Packerware – we found these at Walmart too (look for the #5)
  • Many of the plastic souvenir cups you get from restaurants (such as the Rainforest Cafe) are made from polypropylene (you can see an example at WNA, Inc., a souvenir cup printing company); just remember to check for the #5 recycling symbol

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  • We love the rainbow Ikea set. The bowls are a great size for little kids, it'd be perfect if they had suction, but all in all, a great set, and the colors are bright and fun.
  • Jennifer Hunter
    I am wondering what parts to the playtex sippy cups are not safe? Is it valve, cup, top, or all? Just hoping to continue to use the cup open if at all safe and free of bpa. thanks.
  • Nicole Kustner
    I just purchased 2 SIGG cup/drink bottles for my sons. I don't see them anywhere on your lists and was wondering if you had any info on them. Obviously the bottle itself is great, but I am curious about the drink spoout.

    I am also curious about Playtex Insulated Straw Cups. It has a #5 on the bottom, but what about the straw?

    I also have Munchkin Insulated Straw Cups. Any word on those? They are not labeled at all.

    Thanks for all your research!!!!
  • Beth Byrd
    Thank you so much! I've been trying to change out all of our plastic for months now - it's been so hard! I'm almost done though :-) I've even switched out our plastic storage containers for glass! Pyrex makes good sizes (FYI) - found them at Target. I had a question though - do we no want to wash ANY of our "plastic" in the dishwasher? Even if it is BPA safe? I'm still not sure how that all plays out.
    Also, to all the readers - take a look at your baby food containers too! I just went to open some food from Gerber Organics (for my 7 month old) and saw the #7 on the bottom of the container! I was so mad! I threw it away.....
    Thanks for all your work! I love this web site!
    Beth
  • taraden
    i just purchased a Klean Kanteen for my son and we love it! Although.... I do wonder about the spout. It came with an Avent spout. So I have emailed Avent to try to find out if it is BPA free. I haven't heard back yet.

    Anyone else have any info???
  • Beth,

    Thank you so much for the wonderful compliment on our research! From what we can tell, it's fine to wash the BPA free dishes in the dishwasher on the top rack. This is mostly due to the fact that high heat can damage polypropylene (which is a softer plastic).

    Take a look at our post on Gerber containers here. You'll be surprised to know that not all #7 plastics are toxic, and Gerber happens to use the non-toxic #7 for their plastic baby food containers.

    Alicia
  • Taraden,

    We love our Klean Kanteen sippy too! Good news - we've confirmed that the Avent spout is BPA free.

    Alicia
  • Melanie Krueger
    How can you tell which #7 plastics are safe and which are not? I recently recycled our Steady Cup by Steady Co. because it had a #7 on the bottom but then saw you list it as a "safe" cup in your post. Their website didn't say anything about being BPA-free. Its all so confusing. We have been very happy with our Klean Kanteen and Sigg bottles so we'll stick with those for now. Your website has been so helpful. Thanks for all your hard work.
  • Melanie,

    You really can't tell unless you contact the company directly to find out what type of #7 plastic a particular item is.

    We spoke with Steady Co. ourselves, and they told us that they are very conscientious about using BPA free plastics in their products. I will say that their website used to list them as BPA free, and now it doesn't.

    We'll make a follow-up phone call to them this week to see what the situation is currently.

    Alicia
  • Bella's Mum
    Go for the SIGG, Klean Kanteen has terrible customer service and they taste metallic. Both are safe though!
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