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What About BPA in High Chairs?

May 3, 2008 by Alicia  
Filed under High Chairs

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A Safe Mama reader posed the question and of course Kathy went right into action to find an answer . . .

Dear Safe Mama, What about my child’s high chair trays? He eats off of it… does it have BPA? Phthalates? The plague? Help!

We’ve been asked a few times what materials high chairs are made of. The focus of all the BPA attention in the news and online has been on bottles and formula. Now that parents are becoming more aware of it they want to know more. Just where does it lurk? High chair trays were a smart place to wonder about since many people serve food off them to their kids, sans plates. I know I did. Why wash two things when you can wash one. But now people are wondering if serving food off them is the best idea in light of BPA. If trays were made of BPA laden polycarbonate plastic, the levels would be low and probably not have the same “danger” associated as bottles. But parents don’t care about “safe levels” anymore and just don’t want it in their products. Period.

Rest easy worried parents. So far it’s looking as though the material of choice for high chair trays is polypropylene (#5 on the recycling scale) and is BPA Free. Resident researcher Safe Mama Jaime did some legwork and called a few high chair companies. Here are the results:

Chicco: Trays are Polypropylene
Graco: All trays polypropylene except the wooden chair uses ABS plastic for the tray
Evenflo: Majestic Tray liners are polypropylene

Of course this isn’t every high chair known to man, but it’s a good indication that trays are mainly BPA Free. However, I have heard from friends that their trays are marked with a #7 on the recycling scale. Flip your tray over and check. If this is the case for you, please call the manufacturer and ask them to tell you what material it’s made of. If you find out please visit us and let us know your findings, either here in the comments or via email and we’ll add to this list.

Thanks Safe Mama for staying on top of these important issues!

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  • Miranda
    Has anyone checked into Ikea's Antilop high chair to see if it is BPA free?
  • Hi Miranda,

    No we sure haven't checked them out here at TSL. You may need to contact IKEA directly to find out for sure.

    Alicia
  • Jessica
    The Good Guide (http://www.goodguide.com/) is an extremely valuable resource. Unfortunately, they have not yet reviewed highchairs. I did find information about some of the toys my child has. I am very disappointed in Fisher Price:

    http://www.goodguide.com/products/209781-fisher...

    http://www.goodguide.com/products/209786-fisher...

    My child plays with these toys on a daily basis, and they have been found to contain heavy metals such as bromine, antimony and Tin. The health performance of these toys is only a 2.5 out of a possible 10.
  • Hi Miranda,

    The Center for Health, Environment and Justice suggests that some chemicals have been found in the air a full 28 days after a new PVC product is brought into the home. Allowing the item to off-gas for an extended amount of time (as you have) should lower the risk of toxins for children. I also suggest that you do not allow your baby to chew on any part of the highchair, since Fisher Price won't share what materials are used or where they're located in the product.

    Hope that helps!

    Alicia
  • Miranda Johnson
    How long does PVC take to off gas? We were given the Fisher Price Healthy Care high chair as a shower gift. We tried to return it but the 30 day window has passed. My son is only 4 months old - if we let it off gas in the basement for 3 months, will it be safe to use? We will make sure to swab it first for lead - has someone already tried this? If so, please let me know what you found.
  • Fiona
    I have been ripping out my hair trying to purchase only safe items for my 5 month old, and I'm still unsure. I own a lot of Fisher Price toys and the Healthy Care Highchair. I called a representative and she was not helpful at all, just saying that their toys meet all the safety standards....yada yada yada. Should I just get rid off all my toys and the highchair? I'm at a loss. I feel like I'm slowly killing my son if I let him play with these toys or use the highchair. Why can't companies just tell us, or have it on the item what it is made of and let us decide if we want it. Why does it have to be a huge secret? Help! Anyone have any advice what I should do?
  • Elizabeth
    Alicia,

    As I've read blog after blog on this website, I've found that different contributors receive conflicting answers from the same companies about the same products... For instance, Shanna and Slin, within this blog about BPA/PVC in high chairs... Am I a cynic or is it possible that these comapnies lie to the consumers (Us), or just make something up when they don't know... and what can we do to resolve this?
  • melissa gazdziak
    Good day everyone. I was wondering if anyone had any insight into the wooden highchairs Eddie Bauer makes as their trays are plastic. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
  • slin
    Shanna, I just called Fisher-Price regarding the Healthy Care Booster seat, and the lady was not very knowledgable and had to scan through several press releases to get all the info. The Booster DOES contain trace amounts of BPA (which they claim to be safe) and it is made of PVC and was not able to tell me whether it was phthalate-free. Too bad.
  • melissa gazdziak
    does anyone know if eddie bauers highchairs are bpa free?
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