What About BPA in High Chairs?

What a relief! Thanks! Do you by any chance know if the plastic used in Tupperware is safe for baby? We made sometimes made homemade baby food but stored it in plastic containers. Now I’m wondering if it was a bad idea.. Thanks so much for your vigilance!

I emailed Peg Perego to ask about the Prima Pappa highchair.

A Quality and Compliance Manager at Peg quickly emailed me back to let me know the highchair’s trays are made of polyethalene (sp) and do not contain BPA.

Is there any concern with this plastic? Should I ask him any other questions on ingredients?

Allison,

That’s great news! Polyethylene does not contain BPA and has proven to be a benign plastic thus far.

Thanks so much for sharing!

Alicia

I actually just bought the wooden Graco high chair. I’m wondering, what is ABS plastic?
Thanks!

We have the Graco wooden chair. Is the ABS material used for the plastic tray safe like the polypropylene? I can’t find much online…
Thanks!
~Jen

Jen and Sara,

We’ve been working hard to find research on ABS plastic and will be writing an article addressing its use in children’s products soon.

Until then, everything we’ve found seems to say that ABS is an extremely stable resin that doesn’t leach toxic chemicals into food/water.

One caution to be aware of: it can be combined with polycarbonate (BPA), so you need to be sure what type of ABS is being used.

Alicia

The Svan chair tray cover is also polypropylene

I called Fisher Price a few months ago with this concern. The trays for both the Healthy Care High Chair and the Healthy Care Booster Seats are BPA-free. I was also told that all Fisher Price products made for children under age 3 (this would include high chairs) are phthalate-free.

I emailed and asked about the plastics used in the Organic Nature’s Purest High Chair at Babies R Us and this is the response I received:

“The plastics for the Natures Purest highchair, playard, and the
bouncer:
PVC- it is phthalates free
ABS
Polypropylene
nylon
wheels for the high chair are polyurethane foam
I hope that answers your question.”

I’m not sure what that means, but I figured I’d post it for others. The “safest” high chair I’ve seemed to find so far is the Svan high chairs. They have a new, cheaper model coming out end of this month. http://toadsandtulipsinc.stores.yahoo.net/anhichbysvof.html

Hope that helps someone! This search for a good, safe toxic free high chair has been driving me crazy!

I emailed Stokke and they responded that their tray is BPA and pthalate-free. The rest of the chair is wood, so this seems to be a pretty safe choice.

We got a Chicco Polly high chair that has a double-pad vinyl last November. Obviously, the outer fabric contains 100% PVC, and the filling has 93% polyester and 7% polyurethane. Without realizing about the certain materials which can affect babies (and kids ‘n adults as well), it was purchased just because of the consumer-report reviews.

Yesterday, I decided to ask Chicco for a possible replacement for the fabric pad after sharing my concern regarding PVC and polyurethane. The customer service representative “subtly” neglected my concern since she stated that JPMA considers it as the safe use.

I have had mixed feelings about that high chair lately after I read this book called “Healthy Child, Healthy World”. Any advice (Shall I get rid of it by selling and buying a new eco-friendly, toxic-free high chair? Or shall I just accept to keep it?)

Grace – your concern is valid and understandable.

My first recommendation is to purchase an over the counter Lead Test kit and swab the PVC outer fabric. Sometimes lead is a stabilizer in PVC and if it’s is present, you should either recover the seat or locate another alternative for your child.

Off-gassing is not a concern now, since the chair is not new and this happens in the first few months.

Hope this helps. ctg

Hi, I emailed Graco @ the ABS in the plastic tray cover of the classic wooden high chair. They said the tray does not contain PVC of phthalates.

does anyone know if eddie bauers highchairs are bpa free?

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.

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!!!

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?

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?

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.

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-price-rainforest-jumperoo

http://www.goodguide.com/products/209786-fisher-price-rainforest-melodies-lights-deluxe-g

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.

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

I called Fisher Price today and was told that they meet government standards and do not say one way or another if they are BPA free. I am currently pregnant with my first child and was told that the “Rainforest” pattern may have BPA in it due to warehouse to store can take up to one year.

All three ingredients in ABS are toxic and carcinogenic.
Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) is used as a hard plastic in many applications like pipes, car bumpers and toys (hard building blocks). ABS uses a number of hazardous chemicals. These include butadiene and styrene and acrylonitrile. Acrylonitrile is highly toxic and readily absorbed by humans by inhalation and directly through the skin. Both the liquid and its vapor are highly toxic. Acrylonitrile is classified as a probable human carcinogen as are styrene and butadiene. The U.S. EPA has classified acrylonitrile as an “Extremely Hazardous Substance.”