Lifefactory Glass Beverage Bottles

Glass is a trusted material that has been used for years throughout houses and the world! It is 100% recyclable and negates worries of toxic chemicals leached by many plastics. The glass and polypropylene cap can be recycled curbside in most cities, while the silicone sleeve may be shipped back to Lifefactory for recycling.

Glass is also taste-friendly, and does not hold odors or stains like plastics or metals can do. And if you're someone who weighs the social impacts along with environmental impacts in your purchases, you'll be happy to know that these bottles are made in France, Poland, and the USA. 

The sleeve is removable, but the entire bottle is dishwasher-safe or easily rinsed in the sink. After many washes, it still looks like new and we have not experienced any problems such as cracking of the silicone or fading. The bottle we tested is lovingly known as the "grape bottle" in our house, due to it's royal purple sleeve with circle cut-outs - and we absolutely adore it's design!

But....if you're like me, you're a bit hesitant to hand your child anything made of glass for fear of it shattering and cutting little fingers. It took me a few days of using this water bottle on my own to overcome this fear. First of all, the silicone sleeve does a great job of providing grip and lessening the chance of dropping. Secondly, the sleeve wraps around the entire bottle including the base edges, meaning that if and when you accidentally drop it, it is unlikely to break easily. 

I found myself becoming more careless with its handling as the days went on, treating it more like one of our metal bottles, but it did not break. I'm confident in recommending this to our readers because it really performed exceptionally well and has so many benefits that you cannot find outside of glass. You may love it as we do, or you may not, but one thing is sure -- you need to give it the chance to impress you!

Available in a wide variety of colors (15+) and sizes (4-22oz).

Price: $12.49 - 21.99 US

VISIT LIFEFACTORY.COM

Sigg: Reusable Bottles, Dishwasher-safe Design

Reusable water bottles are not only the environmentally friendly choice, but the healthier choice! Whereas plastic bottles deteriorate over time, breaking down to release toxins into your drinks, reusable aluminum and stainless steel bottles such as those made by Sigg, are long-lasting and non-toxic.

We've all seen oodles of brands lining the store shelves and websites when looking for a reusable water bottle to purchase. How do you know which one you should choose? We have tested a substantial amount of reusable drink containers over the years and one thing is for certain, if you want high quality, Sigg is definitely one to consider!

We have tested a children's Sigg bottle identical to the one pictured above, solidly for over one month. This is the first painted bottle that has not chipped, cracked, or in some other way cosmetically flawed with regular dishwasher cycles. And whether by simple luck or design, it has not sustained the usual dents that metal canister bottles are known for either.

The .3L Busy Bee Sigg kids bottle is lightweight and sized perfectly for little hands. The flip top cap covers the spout which opens easily with a twisting motion. Due to the twisting motion required, it cannot be opened by very small children, thus preventing spills. Also due to this spout design, it's likely to last much longer than it's up-down pull-push spout counterpart which is gnawed on to open/close.

To check out all available sizes, designs, and accessories, visit their website!

Sigg Website

EIO Glass Silicone Sleeve Cup

"You shouldn't have to be a rocket scientist to choose safe products for your family! And now you don't. Life just got easier with 50+ brands of eating gear, toys and skincare - each confirmed free of BPA, PVC, phthalates and melamine. Also cadmium and lead-safe." -TheSoftLanding.com

TheSoftLanding.com provided us with an EIO Kids Cup ($15 US) for review of both the product and their customer service as an eco-friendly, non-toxic retailer! As far as their customer service goes, the product arrived quickly and packaged well, not excessively, within days after placing the order. All replies have been prompt and courteous. And the idea of having a single store that you can trust has already done all the legwork of finding and carrying only the safest products, is super convenient!

The EIO Kids Cup consists of an 8 oz. glass canning jar, polypropylene screw on lid, and silicone sleeve. This is not a spill proof cap, it is more of the style of a travel coffee lid with a single indented slit on one side. This design helps to teach kids proper sipping technique the same way as they would with a regular glass but without the ability to accidentally pour all of the drink into their face if tilted too quickly or far. The lid and sleeve fit most 8 oz canning jars so you don't need to buy many of these to have a full supply of kid-friendly cups! The silicone sleeve helps with grip and also protects the glass if dropped. We would like to see an improvement in the design that allows the silicone sleeve to wrap onto the bottom of the cup, as it is right now, it easily slides across surfaces which could cause more accidents than a silicone grip bottom. Another nice feature of glass is that it can be sanitized without breaking down or discoloring, and you can even use it for warm teas and cocoa without problem. We recommend this product for 3+ years of age.

Our 3 year old tester for this product commented that is makes the drink "bubbly" - apparently the way he is sipping from it. Either way, he really enjoyed using this cup.

Visit TheSoftLanding.com

Baby: The Sippy Cup from thinkbaby

At some point in the first year of life, you look at your not-so-little baby and realize that they're not so much a baby anymore, but an increasingly active toddler, with their own needs, wishes, and demands. I reached that point later and later with subsequent children - pushing back the introduction of solid foods and drinking cups. In fact, with our youngest, I have been so wrapped up in keeping him a baby, that I completely forgot to introduce him to a bottle within the first weeks of life (as is recommended by many doctors) and the 5 month introduction to sippy cups flew right on by unnoticed as well. So here we are, at nearly 10 months old, with a 100% breastfed child who is completely unfamiliar with any type of drinking spout.

The challenge that lies before is to find a sippy cup that meets all of our requirements, which are:

• non-toxic (BPA-free, phthalate-free, PVC-free, etc)
• simple design
• easy to clean with few parts
• lightweight for ease of lifting
• easy to drink from

For this particular review, thinkbaby sent us their 9 oz sippy cup ($8.49 US) to try out! thinkbaby is known for their safe baby products and innovative designs.

Since it is said that pictures speak louder than words, I'd like to preface this review with several snapshots. These photos are posted in the order taken, and as this is the first time the baby has tried any sippy cup, the natural curiosity is captured with this fascinating new thing that provides drink.

The soft silicone spout is soft on the baby's gums and teeth, but will likely need to be replaced a few times per year due to inevitable chewing. This sippy cup reminds me more of a bottle than a cup, due in part to the soft silicone spout which is very similar to a bottle nipple; thus I would rate this product best for those in the earliest stages of transition to self-drinking. The handle is very easy for a young child to grasp and the amount of tilt to receive fluids is reasonable. The absolutely best feature on this product is that it does not leak - it is 100% spill-proof out of the package! And by this, I mean, the baby tried and tried upside-down while shaking it full of water to get it to spill and it just didn't happen. For conquering this feat alone, I award the thinkbaby sippy cup the honorable "juice worthy" award!

Shop thinkbaby!

Art-inspired, Stainless Steel Bottles from Earthlust

Hydration with style.

Description: All bottles are custom designs - not stock bottles - mostly limited edition - new art is always arriving! Each bottle comes with a high quality carabineer (hook to attach to belt loop, backpack, or bag strap). Optional sports tops are available for all sizes.

Ingredients: Stainless steel (18/8), non-toxic paints, BPA-free polypropylene caps

Available sizes: 16 oz, 20 oz, 1 liter

Prices: $16/ 18/ $21 US

These days, everywhere you look, there is a reusable water bottle on the shelf at the store. Most people assume the toughest decision they need to consider when buying one is the price and what pattern they want. The problem is, they are NOT all created equally as far as quality and materials go. In fact, many are coated with plastic (no, you cannot tell just by looking at them), decorated with likely toxic paints, and most people cannot tell the difference between aluminum, stainless steel, or other mixed metals. The problem with this being that there are safety and contamination concerns with many mined metals. Case in point, you are likely going to be using this item quite often and you don't want to be drinking tainted water.


Earthlust is a well-known and trusted company that not only supplies uncoated, high quality stainless steel bottles, but they are stylish as well! You can effectively have your cake and eat it too (or drink it)! For our review, we stored away our beloved Kleen Kanteens and used Earthlust's 20 oz bottle in green parsley (shown) for two weeks. Immediately, we noticed several key benefits to the Earthlust bottle:

• Earthlust 20 oz bottles are tall and skinny! This means they easily fit into standard cupholders where many other brands of reusable bottles do not!
• The cap doesn't have any hidden internal ridges, so it's much easier than other brands to clean and it doesn't collect dirty water/particles in the dishwasher!
• With the included clip, it never got left behind because it was attached to the diaper bag, purse, backpack, or belt loop always!

On top of the differences mentioned above, we also found that the Earthlust bottles do not dent as easily as most others we have tested,  the external paint coating does not chip easily, and the artsy design really is appealing. You can display your personality and mood by selecting the best fitting water bottle for that day, much like you would accessorize with a pair of shoes or purse, you can now express yourself with your water bottle!

 

Shop Earthlust