Sustainable To-Go Essentials for Babies & Kids
By Jaclyn Tracy
Image: Stasher
Full transparency, I am not a mother. But I do have a whole lot of nieces and nephews! With this being the summer of covid, I’ve been spending more time than ever with those little guys. And we’ve had a number of questions coming in about sustainable products for children. So let’s start with the on-the-go essentials: food storage, utensils and drinkware.
Storage
Image: Stasher
STASHER BAGS
Endlessly Reusable
Stasher bags are incredibly versatile, they have become my to-go containers as well as my frozen veggies and fruit packaging. You can throw them in the dishwasher, and the best part? They allow for more space in your fridge and freezer, they’re made of pure platinum silicone (not plastic) and are endlessly reusable.
Price: $$
Type of Products: Food, Snack Storage
Sustainability Practices:
Stasher bags are made from platinum silicone (only the best), which does not degrade over time. From freezer to microwave, from oven to dishwasher, Stasher bags are made to last, each one keeping thousands of single-use plastics out of our oceans and landfills.
Stasher bags are completely free of BPA, BPS, lead, latex, and phthalates.
Stasher has passed all U.S. and Canadian food safety standards in addition to the most strict guidelines of all, the European Union food safety standard. Even their colorants, which give Stasher bags their “to-dye-for” hues, are completely safe for food.
Our Picks:
Image: ECOlunchbox
ECOLUNCHBOX
Reduce waste with these eco-friendly lunch boxes & washable lunch bags
100% stainless steel bento box, the Three-in-One Giant, holds an impressive 8 cups of food in three separate food containers that nest and clip together. With ECOlunchbox, it’s easy for you and your family to ditch the plastic tubs, plastic baggies, pre-packaged cheese sticks, yogurt squeezies, wrapped cookies and food bars and opt for these plastic-free portable packs.
Type of Product: Lunchboxes, Lunchbags
Price: $$
Sustainability Practices:
Specializes in non-toxic, waste free, plastic-free solutions, such as the stainless steel bentos, sandwich boxes, snack containers and machine washable cotton lunch bags.
ECOlunchbox Oval + Snack Cup and the Blue Water Bento collection have non-toxic 100% silicone lids and are made of high-quality, food-grade 304 stainless steel.
The Blue Water Bento collection uses a pure food-grade silicone that meets FDA and NSF testing requirements.
Our Picks:
Three-in-one Stainless Steel Bento Box
Can be purchased on Reuse Revolution ($47)
Image: Munchkin Snack™
MUNCHKIN SNACK™
Snack+ collection helps you snack sustainably
I included this because my sister (three kids) said she loves them. The brand itself is not 100% sustainable — so be careful with collections beyond Snack+™. The thing that’s so great about these cups is that the super helpful silicone lid that lets hands go in, but keeps snacks from spilling out. Perfect for on-the-go (or in the car!), these cups are a great daycare snack pack. This is a good step in the sustainable direction for this popular baby brand.
Type of Product: Snack Catchers
Price: $
Sustainability Practices:
BPA-free
Each Snack+™ cup features a premium stainless steel base and best in class silicone top flaps
Our Picks:
Snack+™ Stainless Steel Snack Catcher® - Blue ($10)
Personalized Snack+™ Stainless Steel Snack Catcher - Pink & Blue ($20)
Utensils
Image: Bambu
BAMBU
Organic bamboo cutlery for when you’re on the move
These baby and toddler fork and spoon sets are designed for small hands, easy gripping, and baby-sized mouths. Made from USDA certified organic bamboo, this fork and spoon set is a healthy and natural alternative to plastic.
Price: $
Type of Products: Cutlery, Bowls
Sustainability Practices:
Finished with a USDA organic oil from the flax seed
Food safe; phthalate-free and BPA-free
Made without glues or lacquers
Tested and approved; meets US code CFR Title 16, CPSIA compliant
Finished with a USDA organic oil from the flax seed
Tested and approved; meets US code CFR Title 16, CPSIA compliant
Our Picks: Can be found at Reuse Revolution
Baby Fork & Spoon Set (12m) - Designed for infants one year old or older ($10)
Kid's Spoon/Fork (18m) - One Utensil - Designed for 18 months or older ($5)
Drinkware
Image: Klean Kanteen
KLEAN KANTEEN
This B Corp takes sustainable drinkware to another level
Klean Kanteen is a family and employee-owned leader in reusable stainless steel drinkware and food company. With a focus on environmental stewardship, Klean Kanteen is a certified B Corporation, meeting rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. In 2020, Klean Kanteen became Climate Neutral Certified after carefully measuring, reducing and offsetting its carbon footprint. Klean Kanteen has been a proud member of 1% For The Planet since 2008 and has donated over $3 million dollars to environmental organizations. From non-profit and strategic brand partnerships to grassroots events, Klean works closely with values-aligned companies and organizations to support efforts toward health, the reduction of single-use plastic, and environmental education and awareness.
Type of Products: Drinkware, Food Containers
Price: $$
Sustainability Practices:
All Klean Kanteen products are made from high quality, 18/8, food-grade stainless steel. Stainless steel is naturally free of BPA and other harmful substances.
Klean Coat® finish is a clean powder coat that is 4X more durable than their previous paint finish. They used GreenScreen® to score ingredients by their level of safety and eliminated those that did not meet their standards.
Climate Lock Insulation: Double-wall vacuum insulation and innovative cap designs achieve excellent thermal performance, all with environmentally friendly and responsible materials.
Use BPA-free polypropylene (pp#5) to make some caps, but they also offer stainless steel cap options like the Stainless-Steel Loop Cap
Our Picks:
Image: THINKbaby
THINKBABY
Your baby’s safety comes first with this science-centered design
With a team of physicians and scientists focused on the latest chemical and biological science, Thinkbaby and Thinksport continue to lead in the usage of safe materials for consumer products. Their mission is to provide safe consumer products, continually expanding their offering of safe alternatives.
Type of Products: Bottle and Food Care, Sun Care, Body Care
Sustainability Practices:
Free of Bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, nitrosamines, lead, PVC, PET, and biologically harmful chemicals.
Extra soft, medical grade silicone spout provides an easier transition from baby bottle feeding to Sippy Cups.
Read all about their chemical policy here
Baby bottles can be transformed into sippy cups, allowing parents to save their bottles and eliminating the need to buy all new products.
All baby bottles are made from No. 5 plastic and can be recycled.
The complete BPA Free Feeding Set is lined with stainless steel.
Our Picks:
Reusable 9oz Baby & Toddler THINKBaby Bottle - Can be purchased at Reuse Revolution ($9)
Image: Pura
PURA
The only plastic-free bottle on the market
On a mission to free people from an ever increasing plasticized world, Pura Kiki is dedicated to keeping petroleum-based plastics out of our kids' mouths and creating repurpose-able solutions that are superior to single-use or recyclable offerings.
Type of Product: Drinkware
Price: $
Sustainability Practices:
Bottles are crafted exclusively from food service grade stainless steel and medical grade silicone.
Completely Plastic Free / 100% PVC free
MadeSafe Certified Rating
BPA-free
Phthalate-free
Lead-free
Our Picks:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jaclyn Tracy's goal with SISTAIN is to make a greater difference by educating, activating and making sustainable consumerism not only easier, but aspirational. She believes success is in the collective impact, getting a whole group of people to change their behavior by committing to choosing sustainable brands, less waste and imperfect progress. Jaclyn is also the co-founder of Brand Effect, a holistic digital marketing agency.
