Silicone + Baby = Our Tips & Tricks

When it comes to baby bibs, cups and utensils, for the longest time, parents had one basic choice: plastic. 

While plastic feeding supplies for baby do the job, folks have increasingly looked for more sustainable options. 

To the rescue comes silicone—and it appears to be a big trend! We see more companies rolling out silicone bibs, cups and forks/spoons, all with an eye to replacing those old plastic options.

So why choose silicone over plastic? Here is a silicone baby feeding supplies 101:

• Silicone is more durable than plastic, based on our testing.

• No phthalates or BPA.

• Silicone is recyclable. Most plastic baby bibs and cups are not, based on our survey of municipal recycling options. 

• Silicone is flexible and withstands very hot and cold temperatures.

So what are the drawbacks? Well, silicone is made of silica, oxygen, hydrogen and (yes) carbon. So if you are trying to reduce carbon in your house, silicone isn’t carbon-free . . . but it is more sustainable than plastic, in our research.

After trying out several major brands and getting extensive feedback from our parent readers, here are our top picks for silicone feeding supplies:

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living from affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!