TL;DR: The FDA banned BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups back in 2012, but that ban never covered teethers, pacifiers, or most other baby plastics. A January 2026 study found detectable BPA in every pacifier tested — including several labeled "BPA-free." The honest answer is that "BPA-free" isn't a guarantee, and some replacement chemicals (BPS, BPF) may carry similar risks. The good news: a few simple swaps can meaningfully lower your baby's exposure without requiring you to overhaul your entire house.
If you've ever stood in the baby aisle squinting at a "BPA-free" sticker and wondered whether it actually means anything, you're not imagining things. You did the research. You made the switch years ago. And yet the label still leaves you with a nagging question: is BPA in baby bottles actually gone, or did it just get better at hiding?
That instinct to double-check is a good one. It's the same instinct that led us to start Kindred Naturals in the first place — reading a label on our own baby's products and realizing "natural" and "safe" aren't always the same thing. BPA is a good example of why that skepticism is worth keeping.
What Is BPA, and Why Did Parents Start Avoiding It in the First Place?
BPA (bisphenol A) is an industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic hard and clear, and it's also used in the epoxy resin that lines some metal food containers. It's what used to make baby bottles rigid and shatterproof. The concern is that BPA is an endocrine disruptor — it can mimic estrogen in the body and interfere with normal hormone signaling, particularly during the early windows of development when a baby's systems are still forming.
That's the same basic concern behind why we formulate without synthetic fragrance or other endocrine-disrupting ingredients in our own products: developing bodies are simply more sensitive to hormone-mimicking chemicals than adult bodies are.
Did the FDA Actually Ban BPA From Baby Bottles?
Yes — but the ban is narrower than most parents assume. In 2012, the FDA amended its food additive regulations so that BPA-based materials could no longer be used in baby bottles, sippy cups, or infant formula packaging. That part is real, and it's why virtually every bottle on shelves today is labeled BPA-free.
What the ban does not cover is teethers, pacifiers, toys, or the huge range of other plastic items that end up in a baby's mouth. Manufacturers are free to voluntarily label those products BPA-free, but there's no federal requirement that they test or verify the claim.
Are "BPA-Free" Teethers and Pacifiers Really BPA-Free?
Not always. A study back in 2013 found that a notable share of teethers marketed as "BPA-free" still contained the chemical. More recently, a study published in January 2026 in Environmental Science and Pollution Research tested seven pacifiers and detected BPA in every single one — including the pacifier with the highest measured BPA migration, which was labeled BPA-free.
This isn't necessarily a story about brands intentionally misleading parents. It can reflect trace contamination in raw materials, inconsistent testing standards, or migration from packaging. But it does mean a BPA-free label on a teether is a claim worth treating the same way you'd treat "natural" on a shampoo bottle: a starting point for research, not the final word.
Are BPA's Replacements — BPS and BPF — Actually Any Safer?
This is the part that catches a lot of research-minded parents off guard. When manufacturers reformulate away from BPA, a common substitute is BPS (bisphenol S) or BPF (bisphenol F) — chemicals with very similar molecular structures to BPA. Early research suggests these substitutes can have hormone-disrupting effects that are comparable to, and in some studies more potent than, BPA itself.
In other words, swapping BPA for BPS can sometimes be a relabeling exercise more than a safety upgrade. This is why looking at the base material — not just the absence of one specific chemical — matters more than chasing whichever ingredient made headlines most recently.
What Can You Actually Do to Reduce Your Baby's Exposure?
You don't need to replace every plastic item in your house overnight. A few targeted choices go a long way:
Choose material over marketing claims. Food-grade silicone, glass, and stainless steel don't rely on a bisphenol chemistry at all, so there's no BPA/BPS/BPF question to begin with. These are especially worth prioritizing for teethers and pacifiers, since those go directly into a baby's mouth.
Skip the heat. Bisphenols migrate out of plastic more readily when it's heated, scratched, or worn down. Avoid microwaving anything in plastic, hand-wash instead of high-heat dishwasher cycles when a plastic item looks worn, and replace teethers and pacifiers once they're visibly degraded rather than waiting for them to fully wear out.
Extend the same scrutiny to what touches your baby's skin. Ingestion and inhalation aren't the only exposure routes — a baby's skin is thinner and more permeable than an adult's, which is part of why we built our Baby Shampoo & Body Wash around soapwort instead of synthetic surfactants. It's the same underlying question as the BPA one: what is this actually made of, and does it belong on or in a baby's body?
The Bottom Line on BPA in Baby Bottles and Teethers
The FDA's 2012 ban means BPA in baby bottles is largely a solved problem. But that same protection hasn't extended to teethers, pacifiers, and other plastics your baby mouths daily, and "BPA-free" labeling on those items isn't independently verified. Choosing silicone, glass, or stainless steel where you can — and staying skeptical of labels the way you already are with skincare — is a reasonable, non-overwhelming way to lower exposure without turning it into a full-time research project.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is BPA banned in all baby products?
No. The FDA's 2012 ban applies specifically to baby bottles, sippy cups, and infant formula packaging. Teethers, pacifiers, and toys are not covered by that ban.
Are BPA-free teethers actually safe?
Often, but not always. Independent testing has found detectable BPA in some products labeled BPA-free, since there's no federal requirement to verify the claim on non-bottle items. Choosing silicone, glass, or stainless steel avoids the question entirely.
Is BPS safer than BPA?
Not necessarily. BPS and BPF are structurally similar to BPA, and early research suggests they may have comparable hormone-disrupting effects. A "BPA-free" label doesn't automatically mean bisphenol-free.
What's the safest material for baby bottles and teethers?
Food-grade silicone, glass, and stainless steel don't use bisphenol chemistry, making them straightforward choices if you want to avoid BPA, BPS, and BPF altogether.
Does heat make BPA exposure worse?
Yes. Heating, microwaving, or repeatedly washing plastic at high temperatures can increase the rate at which bisphenols migrate out of the material.
If this kind of label-reading feels familiar, it's the same approach we bring to everything we make. You can see what that looks like in practice at shopkindrednaturals.com.
Written by Mike & Carly Pronsky, founders of Kindred Naturals.