Hello Annie,
I am a new mother who is planning to puree and freeze foods for my infant. The most popular method of doing this is by using ice cube freezer trays. I have found some trays that are PVC, phthalate and BPA free. I am trying to decide between using this “safe” plastic or silicone. What do you recommend. Also someone just developed stainless steel ice cube trays that are due out this month. Do you know if that’s the best option? Thank you. —Jasmeen

Dear Jasmeen,
Awww, your question brings back memories! I remember making my own baby food and freezing it in freezer trays! Doing this is a great idea, and your questions about which ice cube trays to use are right on to protect your baby’s health. Your very best bet is to use the stainless steel ice cube trays. That being said, until they are available, I personally would choose the PVC, phthalate and BPA -free plastic over silicone. While plastics in general are under scrutiny for more endocrine disrupting chemicals than the ones you mention, in my opinion the jury is out regarding silicone. The chemical hazard database at Scorecard repeatedly reports that there isn’t enough research to determine the hazards for silicone.

The oil that makes silicone so malleable is the same oil that leaks from silicone breast implants and emerges, bit by bit, from silicone bakeware and bracelets, according to an engineer who works with it. Very small amounts of migrating silicone oil could get in food.

An FDA study found that women who had silicone breast implants that leaked had a statistically higher incidence of fibromyalgia and neurological symptoms.

I’m a firm believer in The Precautionary Principle, which recommends only using materials that have proven their safety over time. Especially for babies! I’d go for stainless steel. While not perfect (it can leach nickel), so far it is the safest food container besides glass. I envy you those baby years. They go by so fast!