Why Ceramic Mugs for Kids & Not Plastic?
5 Reasons Ceramic Mugs are Better than Plastic
- Ceramic Mugs do not leach chemicals into your food & drink. It's BPA-Free!
- Ceramic Mugs are dishwasher and microwave safe
- Ceramic mugs teach kids to be careful
- Ceramic mugs feels better
- Ceramic mugs are environmentally friendly
1. Ceramic Mugs Do Not Leach Chemicals Into Your Food & Drink
Using safe-certified ceramic dishes is good for our health.
Plastic, BPA free plastic and melamine (yes, it is plastic) dishes have shown to leach chemicals into hot foods and drinks. The warmth of the food softens the plastic allowing it to mix more easily with what you're eating. Don’t take our word for it. Check out this article from Time, or do a quick search yourself on “plastic leaching chemicals into food”.
Research clearly shows that more studies need to be done on the effects of plastics on our bodies. But why risk it when you can avoid it? Stop putting plastics in the microwave (including plastic wrap) and serve food - especially hot foods - in glass, ceramic, metal, or wooden dishes.
Ingesting the chemicals from plastics can be harmful to endocrine receptors which are hormones that affect growth and reproduction of kids.
BittyMugs - ceramic mugs for kids - are made from real ceramic and they are fired at the highest necessary temperatures to ensure they are safe for human food consumption. The finished kids mugs are tested to ensure they meet FDA and strict California Proposition 65 Guidelines.
But I Only buy BPA Free Plastic. Isn't that OK?
Even BPA-free plastics aren't 100% safe, especially for kids.
Let’s be honest, plastic is plastic, no matter how you package it. BPA-free plastic isn't all it's cracked up to be. In a recent study from UCLA, common BPA replacements (like BPS) have shown to be just as harmful and can cause the same health issues as regular plastics. This is really important for kids because even small amounts of these chemicals can be harmful in relation to the size of their bodies.
The chemical plasticizers are shown to disrupt the endocrine system, affecting growth and development, reproduction, sleep and mood. I'm sure you can agree that as a parent you would strongly oppose anything getting in the way of sleep and mood.
"Our findings call into question the safety of BPA-free products containing BPS. BPS and other BPA analogs need to be evaluated before further use by humans."
-Hong-Sheng Wang, PhD, an associate professor in the UC Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics.
Source: Sandee LaMotte, BPA Plastic Alternatives May Not Be Safe as You Think, CNN, Feb 1, 2016
2. Ceramic Mugs are Dishwasher and Microwave Safe
Dishwasher safe ceramic is fired to high temperatures to ensure a strong bond between the particles in the clay and seal out any water or imperfections. Not all ceramics are fired the same way, so it is important to only use certified safe dishes in the microwave.
Dishwashers can be tough on some ceramics. But with dishwasher safe ceramics, harsh cleansers and hot temperatures won’t wear off the decals or colorful glazes.
You can easily heat up drinks right in the kids mug and then plug them into the dishwasher.
The only issue we have with the dishwasher is that we don’t run it often enough, and the kids want their mugs again. So, you might end up hand washing just to keep up with your BittyMug™ demand - but that’s up to you.
3. Ceramic Mugs Help Teach Kids to Be Careful
Little kids ages 2-6 can use a BittyMug confidently by themselves. Whether they are drinking tea, hot chocolate, warm milk or even soup. Our kids mugs are made to be durable just for kids and the special design is spill-resistant, which is good for everyone.
With a little guidance, kids as young as 2 can learn to use real mugs. They just have to be the right size and shape. Help improve motor skills of your child by giving them appropriately sized mugs, and you’ll be surprised how much of a difference it makes. If you give them the responsibility, it's fascinating how quickly kids learn to be careful.
Now, if your child throws a cup across the room, it’s might break, so don't go that far. We’re not miracle workers over here. But with a little time and patience, your kids can learn how to use their BittyMug™ and it could even become a most beloved possession.
4. Ceramic Mugs Just Feel Good
Do you have a favorite pair of jeans? A favorite chair? That perfect time of day when all is quiet & you take the first sip of coffee? Perhaps you even have a favorite mug like me. So why not give that little taste of comfort to your kids too?
Big bulky mugs are hard to hold (and heavy too). Plastic cups can smell & taste funny and metal cups are hard and too hot usually. Ceramic on the other hand, especially with a nice thick rim and comfortable handle - feels amazing.
Let your kids join your bliss by cozying up to a nice REAL cup of hot chocolate on a rainy day. Let your kids have ceramic kid sized mugs instead.
5. Ceramic Mugs are Environmentally Friendly
Humans have long been creating mugs, jugs, plates and jewelry out of clay, making it one of the most beautiful and durable materials available. Since clay is derived from the earth it is also one of the most natural materials. Compared with paper and plastic, ceramic is rarely tossed into the garbage, but once in the landfill it returns to the earth and is more benign to the environment.
Some arguments against ceramic claim that it uses too much energy in the firing process. Admittedly so, creating a single item can require 3 or more trips to a kiln and temperatures over 1200°C. In industrial pottery making, however, there are heat recovery systems and many pieces can be run through the kilns at once. Compared with energy to make glass, metal and plastics, the energy used for pottery is relatively low.
There is a wide variety of non-toxic glazes now available on the market and most developed countries have stopped using lead and toxic substances in their glazes.
Ceramic is more durable than other materials, which gives it a longer lifespan than paper, plastic, and even wood and bamboo.
So even though a lot of energy is needed to fire a kiln, if the heat is well managed and if no toxic materials are added, there are few materials around that are as durable and eco-friendly as ceramics.
Source: Arwa Lodhi, How Eco Friendly Is Ceramic?, Eluxe Magazine