Mason Bottle sponsored this post. Opinions are 100 percent my own.
Before my son Donovan’s birth, I had every intention of breastfeeding exclusively. I didn’t want to confuse him by adding bottles to the mix too early, which is what every expert around says to avoid.
So my plan was to hold off on bottles a few weeks, then convert my abundant supply of mason jars leftover from my wedding centerpieces into glass baby bottles.
There’s even a whole company (Mason Bottle) devoted to the concept, so I knew my plan was a winner.
It was supposed to all work seamlessly, but Donovan had other plans.
He had such a hard time learning to latch that I ended up having to bypass breastfeeding and pump exclusively.
That meant I needed bottles a lot sooner than expected. So I used what I had, a mix of free and gifted plastic bottles.
Well, fast-forward to just after Donovan turned 7 months old.
Get glass baby bottles under $5 | Honeycomb Moms | My son, Donovan made quick work of his bottle at home in Atlanta. With the Mason Bottle sleeve, he could even hold it with one hand for a bit. LAUREN FLOYD / INFO@HONEYCOMBMOMS.COM
Why I made the switch to glass baby bottles
The American Academy of Pediatrics explained in its push for regulatory reform that heating plastics by sticking them in the microwave or dishwasher could cause chemicals to leak into foods and drinks.
Some of those chemicals – bisphenols, such as BPA for example – “can act like estrogen in the body, change the timing of puberty, decrease fertility, increase body fat and affect the nervous and immune systems.”
The good news is BPA is already banned in baby bottles and sippy cups. The bad news is the Academy of Pediatrics is still urging a push for reform and citing growing evidence of negative effects to children’s health in the process. I knew I had to err on the side of caution.
Other moms might suggest simply washing the baby bottles by hand to avoid the negative effects of heating them. That’s like telling me: Just get some scrap plastic, melt it down and make the bottles yourself. It isn’t going to happen.
I instead, purchased a few new bottle nipples and mason jar rings and put into action my original plan to convert my mason jars into glass baby bottles.
Get glass baby bottles under $5 | Honeycomb Moms | I absolutely love Mason Bottle rings because they don’t rust like your traditional mason jar’s ring. LAUREN FLOYD / INFO@HONEYCOMBMOMS.COM
How to use mason jars as baby bottles
I already had dozens of mason jars in every size imaginable, so all I needed to add were Mason Bottle’s special-made silicone nipples and a few of their plastic rings and caps.
I ordered fast-flow nipples and rust-resistant rings first. When they arrived, I was able to screw them on my mason jars with no problem. Even better, Donovan took to them instantly. He didn’t choke or have increased gas.
I’ll be the first to admit I tried to opt out of the caps to save a few dollars. I opted for Ziploc bags instead. That was a huge fail. Not only did I look like a train-wreck in public, I felt like one. At a reggae festival in Atlanta, I almost dropped everything in a glass-shattering catastrophe trying to shake a bottle inside a plastic bag.
When I got my bottle caps, life was just better, and the best part about it is my grand total still came under what most people pay for high-quality plastic bottles.
DIY glass bottles are cheaper than plastic
Even if you don’t already have tons of mason jars, a 12-pack of pint-sized jars is only $9.83 at Walmart. Rotate two packs of Mason Bottle nipples and four rings and caps between your jar collection, and the grand total ends up being just less than $50. That breaks down to about $4.15 per bottle.
You can even knock off an extra 20 percent with the discount code Honeycomb20.
A five-pack of Philips Avent 9-ounce plastic bottles is $27.90, or $5.58 a piece, at Walmart. That’s a savings of more than $1.43.
So even if you don’t buy that plastic bottles are dangerous — and I’m not sure that I do — it’s hard to argue against switching to glass when it saves money.
Get glass baby bottles under $5 | Honeycomb Moms | I try to stay away from DIY projects whenever possible, but I couldn’t help but make my own glass baby bottles. It’s way too easy with bulk mason jars and Mason Bottle nipples and rings. LAUREN FLOYD / INFO@HONEYCOMBMOMS.COM
The glass bottles sound great and I am sure they are easier to sterilise and healthier for the baby.
I’ve never heard of using glass bottles for babies. What a cool idea! I’ll be sure to share this with my friends who have litttles. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for passing it along!
I always prefer to use glass as opposed to plastic! So this sounds like a great idea if you ask me. I didn’t even know these were available! 🙂
These are the cutest little bottles! We used glass bottles with my daughter too. I wish we knew about these ones!
Thanks for a great post, these bottles are really cute. Glass bottles are really good since they are reusable.
These bottles are Cute … I would not even know if glass bottles are available here in the Netherlands. But I think this is great. Could be a market for it …
I just would not know what the difference is between a plastic bottle and a glass bottle … but okay, I’ve been out there for a couple of years, I’ve got my children a lot bigger, so I’m not so well informed anymore with those kind of things. But again, I find them super cute
Really nice post, I find these bottles really cute but I am not sure if the babies will like using them. May be I should leave this to the parents who would understand its use.
Thanks! My baby took to them just fine. It’s more about the nipple and the flow to him.
What a great idea! My only fear would be when my granddaughter was finished, she would drop it like she does the plastic version. I suppose I could teach her not to do that 🙂
My son does the same thing! I just make sure he’s either in bed or already on the ground. But do let me know how you get her to stop. Looking for tips!
This is a great idea. I think the glass bottles are cleaner and more hygienic. Plus, they are easier to clean and sanitize.
What a great idea! I would have done this had I have known about it when my daughter was using a bottle. It sounds like such a great alternative to using plastic!
I think what I like most about turning mason jars into baby bottles is that when the baby outgrows them, you can use your mason jars as normal again! Instead of having a ton of baby bottles, I guess you’d only have to store the caps and nipples
That’s my favorite part too!
What a great idea! And this baby is so cute.
Aww thank you!
This a great idea! I don’t have kids, but hopefully someday! This is also great for the environment. I’ll definitely keep this in mind.
Wow, I had no idea that glass bottles were back but I can see why with all the plastic issues out there. This is a cool way to try it out.
Interesting info to share with Moms who use bottles. I chose to breastfeed and my daughter is 7 now.
this is a really cool idea. I love that it has a cover for protection as well!
I used glass bottles with my kids when they were babies. These are too cute. I would definitely use them again.
This is such a smart idea. I used drop in liners because my kids were mostly breastfed. I would be afraid they would drop the bottle and it would shatter.
I used running hot water to thaw frozen milk. A microwave was a big no.
I used liners initially because I breastfed but that was over 20 years ago. But I love the idea of repurposing the mason jars.
This is amazing! i love mason jars and have so many usages for it but converting them into bottles is ingenius!
What an awesome idea! Good for baby and the environment.
I love this. It is super affordable and even after you’re done using them as bottles you can use them for something else. My mom used to swear by glass bottles.
This is such a cool idea!