One of the best things you can do is to be aware of what’s in your children’s school and home environment, as well as the products your family uses. By being aware, you can make informed decisions about your family’s health.

If you are concerned about BPA, here are a few ways to reduce your family’s exposure:

• Prepare infant formula according to Health Canada’s recommendations.
• Avoid children’s toys, bottles and dishes made with polycarbonate plastic. Plastics made with BPA often, but not always, have the recycle code ‘7’. If the product does not have a recycling symbol or you are not sure, try contacting the manufacturer.
• Choose other food and drink containers for your children, such as stainless steel or glass or products made of polypropylene plastic (recycle code 5).
• Choose fresh or frozen foods over canned when possible.
• Talk to your dentist about the materials being used on dental work for your children and find out if there are alternatives available.

Taking steps to avoid products with BPA will not eliminate it from your family’s life, but it will reduce it.