Old Bottles for New?

I have heard from very reliable sources (o.k., my friend, Amy at Occupation: Mommy) that many Babies 'R Us strores are accepting returns on baby bottles containing BPA. Of course, they aren't trumpeting the news from the rooftops for obvious reasons, but a quick search online confirms that the rumor is indeed true.

Each store seems to have a varying policy from the next. Some will give store credit for the old bottles, others will exchange the bottles for non-BPA ones, some may take no action at all. I decided to find out for myself. When I called our local BRU, I was told they would indeed take back Andrew's old bottles and allow me to swap them for non-BPA ones. Even though William currently drinks from BPA-less bottles, I can count dozens of babies who could benefit from a gift of BPA-free bottles. Why not try?

Sadly, when I got to the customer service desk, I was informed that the bottles had to be in sets of 3 (i.e., three four-ounce Avent bottles, three eight-ounce Gerber bottles, etc.). Apparently, the cost per bottle is less when they are sold in sets, thus reducing the refund amount to the customer. I suspect that enforcing such a restrictive rule also prohibits more parents from taking advantage of the exchange policy.

This sets-of-three policy was a big problem for me as I didn't purchase any of the bottles in groups of three. During Andrew's first six weeks of life, he refused to latch on while nursing and only drank from a bottle. After countless arduous feeding sessions, he finally got the hang of breastfeeding and declared a permanent bottle strike. During that time, we experimented in vain with numerous brands to try to find one he would take. Sets of three? No way.

Alas, William and I were forced to trudge back to the car with our large bag of assorted bottles. Failed exchange notwithstanding, I am at least happy to know that there are stores that are taking action against the use of BPAs in bottles. It's a step in the right direction.