Is Silicone Safe for Babies? Your Complete Guide
Is Silicone Safe for Babies? Your Complete Guide to Our Silicone Products
It's the question every parent asks before switching away from plastic, and it deserves a proper answer rather than a reassuring noise. Here is what our silicone is made of, what we have had independently tested, and what those tests found — with the reports themselves at the bottom of the page so you can read them yourself.
What Is Food-Grade Silicone?
Not all silicone is the same. The silicone in our products is food-grade platinum silicone — a high-purity form made specifically for contact with food and with babies' mouths.
It's made from silicon (a naturally occurring element found in sand and rock), oxygen, carbon and hydrogen. It contains no plastic, no BPA, no phthalates and no PVC. It is chemically stable, which in practice means it doesn't react with food or leach substances into what your baby is eating — even when it's warm.
The result is a material that's soft and flexible like rubber, heat-resistant and hard-wearing, and well suited to weaning from the very first spoonful.
How We Check — and What the Tests Found
We don't take a supplier's word for it, and we don't expect you to take ours. Everything below was tested by independent, accredited laboratories.
Our silicone plates and bowls, tested as finished products to EN 14372:2004
EN 14372 is the European standard written specifically for children's cutlery and feeding utensils. It covers mechanical safety as well as what can migrate out of the material. Our plates and bowls were tested against it as finished products — not just the raw material — across 15 samples covering 13 different colours, and they passed every applicable requirement: migration of elements, phthalate content, volatile compounds, formaldehyde release and bisphenol A (BPA) release. For a weaning plate that lives in a dishwasher and a microwave, this is the test that matters most.
Food-contact testing by Eurofins
A silicone bowl from our range was tested by Eurofins, one of the world's largest independent testing organisations, against LFGB Sections 30 and 31 — the German food-contact standard, widely regarded as among the strictest anywhere. It passed overall migration, peroxide value and volatile organic matter testing, bisphenol A was not detected, and a sensory panel confirmed no perceptible odour or taste passing into food.
Our silicone toys, tested as finished products
Our silicone toys were tested by independent laboratories as finished toys, not simply as material. That testing covered the things parents actually worry about: whether any small part can come away from a toy intended for a child under three, whether there are sharp edges or points, whether it would catch light, and whether there is any lead or other heavy metal, or any phthalate, present. They passed on every count.
And the silicone itself
Separately, the solid silicone our products are made from has been tested by CTI, an accredited laboratory, with nothing detected in any of the following:
- Heavy metals — migration of 19 elements under EN 71-3:2019+A1:2021, including lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, chromium, antimony, barium and nickel
- Phthalates — including DEHP, DBP, BBP, DIBP, DINP, DIDP and DNOP
- PFAS — 553 individual per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These are the "forever chemicals" now under scrutiny across Europe, and a screen this broad is unusual at any price
- REACH substances of very high concern — all 247 substances on the candidate list, every one below the 0.1% threshold
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) — 15 PAHs under AfPS GS 2019:01
- Restricted substances under RoHS — Directive 2011/65/EU as amended
The same material also meets FDA 21 CFR 177.2600, the American requirement for rubber articles intended for repeated food contact.
That is a lot of testing for a small family business to hold, and we hold it because we sell these things to our own grandson before we sell them to you.
Read the Reports Yourself
We would rather you looked than simply believed us:
Silicone baby plates and bowls — EN 14372:2004 finished product test report (PDF)
Silicone bowl — Eurofins LFGB food-contact test report (PDF)
Silicone teething and stacking toys — finished product test report (PDF)
Silicone bath toys — finished product test report (PDF)
Why Silicone Is a Great Choice for Weaning
Parents choose silicone feeding products for a handful of very practical reasons.
It survives everything. Drop a silicone plate from a high chair and it bounces. Squeeze it, bend it, throw it — it comes back to the same shape and carries on. In the weaning phase, that matters.
It's dishwasher safe. Most of our silicone plates, bowls and cups go straight in the dishwasher. When you're clearing up three times a day, that's not a small thing.
It's microwave safe. Unlike bamboo, silicone can go in the microwave. Reheat directly in the bowl without decanting into something else first.
It doesn't harbour bacteria. Silicone has a naturally non-porous surface, so bacteria and mould can't get into micro-cracks the way they can with some other materials. A thorough wash leaves it genuinely clean.
It's gentle on gums. The soft, flexible texture is kind on babies' mouths during teething — which, as any weaning parent knows, tends to arrive at exactly the same time as solid food.
It lasts. Good food-grade silicone doesn't degrade, discolour or perish with regular washing. Buy it once and it goes through weaning and well into toddlerhood.
How to Clean Silicone Baby Products
Silicone is one of the easiest baby feeding materials to keep clean.
Daily cleaning:
- Dishwasher safe — top rack recommended for shaped items and cups
- Or hand wash with warm soapy water and a soft sponge
- The non-porous surface means food lifts away easily — a quick rinse often handles a lighter meal
For deeper cleaning:
- Boil for 3–5 minutes to sterilise, particularly useful in the early weeks of weaning
- Silicone is fully heat-resistant and won't warp, melt or degrade while boiling
What to avoid:
- Abrasive scouring pads or harsh chemical cleaners — these can scratch the surface over time
- Bleach-based products — stick to a baby-safe washing-up liquid
Staining: silicone can pick up light staining from strongly pigmented foods like tomato, turmeric or beetroot. A soak in warm water with a little bicarbonate of soda usually lifts it without any scrubbing.
When to Replace Silicone Baby Products
Silicone is durable rather than indestructible. Give things a look over now and then, and replace them if you notice:
- Tears, cuts or punctures in the silicone
- A sticky or tacky surface that doesn't resolve with washing
- A persistent smell that doesn't clear after a thorough clean
- Any cracking around a suction base or a spout joint
Frequently Asked Questions
Is silicone safe for babies? Food-grade platinum silicone is used throughout medical and food manufacturing precisely because of how it behaves — it's chemically stable and doesn't react with food. Beyond that, we've had it tested rather than assumed: our plates and bowls to EN 14372 as finished products across 13 colours, a bowl from the range to LFGB by Eurofins, our toys as finished toys for small parts, edges, points and flammability, and the material itself for heavy metals, phthalates, PFAS, PAHs and REACH substances of very high concern. Nothing was detected in any of it.
Is there BPA in your silicone? No. BPA release was specifically tested on the plates and bowls and was not detected, and BPA was separately not detected in the Eurofins testing. Silicone isn't a polycarbonate, so BPA plays no part in making it in the first place.
Is silicone better than plastic for babies? For most parents, yes. Plastic can contain BPA and other plasticisers that may leach into food, particularly when heated. Food-grade silicone is chemically inert — it doesn't react with food or release anything into what your baby eats, even in the microwave or the dishwasher.
Can silicone baby products go in the dishwasher? Yes. Most of our silicone plates, bowls and cups are dishwasher safe. We'd suggest the top rack for shaped or suction items, to keep them in the best condition.
Can silicone baby products go in the microwave? Yes. Food-grade silicone is heat-resistant and microwave safe — one of the practical advantages it has over bamboo, which can't go in the microwave.
Can silicone baby products be sterilised? Yes. Boil them or use a standard baby steriliser. Silicone won't warp, melt or degrade at sterilising temperatures.
What age are silicone feeding products suitable from? Our silicone plates, bowls, cups and feeding sets are suitable from 6 months — the usual age to begin introducing solids. Always supervise your child at mealtimes.
Is silicone eco-friendly? Silicone is more durable and longer-lasting than plastic, which means less replacing and less waste. It doesn't biodegrade the way bamboo does, but a silicone product that lasts for years is a considerably better environmental choice than cheap plastic that cracks and gets thrown away.
What's the difference between food-grade silicone and ordinary silicone? Food-grade silicone — and platinum silicone in particular — goes through additional purification to remove impurities and make it suitable for direct food contact. Not all silicone is food-grade, which is why standards like LFGB and EN 14372 are worth asking about. All our silicone feeding products are food-grade.
Ready to shop? Browse our full range of silicone feeding products:
Silicone Baby Plates | Silicone Baby Bowls | Silicone Feeding Sets | Silicone Sippy Cups | All Silicone Feeding Products
A Note on Supervision
However well made and well tested a baby product is, nothing replaces an adult in the room. Please stay with your little one while they're eating or playing, give things an occasional once-over for wear, and set aside anything that's split or damaged. That's true of everything we sell, and of everything anyone else sells too.