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Walk into any baby store and you’ll soon find yourself in the cutlery section. There is such a huge variety of cups, plates, spoons and bowls on display. The bright coloured, cartoon imprinted crockery and cutlery are just so alluring. Even though my kids have grown up now, I still love to browse through this section.
In India, when a baby is born the traditional gift that most people would give would be a silver spoon or glass or a small katori. This has since been replaced by melamine plates, spoons and bowls. One of the reasons for that has been the beautiful eye-catching stuff available in the market and the fact that Melamine is unbreakable – just what you need with a baby around.
But have you ever given thought to what your child is eating in? Honestly, I did not bat an eyelid while buying melamine plates and glasses for my kids. But recent studies have shown that melamine is not good for babies or even adults for that matter.
What is Melamine?
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Melamine is an organic compound made primarily of synthetic polymers, including formaldehyde. Since this hard plastic is heat and pressure treated and can be shaped and moulded for a variety of uses, Melamine has been used to make dinnerware and other household products for decades now.
So What’s The Problem?
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There have been growing concerns that the chemical from melamine may be getting leached into your food when hot food or drink is put in a melamine plate or cup, When heated, melamine is said to release toxins and since the food is in contact with this, your food will get contaminated and could be dangerous for you. So if you are feeding your child a hot bowl of porridge from a melamine bowl, you could be exposing him/her to chemical particles that are harmful. Melamine should not be microwaved.
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What Are The Other Options
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Go back to the basics – steel plates, katoris, spoons and glasses are great alternatives. There are many attractive options in the market now. You could buy them here. When you consider the health hazards the pretty and colourful melamine cutlery present, you may not need more convincing. If you really don’t like the metallic look and feel, there are also a number of silicone options in the market that are considered safe. Check these out here.
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