NUK develops products to help children’s healthy development. That is why we attach the greatest importance to the safety of the materials used and test NUK Products thoroughly to see that they are harmless before they come onto the market. Here you can find out everything about our new materials and the properties they have.

Teat – Latex or Silicone?

Purely a matter of taste

Whether a natural product or a special synthetic material, all NUK Teats are soft and adapt to the inside of a child’s mouth. Of course you can also switch between teat materials. In case you are unsure of which material is better for your child, you can let your child decide too: many accept only the one but not the other. 

Latex – the resistant natural substance
NUK Latex Teats are taken from the rubber milk (latex) of the rubber tree and have a honey-yellow colour. Latex teats are warm and soft to the touch. They are extremely flexible and tear-resistant – and therefore also well-suited for babies who have their first teeth. With its natural origins, latex has a slight taste all of its own. Direct sunlight or edible fats make latex age and become porous more quickly. When a latex teat becomes sticky, it is a natural sign that it should be replaced with a new one, usually after 1-2 months.

Silicone – the high-quality synthetic material
NUK Silicone Teats are made from a high-quality synthetic material. The clear silicone material is easily cleaned and highly heat-resistant. Even direct sunlight or edible fats do not age the material. Silicone teats have a neutral taste and smell. However, silicone is slightly less bite and tear-resistant than latex. For this reason, NUK also uses firmer, more bite-resistant silicone material for the size 3 teat. Should a silicone teat have even small bite marks or other signs of damage, it should be replaced immediately. For reasons of hygiene and safety, it is generally recommended to replace all teats – whether latex or silicone – after 1-2 months.

Bottles – Glass or Plastic?

Two materials, an unbelievable number of benefits

NUK Baby Bottles are made from different materials. The greatest tangible difference is between glass and plastic – both materials are very suitable for baby formula and breast milk. Here you can find some points to help you make your decision.

Glass – environmentally friendly and hygienic

Glass is the classic material for drinking containers  – and also for baby foods. Today, with its higher scratch resistance, glass is a particularly resiliant and environmentally-friendly material. NUK only offers products made from borosilicate glass, which, with its cross-linked surface structure is particularly heat-resistant. Thanks to the high level of transparency of the glass you can easily see if there is any milk or other residue still there when cleaning the bottles. The high heat-resistance means you can clean the glass baby bottles as often as you like and even boil them. And should you give older children tea or juice in them, then the glass of the bottle does not discolour.

However, children should never be left unsupervised with a baby bottle.

Plastic – light and nearly unbreakable

NUK offers baby bottles made out of the synthetic materials polypropylene (PP) and polyamides (PA). They are particularly light and nearly unbreakable and with that, optimally-suited for use both at home and out and about. Bottles made from polypropylene have a milky transparency, are particularly sturdy and can even be used for freezing food. Baby bottles made from polyamides look the most like glass bottles as they are highly transparent. Both synthetic materials are of courseBPA-free. However, plastic is neither as heat-resistant as glass and nor as scratchproof. When the bottles are scratched inside, you should replace them, as germs can settle in the scratches more easily. Tip: so that you and your child can be happy with the plastic bottles for a long time, we would recommend that you do not warm up or disinfect the bottles in the microwave. NUK Baby Bottles are well suited to being boiled and sterilised with steam.

Our demands for high quality are shown in our uncompromising choice of raw materials, product safety, environmental impact and constant quality control. Based on its own studies and scientific findings, NUK regularly optimises its product range. That is why we gave up using polycarbonate (PC) with its BPA content in our bottle production considerably long before the legal ban. Here is where you can find what you need to know about this topic.

What is BPA?
The abbreviation BPA stands for Bisphenol A. BPA is a substance in the synthetic material, polycarbonate (PC), which is found in many products we use daily, e.g. plastic bags and food packaging, but also mobile phones and CDs as well as sunglasses, adhesives and nail polish.

Why did BPA come under criticism?
While the use of BPA in the production of the synthetic material PC was widely unnoticed up to the turn of the millennium, a discussion among medical practitioners and scientists began then about the effects of BPA on living organisms. The available studies were not consistant and therefore, different countries and different institutes were very contradictory in their assessments. An open debate picked up on these critical judgements and turned BPA into a subject much discussed in the media.

As market leader with many awards for it quality products, NUK has many years of experience with baby bottles made from BPA-free materials such as glass or polypropylene (PP), for example. By completely renouncing BPA, NUK gave some piece of mind back to parents already at an early stage. The ban on manufacturing and selling baby bottles containing BPA in the EU came into force on 1st June, 2011. NUK had already dispensed with polycarbonate bottles that contained BPA long before the demand of the EU and therefore, years before the final banning, could brand its baby products as “BPA-free”.

What is the authorities’ assessment of the risks from BPA?
To find out what the appropriate authorities such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) or the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) have to say on the topic of BPA, you can go to their websites:

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR)

What are NUK BPA-free products made from?
The product range for alternatives without BPA is wide. Precisely which materials they are, we explain for you here:

Glass
One of the oldest materials known to man is also used by NUK in the production of baby bottles. Glass is particularly hygienic and heat- resistant. In this process, NUK uses only borosilicate glass, which, with its cross-linked surface structure, wears well and withstands variations in temperature.

PP (Polypropylene)
Polypropylene is a translucent, synthetic material, which is used by NUK for the manufacture of BPA-free baby bottles. Its smooth surface ensures that it is pleasant to touch. It is notably shatterproof and is even suitable for freezing.

PA (Polyamides)
Polyamide are synthetic materials with a high level of transparency, which it retains by being chemical-resistant – discolouring and clouding are a thing of the past. Polyamide is BPA-free, but not suitable for the microwave however.

Where can I find more information?
In the FAQ, we have gone into more detail on BPA. 

NUK Systems

The NUK Shape

The NUK Size Concept