Non-Toxic Tots

That trend is likely to continue as more members of Generation X -- defined roughly as those born between 1965 and 1979 -- start families. Parenthood, market researchers say, is turning the "whatever" generation into hyper-vigilant homebodies.

"We're the first to be raised in day care in record numbers. Forty percent of us were latchkey kids. We were raised on television and Star Wars. We have an abiding fear of being left alone or feeling abandoned, so we will do anything to avoid recreating that in our own children's experience. We're ultra protective," said Susan Gregory Thomas, author of Buy Buy Baby, a book about baby-product marketing.

James Chung, president of Reach Advisors, a Boston and New York market research firm, said another demographic factor that may be driving demand for chemical-safe baby toys and gear is the higher education level of Gen X moms, who are 70 percent more likely to have a college degree than Baby Boomers. College-educated women, in turn, tend to start families later in life, have fewer children, more disposable income, and are more in tune with environmental concerns, Chung said.

"It's a huge change to become a mom. You do anything you can to prepare for this awesome responsibility," said Lynn Miller, who writes the Organicmania blog on the DC Urban Moms and Dads site. After last year's toy recalls, "mothers feel they need to do more research and take it into their hands."

The proliferation of blogs has played a key role in plugging parents into the market for baby goods free of potentially harmful substances. They played a pivotal role in the recent explosion of BPA-free baby bottles.

Questions about the health effects of phthalates and BPA have been around for years. In 2006, Whole Foods, a natural foods grocery chain, stopped selling baby bottles and sippy cups made with those chemicals. But interest in BPA-free products soared after a panel of scientists organized by the National Institutes of Health concluded in August that there's "some concern" BPA could have neural and behavioral effects on fetuses and young children. Several parenting blogs picked up the news, and some parents began throwing away old bottles and replaced them with ones made without the suspect ingredient.

Almost immediately, several new baby-bottle makers sprung up, claiming to have phthalate- and BPA-free bottles. A 9-oz. BPA-free plastic bottle costs anywhere from $10 to $20 -- at least $6 more than conventional bottles, Babies R Us spokeswoman Jamie Beal said.

Many parents turned to conventional glass bottles, which cost less than $2 but are too fragile for some families.

Several manufacturers of alternative plastic bottles said their prices reflect higher production and raw material costs. ThinkBaby and BornFree use a resin to make BPA-free plastic that is 10 times more expensive than the more widely used polycarbonate. Many of the upstart bottle makers also insist on manufacturing in places such as the United States and Israel where labor costs are higher.

Then there's all the lab work required to ensure the chemicals used to make the bottles are safe. Consumers are paying to "feel assured we're doing the utmost testing," ThinkBaby founder Kevin Brodwick said.

Not only are green manufacturers' customers willing to pay higher prices, but they are also willing to endure wait lists of six weeks or more. Demand has been particularly acute in Canada, where earlier this year, a major sporting goods chain removed polycarbonate water bottles from its shelves over concerns about BPA.

"Canada is crazy. We could sell every cup we make to Canada right now," said Bret Plate, chief executive of KidBasic, the one-year-old maker of a stainless steel cup called the Safe Sippy.

Established bottle makers maintain that BPA doesn't pose any danger to babies and toddlers. But they have begun bowing to BPA concerns. Handi-Craft began selling glass bottles in January and plans to start selling BPA-free plastic ones in April, a company spokesman said. Evenflo now labels some of its products BPA-free.

So what becomes of the nascent green bottle industry once bigger companies step in? Jeremiah McNichols, who closely tracks the chemical components of baby bottles and sippy cups on his blog, Z Recommends, said it will survive because parents "want to be dealing with companies that take those concerns to heart."