This post also appears at the Purely Primal Skincare Guide blog!
Babies have different skincare needs from adults!
When it comes to babies, often, water and a washcloth can do the job; it’s important not to strip newborn skin too aggressively by over-using soap or suds.
When it comes to baby shampoo, remember that most “tear-free” formulations are probably made not of soap, but of surfactants. Surfactants will disperse surface dirt and oils, but many of them are considered by the Environmental Working Group to be irritating or mildly toxic. Why use them, then? Because they don’t have the same alkalinity as soap; therefore, they don’t sting the eyes.
If you’d prefer not to use surfactants but are worried about stinging your babe’s eyes, consider this: when I was a wee one, we used “umbrella”-type face shields to keep soap from getting in our eyes, like this one and this one. It’s also a good idea to dilute the strength of any soap you use on baby with water in a foaming dispenser like this one.
What I find most important for babies is skin-protecting and soothing moisture, keeping the bottom dry, and using non-toxic creams and wipes. Remember that traditional disposable diapers, while they can increase the time between diaper changes, might allow baby to sit in a moisture-rich environment for a bit too long, making him/her more prone to diaper rash. Keep an eye on that!
The lines we love are Willow Rose, Summer Sky Organics, and the baby products from Primal Life Organics. Mountain Rose Herbs also has a great selection of baby-safe products from several sources.
Earth Mama Angel Baby is an excellent line as well and Farm to Girl is another great option.
While The Honest Company is not a perfectly all-natural line, it IS very transparent about the ingredients they use and what they’re used for, which we can always appreciate!
Please, PLEASE always be sure to spot-test ANY product on your baby’s skin for several days before going whole-hog to rule out any irritation or reaction! Even with “natural” products.
Hope that helps!
Balanced Bites Podcast #479: Metabolism & Aging in Women 35+ with Coconuts & Kettlebells’ Noelle Tarr
Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify #479: Today we revisit Liz’s interview with Noelle Tarr on the Well-Fed Women Podcast! In her appearance on WFW,
5 Responses
love babies, love skin, love this post! i will check out those lines, thanks!
Hi, Liz! I’m so excited to check out the companies that you’ve listed on here. Have you looked into the Babyganics line? It’s not really an organic line, but if you have to use disposable diapers in a pinch, they’re amazing! They’re soft, but the don’t have chlorine or other additives and the wipes are nice, too. This is the line that we’ve been using with my little one since he was born in December of 2013 and he’s only gotten 1 case of diaper rash. (And that was durring a bad bout of teething diarrhea so I don’t think anything could have saved his poor little bottom.) The rash only lasted for about 2 diaper changes, so it really wasn’t terrible. Alos, a great quick fix for a sore bottom is to add a bit of baking soda to the bath and let them soak for as long as possible. I love your podcast, book and blog! Thanks so muck for all the motivation and inspiration!! ^_^
I’ve heard about babyganics a few times – they seem to be highly recommended! I will definitely keep them on my list (both personal and business rec-wise) 🙂 Thank you for the tips, Shaina! I love hearing that mom wisdom 🙂
Hi there. I’m curious if you have any opinions about the brand CJ’s Butter? I’m excited to try a few of these lines you mentioned above!
I put coconut oil on my baby girl’s bum before we put on her first nappy. It made the merconium easy to wipe off! Also she didn’t have her first bath (in plain water) until she was about a week old. And even now (almost one) she only has about 3-4 baths a week.