Bathing and general baby cleaning product advice needed

[moomin35]

I'm a first time Mum and completely clueless(!) so apologies for the silly question. I have been looking around Boots and dare I say it the pound shop for some bargain baby products - I've picked up some Huggies Wipes for 99p a pack and some Johnson Baby wipes - Im not sure if these are intended for face hands or bottom though! Can anyone tell me? Also, in terms of bathing my baby as long as I stick to leading brands (ie Johnsons) am ok to use any baby bath, baby cleaning gel, shampoo etc or is there stuff I should look out for or avoid?

We used Huggies wipes - though any brand is fine provided your baby doesn't react badly to them. We went for unscented, alcohol free wipes as DH has sensitive skin. At nursery they used value brands and they were fine too. We used them mainly for nappy changes, but also for face and hand wipes. We didn't use any baby bath, gel or shampoo until our DD was over 12 months - just water is fine.

Actually I'd suggest avoiding Johnsons. Far too much perfume and a lot of babies get reactions to their stuff. I'd go for simple, fragrance-free products. Babies don't really need baths (plus they don't really like them) - none of mine have had more than one every three or four weeks in the early days. They're not getting dirty and as long as you clean their faces (with plain water) and their bottoms (with wipes) then they're fine. (This is called top-and-tailing.) In the first few days there will be a lot of sticky green poo called meconium. It's like tar and is awful to get off unless you Vaseline the baby's bottom religiously after every change.

Other than that I wouldn't bother getting a load of stuff until baby's older.

I second ZuleikaD Johnson's sleepy bathtime products made my DS have dry skin. I took him to the community midwife who asked if I used Johnsons products - she said they're really crappy products, luring in first time parents with promises that it's the best for your baby. Funnily enough as soon as we stopped using it his rash cleared up. We use Oilatum Junior Bath Formula now. Also you only need to use a tiny amount - drop/s literally!

Also second the not bathing all the time route either, as this also dries their skin out - just clean what's necessary - face, bum, hands (when they start putting them in their mouth) and gradually more often the older they get/dirtier they get from playing/eating etc)

Congratulations on your baby your questions aren't silly you're just being prepared - shy bairns get nowt as they say up here!

Also you can get wipes cheaper than that at supermarkets and Amazon when they have multiple buy offers - stock up!

The boots own brand baby bath smells lovely but gave my DD a horrible rash. Really I know its boring but stick to the plain stuff and use plain water as much as poss.

I am only using tesco top to toe body wash and no tears shampoo on dd now as she is 7 months and smearing food all over herself.

Lots of babies react to Johnsons so avoid.

I found Huggies wipes too wet for the bum!

Olive oil to moisturise after bath.

Aldi wipes are very good value, Johnson's wipes made dd's bottom raw. Usually let her bum air dry a little or dab it dry before putting a new nappy on.

We use wipes for bums and bits during nappy changes and face and hands all the time after meals etc.

We just use a bit of asda baby bath to clean her with and dentinox shampoo when she got cradle cap.

Shop own brands are perfectly suitable for the little one.

Bathtime - tbh id avoid anything other than water, and then maybe do a little baby massage with lotion when they get out.

Shampoo - dont need it very often (once a week max), but do get No More Tears type stuff so ot wont sting.

Bath extras - we bought a good baby sponge, a hooded towel or two, and a little ramp that sits in the bath rather than an actual baby bath.

A tip we used was get a little basket for the livng room and one for the bedroom - wipes, nappoes and sacks, spare vest and babygro and hand cream (for you) in each. Easier to have stuff to hand in the main rooms rather than going to tje change table every time.