baby skincare in the news

[mears]

Hi all,

Remember my friend and her advice about no baby products for the first 4 weeks?

She is starting to get publicity now
skincare

Just read it - makes perfect sense to me! When DD was born she had no bath until 7 days old and then we only used water and cotton wool. We still haven't used soap on her (she is now 7.5 months) but have used a plant-derived shampoo on her hair since she was about 3 weeks old. I think, like your friend said, that babies are like sponges in many ways......on their skin, the words they hear, the emotions they pick up...they just soak EVERYTHING in!

Good on your friend, and good on her hospital to start publicising her work to their new mothers.

I'm in the US where they are very into cleanliness and hygiene (not that I'm against it!!), but everything is done with chemicals and detergents.....hand sanitizer, wipes, soaps, sprays.....poor little poppets have no chance to build up any natural immunity or to develop naturally.

mit x

We too still only use plain water to bath DS whos 3. He breaks out in a rash at the word Johnsons! I had to offload an awful lot of their products since his birth as I was innocently buying offers and multibuys whilst pregnant assuming that they were 'the best'. I think we only progressed from cotton wool and water for nappy changes when he was over a year. If I used even one Johnson wipe his bum would come up bright red and really sore. We did progress on to Pampers sensitive wipes and now he is in pants, so it's all in the past. I know it's these companies job to sell their stuff but us innocent mums shouldn't have to be brainwashed with thinking bubbles are a must for a bath. So well done to your friend Mears, not only will she help lots of babies and their skin, but also save new mums a bit of money.

i too have been using plain water on ds who is 12 weeks..mit, what shampoo do u use? At the moment i'm using capasal, because he has some cradle cap on his scalp, but once that goes, i would like to use something that is very mild

My friend who wrote the article did not use shampoo until her sons were over 2 years.

i only used water on ds for the firs 5 months. occassionally if i'm out and about now i use a sensitive wipe (but his bottom goes red) so i always try just to use water and cotton pad. i wash his hair about once every 2 weeks (although i bathe him every night and wet his hair as he is in the throwing food stage!) with babyorganics baby shampoo, and i literally use a couple of drops...

all this makes perfect sense to me and i was lucky enought to have independent midwives who advised me not to bathe ds until his stump fell off and not to use anything but water...

If I remember correctly, since some years ago the health care system of my country advises against baths and the use of soaps in the early days as it damages the natural skin protection that babies are born with. And eventhough is common to stay in hospital for several days after the birth, the babies are no longer bathed while staying at hospital. But once out everybody splash on talcum powder and smelly soaps for babies.

PS. talking about talcum... why do they still sell it? I have read somewhere in the past weeks that authopsies in old people are revealing talcum deposits (aparently from babyhood) in their lungs...

totally agree with her didnt only use shampoo occasionally on ds and only use bubbles on dd to clean a pooey bum!
sodium laurel/laureth sulphate a foaming agent used in most mainstream bath products(inc johnsons)is a toxin which is absorbed by the body and cant be expelled,and so over a lifetime leaves a toxic residue in the body.
some companies like earth friendly baby and neways make lovely toxin free products

I love the EFB products, but like many people do not like the over soaping products on offer ie Johnsons, I do use the odd bath soak for bubbles but not often. DD gets her washed with EFB soap, but otherwise it just gets rinsed and combed through.
Talc too arrghh hate it, dh loves it though, I had to wean him off it by dumping all the talc in the bin.

what about the 'Simlpe' range???

yeah agree talc is horrible stuff always hated it reminds me of old dears lol

simple range prob not toxin free just perfume free for sesitive skin. (ill dig out my v.long list of toxins if wants it ) but im not 100% sure on this. body shop products arent toxin free either-they're more into fair trade i think

sorry meant 'if anyone wants it'

oh!
I'd be ineterested for on tiny toes.

My dd is .5 but i am having another. I started using hte Simpl range when dd had a VERY itchy scalp all the time and she's great now so must've been the soap-perfume that bothered her!

simple range is good i used it as a child
will dig out some info but it might take me a couple of days to find it(not very tidy!!)
btter go and do housework-starting to feel guilty been on mn all morning!!!

sandi102- my ds2 had cradle cap. you don't need to get any special products. i used 'weleda calendula baby oil' (organic chamomile, calendula and sunflower oil i think!) use flannel dipped in warm water and the oil and massage it in, then use a dry flannel to lightly rub a couple of hours later - don't need to wash it as it strips the scalp which produces more flakes - takes about 4 weeks for it to clear.
another good company that is chemical free is green people i have been using all the baby products for the past 4 years - really good i use them for all the family.

I use Butterfly Blends on my ds's. They are made by a WAHM and totally natural and lovely Both my ds's have terribly dry skin and we have to be very very careful.

Somebody on here reccomended if you must use talc, use cornflower instead, does the same job but not as nasty on the lungs etc.

Hi again
Sandi102: The shampoo I use is by Aveda, it's called All Sensitive. It's on the expensive side (over here it's $13 per bottle) but DD is now nearly 8 months and I've only used 1/3 of a bottle to date.
Totally agree about the talc, we use Burts Bees Dusting Powder (don't know if you can get it in the UK - I think you can) which is cornstarch, baking soda, clay, powdered rosebuds (!!), powdered myrhh & powdered slippery elm bark . Anyhoo, it smells yummy and is 100% talk free.
For cradle cap, DD's only had it once so far thankfully, I simply rubbed olive oil onto her head, left if for a few hours and then shampooed it out. I'm now fastidious about brushing her hair & scalp twice a day to prevent another episode.
HTH, mit x

I meant talc free, though I guess talk free is also accurate!
LOL
mit x

what is a wahm?
butterfly blends sound lovely think ill try some