Did you know it's best to bathe babies in water alone?

[mears]

As a midwife I get hacked off seeing the advert that says 8/10 midwives use Johnsons baby products ( unfortunately a survey by the Royal College of Midwives has found out that is true!).

Anyway - I get annoyed at colleagues and mums giving baby's baths full of bubbles as it has been shown that the use of these products disrupts the balance of the skin, increasing the incidence of eczema and skin rashes etc.

The advice is that babies should be bathed in water only for at least the first two weeks ( including hair) to allow the skin to continue formation of the protective mantle post delivery.

In 'Practical Parenting' magazine this month mums are advised to take baby bath and shampoo into hospital with them as part of essential items. Not only are they an unnecessary expense they are potentially damaging to tender skins.

How many mums thought these products were essential?

i knew, water and water alone has touched my 13 week olds gorgeous skin! all those nasty sls things are never getting near my bubs!

forgot something homeopathy is wonderful on cradle cap. Dillon's was itchy so thought i'd consult my homeopath, within in a day it improved, a week later totally clear!

Tracy
xx

I have to say, after reading this thread I have used nothing but water on dd2 (6 weeks) but she has bloomin awful skin, spots, dry patches and she's just got cradle cap. So is it really down to products?

Enid, dd had pretty spotty, dry skin till she was quite a few months old...and then she bloomed. we've hardly ever used soap or anything unless she's very grubby. because dd is prone to mild eczema our GP prescribed pots of aqueous cream to 'wash' her with (coat her in it, then rinse off in clean bathwater) and rub in a bit after bath too. it doesn't smell of anything and obviously it's free if you get it on prescription (massive pots!)

Enid, The state of a baby's skin is not all down to products - exclusive breastfeeding and not using harsh detergents and softners loaded with perfumes also play a part. There is obviously a genetic component which cannot be controlled but by limiting external factors that can make a skin condition worse will help reduce the incidence of skin problems. Not usung products gives the skin the necessary time to build it's protective layers.
It may be that rashes etc. still do appear, but they may well have been a lot worse had you used products. Hope this is just a shortlived phase.

I don't really see how her skin could be any worse - she is exclusively breastfed and I don't use any softner on her clothes/sheets etc. Personally I think it is hormonal - my gp said that skin is often worse in babies that are breastfed as they are getting your hormones in the milk.

Anyway, still not using anything on her skin although did use shampoo the other day as I had massaged her head with olive oil to try and get flakes of cradle cap off.

She's still gorgeous under the spots/flakes though

A note of reassurance for Enid. I do sympathise with your worries, but have to say that I agree wholeheartedly with Mears. You are doing all the right things and the 6-8 week period seems to be a particularly common age for rashes etc. I would hope that in the next few weeks everything will settle down. I am not too sure about the hormonal theory, although I would not disregard it completely. There is so much we still need to learn about this subject and why I started to research it myself 6 years age. I am learning all the time. My tips on cradlecap were posted on Nov 18. Give it a try and tell me how things are progressing in the next few weeks. My article(posted as a link by Mears on october 31st 2002) that explains all this has now been rewritten for the Nursing Times, so I am hoping to get the message over to General Nurses as well as Midwives. Only, by re-educating ourselves will we be able to change outdated practices, which in turn should benefit our childrens skins.

nobubbles, just when I felt like giving her a good scrub with Pears soap, her skin has markedly improved. The cradle cap is still there and a bit has spread onto her forehead/eyebrows but its not too bad. So we are continuing with the just water for now

I will just say that I haven't been using wipes on her bottom either - just the odd one when we've been out and she's pooed, and she has absolutely no nappy rash at all. So thats a good thing!

Great news Enid. Keep up the good work!

mears - I would just like to say thanks to you and your friend for this thread. After reading the page nobubbles wrote I decided not to introduce wheat to dd till she was around 9 months. She also had no dairy at all till she was 12 months. Her skin is fantastic. The only thing is she isn't too keen on yoghurt or cheese. I guess this doesn't matter as she is still breastfeeding? How much calcium is there in breastmilk and can this provide all the needs of a 13 month old?

Thanks.

Glad this has been of help to you. I would expect that breastfeeding will still provide enough calcium but I will contact nobubbles and see what she has to say. There certainly is calcium in other foods such as bread the ones I found below:-

"The more kinds of food a child eats, the easier it is to meet his nutritional requirements. As you and your son try out new foods you will want to make a big effort to include calcium containing food since he won't be having any milk or milk products in his diet.

Some good suggestions would be canned flaked salmon. You can mix it with a little cooked rice, press them into little balls. They make great finger foods. Small blocks of tofu are also a good source of calcium and a good finger food. Cook until tender, small florettes of broccoli (broccoli contains some calcium) and mix with some fun shaped small pasta, such as little bow ties, penne, or small sea shells". HTH.

I know this is a bit out of synch, but I just wanted to add my two penny's worth!

I've had eczema and asthma most of my life so was determined that my children weren't going to get either.

I react (wheezing and rashes) to all Johnsons products - the perfumes are far too strong - and they give me a headache. I was dismayed when I was handed my Bounty pack in the hospital full of Johnsons products. I actually wrote to them and complained about the effect on babies' skin and how it was unnecessary to use such harsh products. And that I was allergic to them so I was hardly going to use them on my children's skin. As well as the cloying perfume, the creams contain an alcohol which works as an astringent and shampoo is just a detergent (washing up liquid) by another name. I got a letter riddled with totally unsatisfactory marketing rhetoric. I didn't pursue it anymore but just avoided the products.

I didn't use anything on the children's heads until they were both one yo. Up til then, they were washed in my diluted Oilatum - it cleaned them perfectly satisfactorily.

They both had cradle cap which I treated with almond oil - rubbing it into the scalp the morning of their bath then used a soft baby brush and water to gently loosen the flakes. It cleared up within a couple of months for both of them. They did have oily hair for a day at a time but it didn't bother me as I knew it would only be short term and was effective. My niece still has remnants at 10 (!) - my SIL never takes my advice - she thinks I'm a mad hippy!

I am really glad that this thread started nearly a year ago has come back at the top, as a future new mother I have stocked up on J&J products as I thought I won't have the strenght to go shopping once the baby is born. My hospital bag is packed with all their products (hope it's safe to use their wipes??? I have loads given to me as pressies at a baby shower yesterday...)but now I will try to keep the baby clear of the bubbles and shampoos.
I have a friend who has a 3 years old and she said she had to give up bathing her with J&J as she got eczema, but I thought it was an isolated case... I can see now it is not.
On the other hand, is it safe to use the baby oil and lotion for the baby massage? (this was something I was really looking forward to doing for my baby)

As for all the bubble bath and shampoo I have bought, cannot afford to throw it away, but I am lucky enough that I like it for myself and my dh likes it so we will use ourserlves.
thanks again!!!

Answer for Eulalia - good to catch up again. Have been doing a little research about calcium for you. Breastfeeding will provide enough calcium for your 13mth dd. However, as Mears said it is important to offer a varied diet that includes peas, beans, brocholli and citrus fruits. Tinned sardines are also a good source. These can all be incorporated in a mashed up state which will be enjoyed, hopefully by dd! Dairy products and cheese are all fine as they are high in calcium, so dont worry about the cheese fetish! It is important for the breastfeeding mother to eat enough(although not go overboard)calcium as the child will take what she needs. Studies have shown that,contrary to popular belief,a mother will absorb calcium more efficiently and indeed has less chance of developing osteoporosis in the future. So dont believe the rumours that breastfeeding drains the body of calcium. This may be why the western world has so many cases of osteoporosis now due to the low rates of breastfeeding in comparison to developing countries. Hope this has been some help. Thanks for looking at my web-site. I will be updating it soon with an article on cordcare which will be helpful when you have another baby!!
Hello to happyspider and nattie - you are wise to avoid the products, epecially the shampoo. My ds's who are 6 and 3 still only have their hair rinsed in mild bubblebath. Their scalps are perfect. Unlike my older children who suffered following product overload. Keep hold of your products and you can use them yourself, as you said. For the baby, give it 2-4 weeks with only water, then introduce products gradually. Baby oil can be used for massage, but it is probably best to hunt out the purest oils that are organic and free from petrochemicals. There are alot of companies who supply this kind of thing,so it is sensible to look around.

You can use ordinary sunflower oil from the supermarket for baby massage or olive oil, or almond oil - it's really nice for their skin. My ds still loves rubbing oil on himself!

My goodness, doesn't time fly. I didn't actually realise how long ago I started this thread?
It will be good for new mumsnetters and new mums. Maybe we should bring back certain threads on an annual basis - mind you,with some of the contraversial ones, maybe not

Happyspider.... baby oil is horrible it is VERY oily and full of perfume - agree with Aloha... go for something more natural.
Also baby wipes.... I would not use for the firt few weeks.... I know they are very convenient but again full of chemicals...

Babywipes have alcohol in them in them as it evaporates (and, therefore, dries) quickly. Alcohol is the main ingredient of adult skin toners as it takes the oil out of skin and closes pores.

Also, because of this easily evaporating property (highly volatile) alcohol is also a large constituent of most things with perfume in them as it's this evaporating property that carries the smell to our noses. Because of my eczema, I avoid as many products with perfume in them as possible because of their drying and chafing effect - including biological washing powders and conditioners.

Thanks mears and nobubbles. dd does eat quite well although not large quantities but I try with lots of small meals and she will eat fish and a wide range of fruit/veg. She is the picture of health so I am not too concerned. I only use a couple of drops of baby bath in the bath and plain water for her hair. think I'll have to try oil though as she does have cradle cap. Someone thought it was dirt! Doesn't seem to bother her. ds had it too and grew out of it eventually.

Thought I'd bring this thread back to life for all you prospective new mums out there.

Yes good idea-
On the subject of baby skin care is E45 cream OK to use on my 4 month old's flakey brow?