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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Toiletries for baby in hospital bag/ Green People

21 replies

kviddy · 26/01/2011 16:29

Hello,

Just looking for a bit of advice on a good brand to take to hospital to use on bub. I'm not so keen on anything perfume-y for me, it gives me nasty headaches. So I wanted something quite natural for the baby. I ordered this green people organic baby pack thinking it would be mild (and liked how tiddly the pots were):

www.johnlewis.com/230650547/Product.aspx

However, it came last week and i was knocked back at how strong the stuff smells! I emailed the company to ask if it was suitable for use on a new born and they said yes (not surprising really I suppose!).

Has anyone used this stuff and liked it? Is there something better out there?

Many thanks

OP posts:

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Coppernoddle · 26/01/2011 16:42

Sainsbury's and wait rose are selling some nice things at the moment if you have a second to go and look, then you can smell them too! Most baby stuff is very good for baby so even if it's johnsons, don't be too hard on yourself!

LilRedWG · 26/01/2011 16:44

Baby only needs clean, warm water. Don't bother with toiletries - their skin is far too delicate.

naturalbaby · 26/01/2011 16:51

i've had home births but had hospital bags packed and only had cotton wool in there. the only thing i really needed for baby for the first few weeks was water and olive oil. i didn't have very sicky, grotty babies but cotton wool and water did the job - even for the first sticky poo. a bit of olive oil for dry skin and plain baby soap when they did start getting a bit sicky. i only started bathing after a week or two and only every other day or so. i get the impression the only reason babies get a bath in hospital is to help/teach new mums what to do. if baby has lots of vernix still it's better to leave it to absorb into the skin rather than wash/rub it off.

LilRedWG · 26/01/2011 16:56

Naturalbaby - when I was born they would not discharge my mum and I until mum had been 'taught' how to bath me, despite the fact that I am the youngest of six and the midwives were fully aware of the fact. LOL

CockneySparra · 26/01/2011 16:56

what lilred said.

DilysPrice · 26/01/2011 16:58

Honestly, water, cotton wool and a bit of olive oil for dry areas is all you need - and a small tub of sudocreme/bepanthen for the occasions when/if they do get nappy rash, (I found that the free sample in my bounty bag lasted me for months).
And I'm by no means a hippy.

snowangels1 · 26/01/2011 18:11

I use green people stuff regularly and have brought some of the baby stuff for myself - the thing you need to remember with their products is they are really concentrated, so only need to use a tiny amount. I have super sesnitive skin (even sensitive skin stuff reacts with me) and their stuff is always really nice and soothing on my skin so I'm sure it's gentle/mild enough (especially as it's aimed at babies!). And I have read that you shouldn't use soap stuff for the first week or so too as babies are born with a protective coating to their skin and soap with just get rid of it - water to begin. I also quite like the eco baby (??) shower/bath gel that I've brought from waitrose in the past.

prettymaryk · 26/01/2011 18:18

the organic babies range has several unscented versions of their products. i've always used plain warm water for as long as possible. dd2 (now 3) has mild excema and reacts to many toiletries but she's fine with the organic babies stuff.

Original poster

kviddy · 27/01/2011 07:53

Thanks for all your thoughts...

("And I'm by no means a hippy" totally cracked me up!)

Looks like I might just pack cotton wool and olive oil for my bag and save my lavender organic babies until bub is a little bit bigger. It's good to know, though, that even with its strong smell most sensitive people get on well with it.

OP posts:

FindingStuffToChuckOut · 27/01/2011 09:26

I agree re no toiletries for baby - not necessary at all. We used water, and grape seed oil for massage. Apart from a bit of Weleda bum cream occasionally, that was it.

Leilababyno1 · 27/01/2011 14:25

With reference to LilRedWG post. You shouldn't only clean a newborn with water alone- as you will not get rid of bacteria which forms within a babba's multitude of skin creases, if not cleaned properly this can cause skin irritation and infection. A new born baby still needs washing with gentle products to prevent infection from developing.

Leilababyno1 · 27/01/2011 14:29

-Obviously, you shouldn't give a newborn a proper bath until a couple of weeks after birth- but I do believe proper cleansing is important from birth to prevent infection.

sh77 · 27/01/2011 14:31

As others have said, not needed for first few days. However weleda does organic baby products. It is a german brand and v popular there. I stocked up before I left there. Products sold across London or online.

MollysChambers · 27/01/2011 14:36

Advice when my DD was born (2 years ago) was to use NOTHING on newborns skin except water for first four weeks. May help prevent allergies - not that there are any in the family. They don't need it anyway. And they smell sooooo yummy naturally.

BelieveInLife · 27/01/2011 15:42

See this thread here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/1122543-baby-toiletries/AllOnOnePage

Avoid the eco-baby range, there's nothing eco about it, it contains sodium laureth sulfate amongst other things.

curlywurlycremeegg · 27/01/2011 15:51

Am on iPad and can't work the copy and paste well enough to add a link but if you google "Sharon Trotter neonatal skin care" you will find the research regarding only using water for bathing babies for the first few weeks. There is no reason a baby will get an infection if a soap type of product isn't used, water is suffice to clean any areas, even premature babies who are the most susceptible to infection are only cleansed with water in hospital.

hazeyjane · 27/01/2011 16:04

Leilababyno1, I'm not sure if that is true about not using water alone to prevent infection. When ds was born he was in scbu for 8 days, on day 6 the nurse asked if I'd like to bathe him, and recommended just using warm water.

The NHS website recommends, "You shouldn't add cleansing products to the bath water, or use lotions or medicated wipes."

He is 6 months old now and the only products I use are a little umperfumed baby wash for his hair to wash off the oil that I use for his cradle cap, and sunflower oil for massage.

hazeyjane · 27/01/2011 16:06

Meant to add, that the nurse in SCBU talked about soapy products stripping the skin of natural oils which are developing in the first few weeks.

going · 27/01/2011 16:12

DD2 didn't have a bath until she was four weeks old. It was her only bath before her 6 week check and the dr said she had the most amazing skin he had ever seen on a baby! Did the same for ds and got a similar comment (different dr).

Spon · 11/03/2011 16:21

Try Green Baby's shampoo & bodywash - you only need a tiny amount, as like Green People's stuff, it's quite concentrated. Smells lovely, Lavendery....www.greenbaby.com/Green+Baby+Products/nursery/bed++bath/organic+skincare/FAMILY+SHAMPOO++BODYWASH_GBT026.htm x

Laska · 11/03/2011 16:45

Leilababyno1
"With reference to LilRedWG post. You shouldn't only clean a newborn with water alone- as you will not get rid of bacteria which forms within a babba's multitude of skin creases, if not cleaned properly this can cause skin irritation and infection. A new born baby still needs washing with gentle products to prevent infection from developing."

This contradicts advice given by the NCT and by my midwives too.

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