What toiletries do I need for the baby?

[Tess321]

There are so many products on the market but what do i really need?

Nothing, just cotton wool and water.

You should avoid harsh chemical products for the 1st month at least, ideally for the first 6 months. "Baby" toiletries contain a lot of chemicals that can cause skin problems or worse. Babies don't really get dirty till they start crawling anyway.

cotton wool and water - we bought loads of crap branded toiletries all of which are unused - ds ws 1 3 weeks ago.

Have used dentinox cradle cap shampoo and thats it!

Very little. Definitely not lots of bubble bath, baby lotion, baby shampoo etc.

Agree that cotton wool and water is the best way to go. You might need some plain oil if your baby's skin gets a bit dry. Olive or grapeseed is probably better than the petroleum-based 'baby oil'. Chammomile can help with nappy rash but it's unlikely they will get that until older anyway.

Nothing but water, no bubble baths, no creams etc. If baby has dry skin use olive oil. Use water and cotton wool for bum wipes. Cheap and good for the skin and the environment.

I actually found talc handy. Ds1 had eczema, so ds2 treated the same since ds1 had been so miserable with it. And sudocream to nip any nappy rash in the bud.

sweet almond oil for massages (I don't like smell of olive oil)

water for baths

nothing else

DD had really dry skin. We used warm water and cotton wool for nappy changes, warm water alone for bathtime and olive oil to massage her afterwards. It worked a treat. When she was about 3/4 months old we switched to wipes at nappy changes because I got fed up of fetching warm water every time.
We still have her full bottle of baby bath that I was given, and DD is 18 months now.

By the time I had DD3 I realised that cotton wool and water is pants at removing meconium (the first poo, it's really black and sticky) so bought Vaseline. Put a smear on when you put your baby's first every nappy on (and each one after that) as it makes the meconium just slide off!

I needed baby shampoo as I have babies born with a full head of hair and needed to wash out the blood and goo.

I also used wipes from very early on, plain unscented ones. My babies didn't have sensitive skin so were ok with them.

I used sweet almond oil for massaging.

Avoid talc, they can breathe in the fine particles .

Mind you DDs 2 and 3 usually got put in the bath with DH or DD1 so ended up having some bubbles from quite young!

Oh bugger I best change my Amazon wish list then

How do you get the first sticky black tar like poos off a baby using only cotton wool and water?

Cotton wool, water and olive, almond or calendula oil.

Ah, toiletries. You only need cotton wool and water but you'll want baby powder, bum cream, baby lotion, baby bath, a soft sponge for bathing, baby shampoo.
You'll use hardly any of these things in the early weeks but they're useful to have as your baby gets older.

This is probably going to sound idiotic to everyone else but I'm a new mum and didn't work it out for myself for a long (and messy) time - if you're using cotton wool and water for nappy changing then wipe off most of the poo with dry tissue first, adding water makes it much worse! Not sure if this would work on meconium but definitely for the liquidy orangey poo that comes along a bit later.

Brangelina,

Did you mean that works to get rid of sticky poo?

Minnie - I did manage, you just need lots of it.

My first toiletries were all Johnsons because they have that baby smell. But none of it is necessary.

Lyra is a pretty name. I might add it to my list if you dont mind

Not at all. If I had a girl she would definitely be called Lyra. I only have boys though

When dd1 was born the midwife "showed" me how to bath her and added loads of Johnson's baby bath. I was a bit sad that she lost her baby smell so quickly.

With dd2 she didn't have a bath til day 3 or 4, it was at home, in our bath with plain water. All we added was a delighted 3.7 yr old sister!

sudocrem for nappy rash

I've been using shea butter (sparingly as it's expensive but a little does go a long way!) on my own skin for over 10 years now & apart from olive oil & plain water, is the only thing I've put on my DS since he was born: no soap or bubble bath or anything except a tiny squirt of plant-based shampoo when I wash his hair & he smells gorgeous (of course I would say that but other people have commented on it too so not just a biased Mama's opinion)!
If you're getting it bought as a gift I really would recommend shea butter, but make sure you get the pure form & not a cream that contains it as it's usually just a tiny amount & the rest dodgy chemicals.
AFAIK the majority of the mainstream baby creams & lotions are based mainly on petrochemical products/mineral oils which sit on the surface blocking the skin's tiny pores which is obviously not a good thing.
The cosmetics industry is scary, if you want I'll email you an article about all the nasty additives they put in everyday toiletries but prepare for a shock!

Thanks for the tips, yes meconium, that's the sticky black tar stuff!

BTW, my family do not originate from the UK, and where we are from traditionally you do not bath a baby until the cord has dropped off, due to risk of infection, just blanket bath, which caused a bit of an argument with the midwives, but DD was lovely and clean without immersing her in a bath full of bubbles!

Agree -- nothing. We never had a problem getting meconium off with cotton wool and water. Probably a good idea to have Sudocrem or similar on hand for dealing with any patches of redness/incipient nappy rash, but other than that water is plenty. You could get some cold-pressed sunflower oil for doing baby massage.

i used cottonwool and water with 1st going to use wipes straight off with next one hated the cotton wool sticking to everything

Echo everyones comments re cotton wool and water but think a useful addition is aqueous cream - can use instead of water as a cleanser if rashy or sore.

Personally I love Burts Bees baby stuff especially the Apricot Oil and Milk Bath but its blardy expensive. Lovely for presents though.