HELP!! Baby Bath/health care products/medicine...What do I need??
Okay, so I go to Coles to the baby care aisle and I felt like a bf would if he had been sent out to buy tampons for his gf!!!!
There were so many different types of things...shampoos, baby bath products, creams, etc?
Could you lovely ladies give me suggestions of what I need to put in...
a) the bathroom for baby
b) the medicine cabinet for baby
c) the nappy bag for baby
I know I am asking a lot but I really was so confused. If you have any brand suggestions that would be helpful too. eg. What is best bepanthen, amolin or the other 4 products thats seem to do the same thing that were on the shelf?
I remember feeling this way! so will do my best to help!
bathroom for baby
don't bother will special baby oil etc, apparantly it dries babys skin out further i used olive oil and sorbelene and my DS (Still do) and it works wonders on dry skin and leaves them feeling lovely and smooth.
I wash him in QV bathwash i used to use a "special baby one" but found it dried his skin too much. I think u can only get QV from the chemist.
Medicine Cabinet
i didn't have much in this for the first few weeks as you can't give a new born much anyway but i made sure i had a thermometer and later i bought some childrens panadol (just before his needles i think) so sorry not much help here!
Nappy Bag
Nappies obviously lol! and some nappy sacks so the dirty ones don't stink your bag out!
A towel or mat to change bub on lots of spare bibs and clothes
Some wipes for face and bum!
as for nappy cream i was told to get a zinc based one only as they form a better barrier than ones with castor oil mixed in i use one called Desetin and i think u get it from the chemist also. but have also used curash and it has castor oil in it. or u could just use plain old vaseline my MCHN tells me it is just has good as forming a barrier but not as soothing on a rash. so its more of a preventative i think!
Oh and if you're planning on using a dummy make sure u have a spare in the nappy bag as well you never know when u might need it!
Hope this helps a bit
Good luck and happy shopping!
Thankyou so much for your tips KImmy. QV is a great product, I use it on my skin as well so that is a great tip that I can use it on baby as well and that it isnt drying for their skin.
Tan- thankyou as well! You snuck in while I was writing this post! Your tips are fantastic!!
Last edited by AliBaby; December 28th, 2008 at 08:23 PM.
I don't wish to alarm you, but I would recommend avoiding commercial babycare brands such as Johnsons, for example, as they contain a variety of chemicals which are proven to be carcinogenic and or toxic when absorbed. Be aware also of 'barrier' creams which contain ingredients such as mineral oil- this ingredient works by blocking the baby's skin from breathing- it gives the appearance of moisturising and softening baby's skin by literally 'locking' in moisture- but as the skin is blocked, it is then unable to release toxins. The skin (being the largest organ of the body, and a major organ of toxin elimination) needs to be kept free to breathe and excrete, as well as absorb.
If you are interested in looking for a pure brand, Miessence is the purest on the market with its range of certified organic babycare products (as well as adult personal care) although it is expensive. They are available here on the bellybelly store. Other brands such as Gaia, and NaturesChild are available online, from healthfood stores and selected baby merchandise stores.
I highly recommend the pocket-book 'The Chemical Maze' by Bill Statham as a necessary shopping companion. It gives you the full list of chemical ingredients used in both food and personal care (all those long, weird sounding ingredients that you can barely pronounce), what they are exactly, and what their associated effects and toxicity levels are.
I have complied a list of the main toxic ingredients you will want to avoid (unfortunately there are many more out there!!)
Red Flag Ingredients (toxic synthetic chemicals) to Avoid:
? Alcohol, Isopropyl (SD-40)
? Benzoyl Peroxide
? DEA (Diethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine), & TEA (Triethanolamine) ? Dioxin
? DMDM Hydantoin & Urea (Imidazolidinyl)
? FD&C Color Pigments
? Fragrances
? Parabens (methylparaben, propylparaben)
? PEG (Polyethylene glycol) - Petroleum Byproduct
? Phthalates (often used in plastic babytoys and teething toys to soften the plastic)
? Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol
? Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
? Triclosan
? Sunscreen ingredients like benzophenone, avebenzone, methyoxycinnamates, paba, etc.
Baby's skin is so sensitive, you really do not need to use much product at all. I have the Natures Child Bottom Balm for my bub, but I have barely had to use it as I'm using biodegradeable nappies which breathe- (once again, conventional, commercialised nappies contain dioxins, chlorine and bleaches and plastics which are harmful to babies skin and the environment) and hence he's never had nappy rash!!
In the bath, a gentle (chemical & fragrance free) soap or bodywash is all you need. Shampoo and conditioner is not really necessary until they are older.
Organic olive oil is wonderful for cradle cap.
Medicine cabinet? I personally would recommend a range of homeopathic remedies- as they are so gentle and do not carry the same side-effects of pharmacuetical medications- but that is a personal choice. I have baby liquid panadol as a last resort for baby when teething etc.
I hope this helps!!!!
Sorry its long.....
I'm very passionate about increasing the awareness of these issues!!!
Bathroom - I don't use anything for James for most baths and every 3rd or so I use a bit of QV oil. We also use Sorbelene for Izzy, but I have been using Avado cream on James as it has no nasties in it. I use Aromababy barrier balm for their bots, it smells DIVINE and again is organic and clears nappy rash beautifully. When Izzy has had really bad nappy rash we have used latherings of Sudocream but she didn't get really bad nappy rash until she was close to 12 mths. The Aromababy one is lovely and lasts ages.
Medicine cabinet - Panadol for later, I invested in a Braun thermometer - it is one of the ones you put in their ear like the Dr's use. It is wonderful and means you can take their temp without waking them and you know it is accurate. We use it ALL the time, nothing worse than a kid with a temp and you are worried and you don't want to have to stick the thermometer under their arm every 2 secs.
Nappy bag (keeping in mind I have a toddler too!)- nappy sacks, Huggies change mats, spare cloth terry nappy for changes, burps, spews etc. light muslin wrap for wrapping, feeding etc, nappies, bibs, wipes, spare clothes, sunscreen, water bottle, snacks,hand sanitiser (VERY handy!). Keep stocked all the time and repack when you get home the night before you go anywhere so it is always ready to go the next day.
HELP!! Baby Bath/health care products/medicine...What do I need??
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