What lotions, potions and 'medical stuff'?

[LimeSlice]

baby wash - you dont need it. A few drops of olive oil and later essential oil will be sufficient. The purpose of the washes/soaps is not actually to clean the skin, but to allow the dead skin and impurities to come off when rubbed with a cloth. Without a softening agent in the water when you rub you will rub of 'good' skin. The oil provides the necessary lubrication in the water to allow the rubbing to remove the dead or surface cells without drying iritating or removing the new skin cells.
You also dont need to worry about the mountain of chemicals in the washes - which if you read what is actually in them is disgusting

body moisturiser - a plain sorbolene should be fine for this, or again, oil. Again be careful of commercial products as they often contain propelyne glycol which is actually an artificial moisture retention chemical, and will actually have negative effects on the skin.

nappy rash cream - moogoo or calendula ointment you can get form any good health food shop. Tinderbox brand is fabulous and it is all natural and safe. Great for masses of things too. check out he moogoo website for their stockists or you can order online - these are both also safe for use with cloth nappies.

barrier cream for bum - dont need it unless you have a very rashy baby or use disposables. Again though I would simply use the calendula as the constant use is actually beneficial, and there is no build up or retention in the body of chemicals or heavy metals.

talc - NASTY STUFF!! Steer clear of it, it is completely unnecessary. Has been linked to fertility issues in women later in life (the grains have actually been found blocking fallopian tubes). It also actually fosters bacteria - moisture + heat + habitat = bacterial growth

baby panadol - use sparingly!! Very nasty again, especially when taken into consideration the natural alternatives available. Essential oils, rubs and vaporisers, BRAUERS products cover most ailments as well and are again all natural homepathic remedies. The oldies are goodies, so check up on Grandma Wisdom for most baby ailments.


HTH

[farmgirl77]

Hello everyone,

Thanks so much for the responses, it is great to find out that I dont need to be using much - it is very overwhelming - and expensive! Thanks for all the suggestions on the products to use as well - gives me a great start - I love the thought of the moogoo!

It is a worry to read all the issues with J&J - you would think that they should be more responsible!

FG

[MantaRay]

I used Gaia too. You can use the Gaia skin lotion as a nappy cream also, but you might need something extra for very bad nappy rash. We also used baby panadol.

I never used talc and I don't recommend it.

[Curly]

Just wanted to post that I have bizarre children who get skin irritations and eczema from natural products (Gaia, Miessence and Moogoo are prime candidates here) and nappy rash from zinc creams.

I know, I don't get it either. Miessence and Moogoo work fabulously on my own skin.

So I use Cetaphil and Aveeno bodywash and moisturiser (from the chemist) and J&J shampoo . I searched high and low for a no-tears shampoo that wasn't J&J that would stop DS scratching like a dog with fleas. No luck, spent a fortune.

But for bottoms the only thing that reliably worked was Aromababy Barrier Balm. Gorgeous stuff and satisfies my eco sensibilities somewhat!

[alioops]

- If you are going to use disposable nappies, I recommend going for a chlorine & bleach-free brand such as Nature Babycare, Cushie Tushies, Moltex Eco etc. These chemicals (amoung many others used in conventional commercialised brands), can irritate babies skin, not to mention are just plain toxic to us & the environment!

Just quickly, CT's are cloth hun. I suspect you were meaning Nature Babycare ETA: or Baby Love Ecobots? :end ETA:

FG, I use the eco store stuff on the older 2 but for our NB I will be just using warm water until she is crawling and actually getting dirty enough to warrant using a body wash

You should always have some baby paracetamol on hand from 1 month, and baby ibuprofen from 3 months (they can be used together, and the baby ibuprofens dont stain cloth nappies like baby paracetamol). Some wind drops may be useful, but I often found that cycling my babies legs got rid of any wind in no time. Baby gymnastics is great for gas.

If you can find a chemist that does lignocaine gel for teething (over the counter) that is the stuff the dentists use. The dentist warned me against bonjella and a few other similar ones.

I use the aromababy on Em's nappy area after she has recently finished a reaction nappy rash (she reacts to lactose, and only responds with hydrocortizone) but I have some moogoo full cream for the other 2 when needed.

Flannels and water are the best for wipes, but if you prefer to throw them away, nature babycare do some good ones.

That's all I can think of for now, and we are on a low budget so that stuff is in the lower price range, or is used very sparingly, otherwise I would be using the miessence.

[Bathsheba]

This thread has lots of excellent advice! I also only used the bare minimum on my children... by the time my third child came along I was so over all the gimmicky stuff and basically just stuck to:

Ego and MooGoo products... the occasionaly cornflour talc... a drop of lavender essential oil (make sure it's the real thing, not a synthetic "fragrant oil".

I totally agree with avoiding nasty Johnson & Johnson products... ugh!!!! even the so-called "natural/organic range of J&J" it's just the same old stuff with a token amount of essential oil

MiEssence have a new range of baby products which i haven't tried but I trust MiEssence as a brand.

[MummyNaomi]

Lucas Paw Paw ointment - avail from Target for $4.99 (or chemists) has fixed Baileys dry skin, he had a really dry forehead for the first few weeks

[NaeNae]

Wow awesome thread , lots of useful info especially for first timers.

Just wondering how do you ask for people to NOT buy you J&J stuff and convert to a different product like Gaia for example? do you create a wish list of sorts with a small request at the bottom?

Nae x

[Jahzara]

I have just quickly skimmed through what the others ladies have said - great suggestions of course !

Just wanted to add incase it hasnt been mentioned
Baby Panadol/Paracetemol - can only be used from 4 weeks of age ( just incase you werent aware )
Also i am not sure if you know what sex you are having but my neice had a little girl a few months ago and the hospital told her not to use powder - they dont recommend it for little girls because it has been linked back to cervical cancer. So it may be best to avoid that just incase.

I have always loved lotions and potions but DS#1 and DS#2 had ezcema so they had basically Sorbolene and QV products from the chemist used on them. For some reason DS#3 hasnt had any skin issues - yet !

Good luck with it all -

xxoo

[NaeNae]

Just bumping this up

[Karina]

We had cornstarch powder, instead of talc. Talc is evil!

QV lotion - Claire gets dry skin and QV doesnt have all the purfumes and other additives that can make irritations worse.

Bum cream - she gets bad nappy rash sometimes. But if its really bad, we just let her go nappy-less for a bit. I used to let her go nappy-less when she was really little too, just put a towel under her bum.

Gaia wash. We use it because she has always loved bubbles.

Brauer products. We've used the teething one and it worked really well for our little girl.

[MummyNaomi]

Homebrand sorbelene creme has become my new favourite moisturiser - Bailey has the most beautiful skin because of it. I also like the GAIA baby moisturiser, the lavender smell is yummy and if definately helps with the sleep routine

[bon]

With the moo goo - which cream is the best one for nappy rash? Is it the full cream udder cream or the MSM soothing cream? I have just been checking out their website and am not sure which cream is the one everybody uses.

Also, I want to get a cream for my body/belly and am thinking the skin milk by moogoo would be good? Or should I go the full cream version? Would either of these be suitable for my face too? TIA

[Novella]

thermometer- a cheap digital is fine for the first few months and tends to be more accurate than a tympanic when their ears are soo tiny, but as they get older they squirm so then invest in a good tympanic, I have seen some new forehead scanners but Im not sure how accurate they are

we use gaia products, cetaphil is a good gentle cleanser that I use and can be used or bubs

Panadol- I would buy so I have some there for later if needed but its not reccommended in the first 4 or is it 6 weeks (if baby has a temp or you think they need panadol at this age you really should have them seen by a doctor or take them to the local emergency hospital)

talc- dont get it, you dont need it and it has been reported to be 'possibly' carcinogenic so why risk it

[PinkPalace]

Well i use j&j products. i have had no problem with them, moisturers , bath wash.

Bongela i keep it has been wonderful during teething (but you will have a little while until that anyhow).

I keep talc (you find they dont contain aluminium now) and use it during summer to prevent heat rash and excess sweating in bubs (esp if you have no air con or in a hot area).

Panadol and nurofen i have - but note the use by date - esp if you are keeping for when bub is older - you may want to buy later down the track.

I got by for 2 years without a thermometer. i just felt bub to know they have a temp - otherwise a $10 one will do the trick.

Some sorbolene cream for cradle cap.

mmmmmm

i also use zinc cream for nappy rash or bepanthen.
i have paw paw too (simmons) but find it is ok for mild rash but doesnt do the trick for dreadful rash.

HTH

[berrme]

I second not really needing a thermometer. I have a cheap digital one, but have always been able to tell when DS has a temperature with my hand.

[bon]

Feeling by hand is not actually that accurate - I know I have felt my kids before and thought for sure that they had a temp, only to check it with a thermometer and it is normal. If you are going to give medicine to lower a temp, you should always check first with a thermometer to make sure they are actually running a fever.

[PinkPalace]

To be technical. Reducing a fever is not always necessary.
I find that if the fever is uncomfortable and high enough to require pharmacetual measures then touch is all i need.

you will get to know your child over time
xx