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!!!! :ROFL:

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?

Thank you so much in advance!!

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!

i forgot to say i didn't use baby shampoo as i found it aggrivated his cradle cap.:)

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.

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!!

Great thread Idea can I butt in please

Hi Alibaby,

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!!!

XX

We use the Gaia brand here too and it's lovely. Just few drops in the bath of the baby bath product is enough, you don't need to use a separate shampoo and conditioner. If your bub gets cradle cap an organic almond oil rubbed into the scalp at night and washed off the next day works a treat. As for nappy rash creams I don't do the "preventative' method. I change my DD bot often so she is never left in a wet nappy and the only time I use a cream is when her bot gets sore (like when a new tooth comes through) and again the Gaia brand is great for this. Plain old cornflour works too, but really, the best remedy is to leave your bub kick around without a nappy to let the skin air out a bit.

Good luck, and remember to take your own baby products to hospital as many birthing units are supported/sponsored by Johnson and Johnson so the only products available for you to use are J&J.

for your medicine cabinet i would HIGHLY recommend infants friend. its great for colic, teething, constipation and you can use it for newborns. its also been around since i was a bubby (so 20 odd years) so you know it must be good. it truely saved our sanity and you may not use it but its so worth while even if you need it once for a screaming bubby. oh and get lots of droppers, the writing always comes off on them and then when you need it you can't read the measurement.

I would definatly recommend Droppers for the medicine cabinet! And Infants friend - although it didnt help Bianca - i definatly think its worth a go! also it will be a little while before u can use it and we havent had to yet but also get some infant panadol - just so ur prepared and not making a mad dash to the chemist - which DH found him self doing a few times!

I also HIGHLY recommend u stay away from the Johnson and Johnson products! yes they smell pretty (which is why i brought heaps of them and was given heaps of it) but bubs have such sensitive skin - i found out the hard way! We use QV wash now!

Great thread!! I was wondering about all this stuff too.
And I have a question. When you change baby's nappy do you need to use a cream every time?? Or is it only if they have nappy rash? I'm confused. Hope that's not a silly question :redface: lol, I really don't know!

jellybean, what an absolutely wonderful post - i'm going to print that and hand it to new mums instead of saying it evry time!!

miessence is wonderful - i strongly suggest you get the barrier balm, it works splendidly.

for bathing - hopping into a bath with baby is just wonderful, add a bit if sweet almond oil (gmo free!!) and enjoy together :)

as for medicine stuff - brauers. you may not need any of it, but if and when you do, their range is magic.

Oliver has eczema and all of the supermarket stuff is unsuitable, I have a huge basket of stuff I was given which he can't use. J&J Bedtime stuff is the worst, made his eczema flare up badly (plus I dislike the smell).

This is what we use:

a) the bathroom for baby
QV oil in the bath most nights. A little J&J Baby Wash (the traditional yellow one) on his hair once a week. We follow with an eczema cream and this stuff called emulsifying ointment which is a thick, greasy goo - I'd go with something from the QV range for a general moisturiser. Sorbolene made Oliver dryer and isn't recommended by his dermatologist.

b) the medicine cabinet for baby
Baby panadol (get the squirter not the dropper dosage device), and baby neurofen. Neurofen is better IMO but panadol can be used earlier. We rarely use either but they are good to have on hand just in case, and the expiry is long. Bonjela we have, though we haven't needed to use it yet (trying to avoid it as it has alcohol in it). We used Brauer's Colic Relief when Oliver was small to help him move wind and currently use the Brauer's Teething Relief. I like these as they are nice and gentle (and no alcohol).

A small syringe is useful to have on hand too (no needle) - Oliver had to have this disgusting pink antibiotic once which came with no way of getting it into him and I was so thankful we had a clean syringe here so I could squirt it into his mouth.

c) the nappy bag for baby
I use sudecream or bepanthan, depending on what for. Bepanthan is soothing, sudocream is protecting. If Oliver's bottom is really red or raw I'll layer both. He sometimes gets a little red on the base of his penis, I use bepanthan for that.

I've never bought sudocream - I got two sample pots in the Bounty bag and they are both still half full. If you are going to buy it you will only need one pot and it will probably last you forever. I did buy Bepanthan but we are still on the first tube. Oliver's not that rashy though, I don't use it every change or even every day.

Just a warning - for the first few months any fever in your baby should be checked and no medication given without medical consultation. They are often considered *safe* but the reason for needing them should be checked to make sure nothing sinister is happening underneath. Panadol / nurofen is great for the older infant though.

We also had skin irritation from J&J products and the sorbelene for baby by them was the worst. Aromababy barrier balm is fabulous.

We use the Aromababy barrier balm here too. It's great for lots of things. Both my bubs used to dry skin on their cheeks and a little Aromababy Barrier Balm rubbed in at bed time worked really well. The Brauers Calm and Teething tonics are great too.

I didnt use anything in DS bath until he was a few months old, despite my mother insisting I needed to.
When I did start putting things in to his bath it was QV bath oil.
I was good for me too becuase all the hand washing you do with a newborn left me with dermatitis galore.
I also found I couldnt wear the perfume and normal skincare products that I used to as they upset DS when he was very little.

SaraJane - it depends on a few things, theres barrier balms and then there are nappy rash creams. Depending if you are using cloth or disposable will affect what you use as well. I only teneded to use something when DS had nappy rash, which was noramlly pawpaw ointment, or sudocream on the occasion it was bad.

if you have a girl i'd be hesitant to use pawpaw ointment. when i was working in child care i heard that the sugar in it can cause thrush?? not sure if thats true or not though