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Babies! We bring them into this world to love and protect them! They are our whole lives! Our legacy, our mini me's, our hearts!
Being an aunt, my niece is the joy of my life! I cannot have children of my own. When my niece was born, she was the light of my life! We got the privileged to watch her grow from the time she was born, and be there to help care for her and spoil her and love her! She is 5 today and man has the time gone by!
Just like many, one of the first items that is purchased (and gifted for that matter) is clothes and baby care products. Companies we have relied on, our parents and even our grandparents relied on, have let us down.
Not long ago Johnson and Johnson was in the news for the ingredients they put in their baby care products, Johnson's. They were heavily scrutinized and now they claim to have changed the ingredients, but there is still a lot to look for in baby care items! Shockingly, 77 percent of the ingredients in 17,000 reviewed children’s products have never been assessed for safety by industry or government.
What to avoid:
Perfumes and fragrances. These alone can contain up to 400 chemicals. Diapers, shampoos, lotions and soaps are all contaminated with fragrance. These can also contain parabens, and many unintended contaminants, like formaldehyde, and the possibly carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane.
Talc. This is often found in baby bum creams as it is a drying agent. This ingredient can harm baby’s developing lungs if inhaled. Talc is occasionally contaminated during the manufacturing process by naturally-occurring asbestos deposits.
Formaldehyde. This is a colorless, strong-smelling gas used in making building materials and many household products. Found in diaper creams, diaper wipes, and so forth. Exposure can cause skin irritation and allergic responses, but more importantly, formaldehyde is a known carcinogen. It is also a severe respiratory irritant that can cause central nervous system damage. What makes this ingredient so worrisome is that multiple chemicals can actually release formaldehyde – even when formaldehyde isn’t initially used in the product formulation.
Petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly is made by the waxy petroleum material that formed on oil rigs and distilling it. The thought of what petroleum is alone should be cause for concern! It can also be contaminated with possible carcinogenic compounds and can inhibit the skin’s ability to release toxins.
SLS: This is a common surfactant (creates bubbles) and is used in everything from baby soap, body wash, bubble bath, toothpaste and cleaners. SLS stays in the body for 5 days! Its harmful to the skin and hair on the body. It worsens skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. It strips the skin of its natural oils and on top of all of that, it stays in the body for 5 days!
Mineral oil: This can show up on labels as mineral oil, petrolatum, paraffinum and parrafinum liquidium. Mineral oil is found in creams, hair products and sold just as is, Baby oil or mineral oil. What is scary about this ingredients is that it is a cheap petroleum by-product. It blocks the pores and suffocates the skin.
Looking for these contaminants is so important for your babies health, but can be over whelming! Luckily there are natural options out there and here is some easy to find natural solutions!
Castille Soap: Soft and gentle for babies delicate skin, castille soap is made from plant based ingredients such as olive and sunflower oils. Castille soap can be used for body wash and used in baby shampoo.
All Natural Baby Bum Creams and powders: Look for creams made with non nano zinc, and pure ingredients like water, coconut oils, shea butters, vegetable waxes. For Baby powders, look for powders made with clay like kaolin clay, arrowroot powder (NOT cornstarch, this can promote yeast infections!), and chamomile.
For Diaper Wipes: My opinion? Use a wash cloth and water. This will always be your best bet! However, if you are looking for more natural and eco friendly diaper wipes, check out this link for the best all natural baby wipes! https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/safe-product-guides/diaper-wipes/
Lotions: Look for lotions made with simple ingredients. Our baby lotions have water, lavender floral water, coconut oil, plant based wax, and baby safe essential oils like lavender and chamomile. Thats it. Its as simple as that!
As parents, we do the best we can, and when we are armed with information and knowledge, we can continue to protect them in ways we would have never thought of before!
For our all natural baby care items, check out the link below!