Organic Baby Blog – News & Tips on Organic Parenting

Advice On Baby Washing

July 7th, 2010

Young babies often object noisily to being undressed and immersed in a bath full of water, so don’t feel you have to bathe your baby every day if the infant is unhappy about it. Always start by washing the baby’s face with cooled boiled water using several pieces of cotton wool. Never use any kind of soap on the baby’s face or near his eyes. If you wipe the eyes, use separate pieces of cotton wool for each one and start from the inner corner wiping outwards. A baby’s cars and nose are self-cleaning so never try cleaning inside them with cotton wool or buds. Just gently remove any visible mucus or wax. Once you have washed his face you will need to lift up his head and clean the folds of his neck, making sure that you dry the area carefully afterwards. Using another piece of cotton wool, wash between your baby’s fingers and then dry his hands carefully.

When you have finished the top half you need to remove his diaper, wiping away any solid matter before gently cleaning his bottom. You can use lotion to do this, or some warm water. Once the area is dry, you can apply a barrier cream to help prevent diaper rash.

Cradle cap is very common in the early months and can sometimes continue for a while. Dry white or yellow scales form a crusty cap on the scalp. Rub olive oil, baby oil, or a specially formulated treatment into the scalp and then comb out the loosened flakes. As soon as the condition is under control you will only need to do this once a week. Cradle cap usually disappears by the time a baby reaches about eight or nine months.

A young baby’s nails will grow very quickly and if not cut can cause scratches, especially on his face. You should keep his fingernails and toenails short by cutting them straight across with a pair of blunt-ended scissors. If your baby objects to this, or you find it difficult to cut his nails while he is wriggling about, try doing it while he is asleep or get someone else to hold him steady.

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Organic Baby Skin Products Protect Baby’s Skin from Rashes

December 4th, 2009

A baby’s skin is very sensitive to chemicals, and they are also quite susceptible to many different rashes, skin irritations, and more.  The problem is that many of the powders, creams, and other baby skin products are made with chemicals and other artificial ingredients, and often, these ingredients can be just as damaging as the rash or irritation that they are designed to soothe.  However, there are some organic baby skin products out there that can help soothe rashes and, at the same time, are made from completely natural ingredients that will not hurt babies at all.

Cleaning your baby’s skin using proper, all natural soaps is just as important as making sure they get enough nutrients and are raised in a healthy, clean environment.  All of these natural products are, however, just as effective as those made with artificial ingredients.  The lullaby wash, for example, is an incredibly relaxing body wash that features lavender and chamomile.  It makes a gentle lather that keeps the skin hydrated and won’t deplete any of its natural oils.  It will help soothe your baby’s skin while cleaning it.

The organic castile soap is another great baby soap that is made with organic, natural ingredients like saponified extra virgin olive oil.  This organic castile soap is made with a cold-process method, which helps to seal in all of the nutrients and vitamins found in the olive oil.  The soap is then cured for up to four weeks to make certain that it will last for quite some long.

Finally, the organic baby bottom balm can be applied to your baby’s bottom to help prevent rash that comes from the chaffing of diapers.  Simply apply the balm, which contains olive oil, vitamin E, and calendula, to your baby’s bottom when changing diapers to keep them rash-free and help their skin heal from any irritation.

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How to Buy Baby Clothes

June 30th, 2009

So you would think that with all of the crazy super important decisions that you are called to make while having a baby that buying baby clothes would be a piece of cake, well guess what, it’s not. Buying the wrong baby clothes can potentially stunt your child’s growth, lead to difficult teenage years, and cause diabetes. Now, while none of those things are true it is still an important part of preparing for your child’s  time in this world. As a father I can honestly say that when Ruby (daughter) came into this world I had no idea how the respective sizes of baby clothes worked. It was a sphere of knowledge somewhat akin to women’s shoe sizes, by that I mean that it is different then my sizes, probably important to someone else, and something I don’t care about at all. That being said, I wanted to take a moment to write some tips on buying baby clothes to save you from some of the bumbling mistakes and eventual research I had to do to figure it out for myself.

1. Function is King

There are some pretty awesome outfits out there for your newborn or toddler and many of them are completely ridiculous when it comes to actual utility. I don’t care how awesome that baby biker or cowboy outfit is, if you cannot get in there quickly to defuse whatever diaper bomb is cooking they are not real baby clothes. Look for clothes with a snap-crotch for easy access; you will be glad you did. As for the top half of things weight your choices towards necks that are stretchy and or have buttons to widen the opening. Your baby will love you more for not trying to forcibly squeeze their head through anything more then is necessary, and you want your baby to love you, don’t you?

2. Think Season Appropriate

When purchasing baby clothes before the child’s birth, spare a moment to figure out what the general temperature will be when that kid meets the world and shop accordingly. How would you feel if you went to visit some family in January and you lost your bags, and as chance would have it  also happened to be naked when you got there. It would be pretty great if your hosts had some nice warm clothes for you to wear.

3. Sizes

For most new parents this is where things get a bit weird. Baby clothes sizes are by age, so for example 0-3 months, 1 year, 2 year, etc. Of course, this system is insane, but it is the best that we have come up with so far. I mean can you imagine if we stuck with the baby clothes model of sizing throughout life? Shopping for a size 34 year could be wacky and potentially embarrassing. Anyway, the rule of thumb with baby clothes is to aim for a little big at the start (babies grow) and then once you get to know the baby, assuming you like him or her, and feel like buying them more things, you will know where they fit in relation to the universal age size scale.

And so to sum things up, the best way to buy baby clothes is to use common sense. Think of the weather, remember that babies grow so aim for bigger rather then smaller, and the most important thing is function.

Tags: baby, clothing, how to
Posted in Baby Product Safety, General, Organic Baby Clothes, Organic Baby Skin Care, Organic Baby Yoga, Organic Crib Mattresses | 3 Comments »

Baby Clothes – Why Organic Is Better For Your Baby

April 28th, 2009

Many of us know of the ecological impact of producing non organic cotton baby clothes (where cotton crops account for 25% of the worlds pesticides and 10% of the worlds insecticides each year). The question we hear often is are there really any actual health benefits for buying organic baby clothes.

And the answer is Yes, organic baby clothes are better for your baby!

Your baby’s skin is more porous and thinner then an adults. Also, with such a smaller body and developing organs even a small minute of toxins will cause much more overall harm then it would for an adult.  Baby skin is also more susceptible to bacteria and harmful substances in the environment and in clothing, which is why baby skin becomes irritated so easily.

So this all means that our kids have a much higher risk of getting pesticide or toxic related health issues then grown ups from our clothes. Some recent studies suggest that most kids receive 35% of their estimated lifetime dose of toxins and carcinogenic pesticides by the time they are five years old through food, drinking water, household products, and pesticide drift.

Traditional baby clothes made with cotton  fiber are manufactured with bleaching, dying, scouring, softeners, formaldehyde spraying, and  flame redardent spray, before it is even shipped to be adjusted for patterns. Many of these chemicals do not come out after many washes.

So yes true organic baby clothes grown from organic cotton and manufactured without bleaches, dyes, toxic softerners, and all the other traditional toxins are better for your babies health.

Tags: baby, clothes
Posted in General, Organic Baby Clothes, Organic Baby Skin Care | 4 Comments »

Organic Baby Skin Care Products- Better Your Child’s Health

April 22nd, 2009

One of the facts we often forget is that the skin is actually the largest organ our body has.  Because we don’t consciously think of this, we often allow our skin to absorb many different toxins and other chemicals that we would never ingest for our internal organs to absorb.  We also often introduce these chemicals to our baby’s skin, something that can actually lead to health issues if we aren’t careful.  Even recently a study conducted by Safe Cosmetics found that many of the top traditional baby skin care brands have Formaldehyde in them. For that reason, organic baby skin care products offer a great way of ensuring that our children are safe while still being clean and well-cared for.

These organic baby skin care products use only all-natural, organic ingredients.  However, while some natural products seem not to do as good a job as those with artificial chemicals in them, that is not true of most organic baby skin care items.  Manufacturers have spent years and hundreds of hours of testing to make certain their products are the absolute best and the most effective out there.

So what kind of organic baby skin care products are out there?  Well, there is organic body wash that features lavender and chamomile.  This mixture helps protect the body’s natural oils and doesn’t dry out the skin, keeping it healthy and clean.  Then there’s organic castile soap.  This soap, like the body wash, is created using ingredients guaranteed to keep your baby’s skin healthy.  It helps the skin retain all of its natural vitamins and natural oils that some soaps strip away.

Tags: baby, organic, skin care
Posted in Organic Baby Skin Care | 3 Comments »

Carcinogens Found in Baby Bath Products

April 2nd, 2009

This morning I was reading through some news for our industry and read an article about a recent study the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics ran. These guys found out that a lot of baby and childrens bath products  actually contain chemicals that are known to cause cancer and skin allergies. 23 out of 28 of the products they tested had Formaldehyde in them!

A very well known health pediatrician at Seattle Children’s Hopstial,  Dr Sheela Sathyanarayana, says that “she’s seen kids become extremely sensitized from formaldehyde exposures.”  Our children will develop bigger and nastier reactions with each new exposure. No wonder asthma and other diseases are the new epedicm of our American society.

This is just another reason why we need to start adopting some formal regulations for skin and bath care products. We always hear in the news about  some new popular product carrying a nasty medly of chemicals, but those are the ones that the government actually tests for! Until then, organic baby skin care and children care products are the way to go.

Tags: baby, organic, skin care
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Keeping Natural Against Baby’s Skin May Keep Rashes Down

October 28th, 2008

Organic materials are created with out the chemical process that traditional baby clothes are made out of this includes the inks that are used in the labeling processes. Carters baby clothes for their 2007 fall line of clothing causing rashes in babies with allergies to chemical composed inks used in the non-label labeling process.

The newest trend in baby clothes is to stamp the information normally contained on a label directly onto the fabric. This decreases in the tags irritating the babies wearing them, but for Carter the ink used has been linked to over 400 cases of rashes.

The degree of the reaction has not been reported and it is being assumed that the cause is a rare allergy to the ink some children have. But there are 110 million items on the shelves now and until the child has a reaction it is unknown if these will be safe to the wearer.

To stay safe, why not purchase organic clothing in the first place, the cost is not too much greater and the peace of mind is worth the extra pennies.

Tags: skin care
Posted in Organic Baby Clothes, Organic Baby Skin Care | 1 Comment »

Study On Baby Skin Care Products Raises Concern

April 12th, 2008

Baby skin care products, lotions, and shampoos may be exposing infants to chemicals links with reproducing problems, according to a recent study by Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana, from the University of Washington.

These chemicals, phthalates, are commonly used in all sorts of cosmetics. Even though many countries (including California) have restricted their use. The chemical is intended to help with fragrances and or make plastics flexible. In the study, babies where were exposed to traditional lotions and baby pwoders were found to have high levels of the chemical in their urine.

Studies with animals suggest the phthalates can cause birth defects and some environmentalists believe they can cause reproductive problems in girls and boys in early puberty.

However, there has not been enough studies on humans for any solid evidence. The study by Dr. Sheela does not show direct proof that infants who have elevated levels of phthalates are caused any harm.

But when are chemicals ever good for us? I believe there is a huge need for for the beauty industry (and the organic products industry) to get its act together and start studying the long term effects of the ingredients used in their products before selling it.

Dr. Sheela stated “The bottom line is that these chemicals likely do exist in products that we’re commonly using on our children and they potentially could cause health effects.”

But are these chemicals used in natural and organic baby products? I plan on contacting several produces of organic baby skin care manufactuerers to find out if these chemicals are used in their manufacturing process.  To be updated again soon.

Tags: baby, skin care
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