Safer skin care: babies first bath
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I CAN HARDLY HANDLE THE CUTENESS!!!
Coco has mixed reviews on being bathed. The initial descent into the sink had her terrified and any change in temperature is always a dreadful event. But, she came around to the idea of bathing right when we put a warm washcloth on her tummy.
As Coco chilled out and let the warm water wash over her, I realized everyone loves getting their hair washed.
We waited a few days before her first bath and then a couple weeks before using any products because we wanted that microbiome benefiting vernix to do its duty. A baby is born with some instant and very potent microbiome boosters!
During a vaginal birth, the baby gets coated with mom's vaginal juices, which are filled with healthy bacteria. This helps "seed" the newborn's brand-new skin microbiome. Also that vernix I was talking about (the natural white coating found on a newborn's skin) is full of healthy oils and immune peptides, providing another immune and microbiome boost.
To all my c-section mamas… you can request your baby gets “seeded”! They’ll take the vaginal secretions and manually coat your baby in them, helping to improve their immune system and microbiome!
Pictures don’t do the cuteness of her cooing the whole time the justice it deserves.
I’M OBSESSED!
I want Coco to have the best chance of happiness and health through her life and I know that I can affect a lot of the general health factors by choosing what I eat and pass on to her from the outset. Much of her development is subject to what I eat and put on her and I take that responsibility very seriously. I’ve become a modern day Sherlock Holmes as I’ve delved into the seedy underbelly of food and most recently, cosmetics.
UNFUN FACT: Food additives and drugs are required to go through expensive and rigorous testing to ensure they’re safe before they’re allowed to go to market, but cosmetic companies DON’T!
The goods you slather on your body and in your hair when you shower, getting ready for the day and the lotions and creams you love typically haven’t been scrutinized for safety or vetted for your protection. You may smell like a rep for Bath & Body Works, but those same lotions that smell like a dream, are doing your skin more harm than good and very few seem to be concerned or compelled to see this industry cleaned up.
Because lotions and creams are externally applied, it’s hard to logically make the leap that these products are having internal consequences like: early puberty, cancer, and mesothelioma.
“... new research provides strong evidence that phthalates in baby products end up inside babies’ bodies, where they pose real-world risks for reproductive system damage among baby boys. We hope these results spur companies to remove phthalates from products sold in the U.S. Many of these same chemicals are banned from baby products in other countries. There is no justification for keeping them on the shelves here,” said Jane Houlihan, Vice President for Research of Environmental Working Group.
Johnson and Johnson was a poster child for all things baby for decades, but we’ve come to discover they’re one of the grossest and calculated villians in some of the shadiest business practices undertaken in recent history. They’ve hidden the fact that their baby powder contains asbestos, a cancer contributor since the 70’s! Decades of doctoring studies and hiding their sins. THIS IS NOT OKAY!!!
Babies are more susceptible to these chemicals because they are growing. “Children are not little adults. Pound for pound, kids are exposed to more contaminants in air, water, food, and personal-care products than adults. Immature organ systems are often less capable of fending off chemical assaults. Subtle damage to developing bodies may lead to disease later in life,” according to the EWG’s top tips for safer products.
But let me be real with you, it’s easier said than done when it comes to sniffing out culprits and finding products that are safe. Many of the most trusted names in cosmetics are the most negligent.
Make sure the following aren’t in your products!
Formaldehyde
Sulfates
Phthalates
Fragrance
Artificial Dyes
BHA
Parabens
Talc
After a lot of searching and research, I’ve found a company that has created an all inclusive line of super clean products and whose mission it is to stay vigilant and dedicated to keeping harmful ingredients out of my family’s cosmetics.
Yep, I have a love affair with Beautycounter. I don’t use all their products but when it comes to Coco, I really want the best of the best. The fact that they do heavy metal testing even on organic sourced ingredients makes me feel better using them on my lil rainbow babe.
WHAT IT ISN’T IS JUST AS IMPRESSIVE AS WHAT IT IS
Sulfate-Free Natural Blends using clinically superior ingredients; NO HARSH CHEMICALS: No triclosan, sulfates, formaldehyde, parabens, phosphates, SLS, SLES, MEA, DEA, TEA, petroleum-based ingredients, animal by-products, gluten, perfumes, dyes, phthalates, or caustics. They are squeaky clean just like my lil Coco bean.
Beautycounters branding just speaks to me. It’s simple and clean just how I like it. Of course branding isn’t everything so I was also pleased with how great it smells while still being fragrance free!
Do ya’ll remember the J&J baby oil? I used to pour it over my whole body and bake in the sun. Insert slap face emoji here. Now I’m slathered in mineral sunblock, wearing a hat and intaking all the antioxidants! Check out my mineral sunblock blog post here.
I use the daily protective balm religiously on Coco. She had a pretty gnarly scab courtesy of being suctioned out and then after she’s thoroughly coated my elbows get the lovely leftovers. Its has a delicious blend of organic shea butter and jojoba oil which provides a layer of protection from head to toe.
Baby Calming Diaper Rash Cream
Coco hasn’t had a diaper rash yet but I’m keeping this in my back pocket because I’m sure it is bound to happen! Urine and feces changes the pH of the skin which can result in a sad state of affairs.
I just snagged the whole KIT AND CABOODLE in the Baby Bundle Collection
I then snagged this travel kit from another brand that is awesome. The products don’t smell as good but they’re easy to stuff in my diaper bag. The stain remover is a MUST HAVE! I have full sized bottles in every room.
All these FIRSTS are flying by and I’m over here trying to soak em all in. I had great intentions of blogging more but this little tyke just deserves way more attention than I had anticipated.
Now that we’re in a good sleep/feeding groove I’ve found time to create some content but I’d love to know what topics you want me to focus on! Leave a comment below and let me know.
As always thanks for visiting my little space online
I just love your guts!!
Chanelle Cozette Doyle
*This post is not sponsored. When you purchase a product from my pink links I do receive commission from the company you purchase from, this does not impact the price you pay!!
This allows me to continue to provide you with free & fabulous content.
Thank you for your support! Xo
Akhtar, T. (2019, May 31). Johnson & Johnson To Pay $300 M In Punitive Damages In Olson Talc Cancer Case.
Retrieved from: https://www.benzinga.com/news/19/05/13842442/johnson-johnson-to-pay-300m-in-punitive-damages-in-olson-talc-cancer-case
Lovelace, B. (2019, May 31). J&J ordered to pay $300 million in punitive damages in talc baby powder case. Retrieved from: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/31/johnson-johnson-must-pay-300-million-punitive-award-in-talc-case-company-will-appeal.html
Chemicals of Concern, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
As Report Reveals Toxic Ingredients in Baby Shampoo, Johnson & Johnson Goes Public with Plans to Clean Up Products, Forbes, November 1, 2011
Katie Thomas, The ‘No More Tears’ Shampoo, Now With No Formaldehyde, The New York Times, 2014
Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Bathing Your Baby, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Liz Szabo, ‘Endocrine Disruptor’ Won’t Be on Label, USAToday.com, Oct. 31, 2007
FAQ: What Should I Buy? What are phthalates?, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
Top Tips for Safer Products, Environmental Working Group
Susan Berfiled, Washing the Formaldehyde Out of Baby Shampoo, Bloomberg Business Week, 2013
Baby Bath Basics: A Parent’s Guide, MayoClinic.org
Kim G Harley, Kimberly P Berger, Katherine Kogut, Kimberly Parra, Robert H Lustig, Louise C Greenspan, Antonia M Calafat, Xiaoyun Ye, Brenda Eskenazi, Association of phthalates, parabens and phenols found in personal care products with pubertal timing in girls and boys, Human Reproduction, Volume 34, Issue 1, January 2019, Pages 109–117, https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dey337