Scrub a Dub Dub

One of the most frequent things new parents talk about is their baby’s skin. 

“Oh, there skin is so soft!”

“This is awful!  Have you ever seen any worse baby acne?!  What can I do?  I feel so bad for her.”

“What perfect skin color!”

“Sure wish I could go back to having baby skin!”

“Their skin is so sensitive.”

And on and on the comments and questions go.  Shouldn’t the skin naturally be a big topic of discussion?  After all, it is the largest organ of our bodies, no matter how old or cute we are or are not.  Therefore, since this organ is exposed a lot and absorbs even more, hopefully we are concerned about what we are putting on it.  And, remember, it tends to express a lot and when left alone, it tends to tell us how well it is or is not tolerating what we are doing to it.

Baby acne (which isn’t like adult acne!) scares a lot of parents.  They want their precious, new baby’s skin to remain perfect.  This can often be an alert that something needs to be changed (frequently diet), but it can also be normal.  Remember that baby’s skin was just in a perfect, cozy, protected environment for close to ten months; then, abruptly, it was brought into and exposed to this crazy world outside.  Sometimes, the skin needs some time to get used to this world.

What can be done to get and keep skin healthy, especially baby’s?  Start out with the simplest recommendation:  plenty of water.  Breastfed babies don’t need water, but make sure the nursing mom is drinking plenty!  Half of her body weight in ounces of water is a great goal, and then once that is achieved work up to 75% of her body weight in ounces of water.  Also, make sure mom is taking a good quality, mercury free, fish oil from a reputable company.  I like Innate Choice’s Omega Sufficiency the best.  This can also be given to baby (even nursing babies), and you will probably be surprised that most children love the taste of it.  A good probiotic is also important, again nursing moms absolutely need to take, and babies can have some directly too.  You can mix it in a bottle, their table food (if they are eating solids), or put some on your finger and let them suck it off.  Again, I love Innate Choice’s products, and feel their probiotic is superior to any others on the market.  If baby is on formula, fish oils and probiotics are a must because they will be a lot more deficient in these vital nutrients than breastfed babies.  Avoid food allergens, I will post more- in detail- on this later.  However, the top allergens tend to be dairy, soy, wheat, corn and processed sugars.  See my post on “Happy Meals for My Children”.  Additionally, the skin can be sprayed with colloidal silver or breastmilk can be applied topically on the problem areas.

Bathing and moisturizing is another big subject that comes up when baby’s skin is being discussed.  One important thing to remember, babies don’t need to be bathed on a daily basis!  Baths tend to wash away the natural, good oils that baby’s skin produces.  So, especially initially, the less they are bathed the better their skin does.  Vernix, the cheesy coating that babies are usually born with on their skin, is extremely important for skin health.  Many people are grossed out by this and quickly try to wash it off of their newborns.  This should absolutely not be washed away!  In fact, the World Health Organization recommends delaying the first bath and rubbing the vernix into the skin.  They recognize the health benefits of it.  Vernix lubricates and protects the skin, it also contains antibodies for things like group B strep and e coli.  Don’t let it gross you out, use it to benefit and protect your baby- rub it in, don’t wash it off! 

What products should you use on baby when it does come time to bathe?  I can tell you which are most popular in mainstream circles and which I would definitely NOT use on myself or my precious child.  Two of the most common are Johnson’s ”Head to Toe Baby Wash” and Phisoderm’s “pHisoderm Tear Free Cream Wash”.  Why wouldn’t I use these?  Check out the Ingredients: 

Johnson’s: Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, PEG-150 Distearate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Chloride, Polyquaternium-10, Fragrance, Quaternium-15, Citric Acid

 Phisoderm: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Mineral Oil, Disodium Ricinoleamido MEA Sulfosuccinate, Cocamidopropylamine Oxide, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Propylene Glycol, Fragrance, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Triethanolamine.

Pay careful attention to ingredients when it comes to your kids, especially babies.  Just because it’s “pediatrician recommended” or “dermatologist approved” does NOT mean it’s good for you!  Both of these contain sodium lauryl sulphate; SLS removes oil and when applied to skin or ingested is a carcinogen (causes cancer).  Both also have EDTA, which is made from formaldehyde, and has been shown to be an environmental pollutant and can cause reproductive and developmental problems.  Mineral oil is a petrochemical that essentially suffocates the skin and doesn’t allow it to breathe or the cells to regenerate (so it may speed up the skin’s aging process).  Parabens have an estrogenic effect, and can disturb the hormonal system; also, they can be a carcinogen too.  Propylene glycol is antifreeze, definitely not something I care to lather on my child!

I know now that you are convinced you would rather use something else too, so what?  Luckily, many are looking for better options today, and the market is giving us several.  Dr. Bronner’s is a great choice.  We love Chae Organics, their “Baby Shampoo & Body Suds” is great!  It is a foaming cleanser, so it lasts a very long time.  We have not even used a whole bottle up in Harper’s first year of life.  Also, I use their “Baby Lotion” as my facial moisturizer.  And, their “Thera-P Foam“ is wonderful for eczema.  I can’t say enough about how much I like their products.  Evan’s Garden carries a good baby soap too, called “Dream Baby Soap and Shampoo“.  We also use many of their household cleaners, and are very pleased with the company.  As a moisturizer, coconut oil (the kind you use to cook with) works really well too. 

What about you, any natural products you have switched to for your family that you really like?  Also, we are carrying more of these products in our office, please contact us for more information.  Happy Bathing!