Ingredients to avoid in your baby products

We like to use all-natural products as often as we can, especially those used on our children. The skin is the largest organ and toxic chemicals harm little ones much more than they harm adults…. babies have a much larger surface area to body mass ratio (that’s the science nerd in me talking).

For example, we stay away from J&J baby products because we did our research… and wouldn’t ya know they finally came out publicly with the information about formaldehyde and other toxic ingredients in their products. Yes, now they plan on making it right and removing them. And did you know that in a 2009 study of ten children’s face paints, ALL TEN were positive for lead? GAH.

SO… sometimes all it takes is a little education.

1. Always always always check product ingredient lists. Just because the word “natural” or “safe” is on the label doesn’t mean it is.
2. Beware of products that don’t actually list all of their ingredients on the packaging… look them up online. I love to use the cosmetics database–it’s down right now for maintenance, but you can look up a product and generally anything with a score of 2 and under is considered safe to use (0 is best, 10 would be beyond terrible).
3. This kind of goes in line with number 1, but just because you’re shopping in an all-natural or health store doesn’t mean every product is safe. Still do your research.
4. If there are fragrances, make sure they’re from essential oils and botanical extracts (best is fragrance free)
5. Watch out for these ingredients, you do NOT want them in your products! Generally, a good rule of thumb is if you can’t say it (or don’t know what it is), you don’t want it.

• Parabens (ethyl-, methyl-, propyl-)
• Phthalates (DEHP, BBP, DBP, DMP, DEP)
• Formaldehyde releasing preservatives (Quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, bronopol)
• Using terms like “fragrance” or “preservatives” instead of actually listing out the ingredients
• Triclosan
• DEA (diethanolamine) and TEA (triethanolamine)
• Tetrasodium and trisodium EDTA

We recently tried out the line of Wee Generation products from Seventh Generation. This includes sunscreen, shampoo & wash, bubble bath, diaper cream, foaming shampoo & wash, and lotion. All of these products are the first to be USDA Certified Biobased and each one tells you exactly how much of it is plant based (89-100%).

All the ingredients are listed on the bottles, but if you don’t know what something is or want more information, you can look on their website. It tells you what’s plant based and has a short description of each ingredient.

Also: gluten free (only baby products that I’m aware of that are), free from synthetic fragrences, parabens, and phthalates, nontoxic, biodegradable, and endorsed by Healthy Child Healthy World.

They’re all made with lots of natural oils and as each bottle says, extra virgin olive oil. No worries though, it doesn’t make anything greasy. Ya know what it does make this baby lotion great for?! Baby massage!

Baby massage is a super awesome “tool” for bonding, calming a baby, making them aware, etc. Some tips: choose a comfortable place, have the same routine so baby knows it is coming and make sure she’s okay with it (ask your baby permission first), if baby gets frustrated or cranky–stop! It’s all about baby and it’s all about relaxation… sometimes it’s just not the right time, and that’s okay. (Get more info on baby massage here.)

GIVEAWAY: want to win your own gift set of Wee Generation products?!?! TWO lucky winners will get everything mentioned (and shown in the photo below). Please use the form below to enter–good luck!

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