hen you are first sitting at home with your tiny newborn, you may be thinking what a lot of new parents are: How do I take care of this precious little thing? How do I cut those tiny nails? How do I keep that beautiful skin supple and unblemished?
If you’ve given birth in a hospital, you may have been sent home with a bag of product samples. Freebies are nice, but look carefully at the ingredients lists. Skin is porous, as we all know. Through our pores all kinds of compounds migrate into our bodies and out. It goes without saying that you’ll want everything you use on your baby’s skin to be gentle and pure. See a lot of chemicals listed on the side of a package that are hard to pronounce? That’s probably a good sign to steer clear.
NATURAL GROOMING PRODUCTS
Pure products will make bathing your baby as fun for you as it is for her.
Draping an organic washcloth soaked in warm water over your baby can help keep her tummy warm while she’s in her infant tub or in the bath with you. In her first few weeks and months she’ll barely need soap at all, much less shampoo. When she does seem dirty, choose a coconut-based surfactant, because such plant-derived materials will not strip your baby’s skin of moisture. For babies, as for adults, soap can dry the skin. When your baby needs some lotion, choose an unscented, oil-free moisturizer.
Massages with food-based oils such as apricot kernel oil, olive oil, or avocado oil can be fun and a bonding experience for both of you. You may wonder what your baby has to be stressed about, but the world can be overwhelming at first. Consult your pediatrician to make sure this sort of massage raises no specific health concerns for your baby. If you’re given the go-ahead, a gentle rub to soothing music can calm both of you down. Taking an infant-massage class is a great way to increase your confidence.
HEALTHY OPTIONS
Most local health-food stores have multiple options for baby lotions, powders, and diaper creams, but be aware that some of these “healthful” alternatives still contain fragrance or potentially irritating plant-based additives. How sensitive your infant is to these additives is something you will have to learn for yourself. Babies’ sensitivities vary, just like adults’.
Aromatherapy has been found to be effective in soothing infants, but keep an eye on your child’s reactions to all products you use. If you know your baby has very sensitive skin, avoid aromatherapy altogether and stick to unscented products with the shortest ingredients lists that you can understand. If you do want to use scented creams or lotions, stick with one at a time. Use it for a week, watching closely for allergic reaction, before moving on to another. You may want to start out with mildly scented diaper creams and lotions. Use these one at a time, of course, watching closely over a period of a few days to make sure you notice no signs of irritation on your baby’s skin.
