*Update: Commercials for Johnson’s claimed that they’ve removed many of their baby wash’s problematic ingredients. Check the new label to see if their new formulation is non toxic.*
Whenever I discover amazing non- toxic products that work well in my home, I love to share them will all of you! In this post I’ll go over which products I use at bath time for my newborn, plus some alternatives to help you find your baby’s new favorites!
NEWBORN CLEANSER
With newborn skin being extra sensitive, I am vigilant in only buying high quality non toxic bath products for my daughter - after all, I want to ensure her tiny body won't be absorbing any of the nasties!
I know that baby products are EXPENSIVE. A quick look at the supermarket or health food stores aisle will display baby soaps and shampoos which are over $20 for small 8 ounce bottles. Then you may see that Johnsons Gentle Baby Wash is less than $6 for 28 oz! Plus Johnson’s marketing is towards newborns do it needs to be safe and good for them- right? Actually, a quick check at the Environmental Working Group’s Website, which ranks personal care products based on their whether their ingredients are safe, ranks Johnson’s a 4 (a healthy product is 1) and remarks that "overall this product poses a moderate concern for ingredient safety." Johnson’s contains problematic ingredients, especially fragrance, which is another way of saying ‘a proprietary chemical soup that the company does not need to disclose.’ I then went over to my Think Dirty app, which also ranks personal care products. Johnson’s bath products didn’t fare any better here (EVEN their fragrance free line!)
What I use on my own daughter: I was fortunate to have been invited as an influencer to Big City Mom’s Biggest Baby Shower Of the Year this year. I brought my two girls along to check out (and test out) the newest baby products coming to market. This is where I discovered my baby’s current bath products .
I love this cleanser! My daughter’s skin was SUPER dry and scaly at birth. Her fingers and skin folds were dry, wrinkly and cracked. This product wasn’t extra drying, which conventional soaps often are. Plus, before her umbilical cord fell off, the foam was a super easy way to wash her off without bathing her! Simply add warm water and plug your sink, pump a few shots of this soap and clean baby with a cloth! It’s that easy! (Also the foam is less likely to get in their eyes!) You can finish bathtime off with other products from this line including a diaper cream and lotion, both of which I have as well. See the other products in the Newborn line here .
BATHTUB
As many of you know, I am constantly trying to limit the amount of plastic I bring into my home. While eliminating plastic all together seems impossible (or at least impossible for me, given the fact that nearly every toy on earth is made of the stuff!) the least I can do is make a better choice whenever possible. After reading reviews on every bathtub I settled for this Puj Flyte tub.
The tub is made from a non-toxic foam material free of BPA, phthalates and other junk. It takes seconds to put on top of my bathroom sink and hangs on the back of my bathroom door to dry. This tub has everything I look for in a good baby product- safe, non- toxic, and hassle free!
WASHCLOTHS AND TOWELS
I'd be lying if I said I only use special organic fancy towels on my daughter- the truth is she's using hand me down elmo and cookie monster towels with hoods on them from my other 2 kids. I did upgrade her washcloths (since my old ones had holes in them from overuse!) I bought a set of washcloths from Under the Nile (no longer available on Amazon, but see similar style here also made of organic cotton. The more I read, the more I learn that cotton is one of those products that are highly treated with chemical pesticides, so since I had to replace the washcloths anyway, I decided that an organic choice would be a wise one. Check out organic bamboo towels as well, which are so so soft!