Friday, December 27, 2013

Raising an All Natural Baby


When I found out I was pregnant, my brain went into overload. Thoughts ran through my mind at what felt like 1000mph. Ideations of baby names, outfits, nurseries, showers--you know the superficial stuff. As I drew closer to my delivery date, I began to peruse the more important questions. I read up on parenting skills, baby sign language, baby safety and LOTS of product reviews. Somewhere in between baby coos and stroller reviews, I decided I wanted to use all-natural products on my LO. Then an even more extensive research began. A slew of acronyms (DEA, MEA, TEA) and scientific words were adopted into my vocabulary. Here are a few products I swear by--that are safe for your most precious cargo.


Rainbow products, Baby Oh Baby Body Wash
The scent leaves you wanting to eat your baby even more than you do now. It's 
made with nature's finest ingredients-Borage Oil, Shea Butter, Organically grown herbs, Vitamins, and Essential Oils.Animal Free, NO Colors, Dyes, Petroleum or Mineral Oil. I also use it for my diy baby wipes.



Earth Mama Baby Angel
The nipple cream and mama bottom spray (I had an epitome) were my first purchases from this line. I loved that the nipple cream didn't leave my nipples with a "clogged/blocked feeling for lack of a better word (as oppose to the Lansinoh the hospital gave me). I also loved that the mama bottom spray could be used as a toner as well (score). So I had to go back and purchase the baby bottom balm. The Earth Mama, Angel Baby line is:100% Organically Preserved, Clinically tested, Hypoallergenic, No Artificial, Fragrances or Dyes, Cruelty-Free, Toxin-Free, Certified Vegan.



Weleda Baby
My first all natural baby product purchase was a travel size baby kit from Weleda . I immediately fell in love with the calendula oil. The scent was amazing and the oil hydrated my little man's skin nicely. The diaper cream goes on fine and I like that it's not too thick so it can be used with cloth diapers. I use it as a rash preventative at bedtime so I don't know if it gets rid of existing rashes well. When I looked over the list of ingredients I didn't find one unpronounceable synthetic compound or one toxic chemical. Just flowers and herbs, fruit extracts. Clays, roots and minerals.






Spectrum Unrefined Coconut Oil

I wrote about the ways I personally use coconut oil in a previous post. Coconut oil has many benefits for your baby. I use it as:
  •  an everyday lotion
  •  infant massage oil
  • cradle cap treatment
  • to soothe irritated nipples (before I discovered Earth Mama)
  • During the first few newborn diaper changes to help remove the sticky meconium 
  • to increase my milk supply

Corn Starch

My doctor forbade me from using any of the numerous bottles of baby powder I received at the baby shower. And after learning about the dangers of talc inhalation for babies I concurred. On my search of the perfect diaper care product I learned corn starch was the best substitute. I dumped out the baby powder from a travel size container and refilled it with corn starch and viola!



Tot Bots Cloth Diaper

I am a huge fan of cloth diapers! But have to be honest and say I also use disposable ones as well (from The Honest Company-they're just so cute!). Cloth diapers require more work than the comparative disposable diapers but they are a lot safer. Disposable diapers contain lots of chemicals that have proven to be carcinogenic. Besides them being healthier for baby and the environment, cloth diapers are waaay cheaper than disposables. I mainly bought the Tot Bots cloth diaper (pictured above) because  the fabric was soft and fluffy and cuter than other cloth diapers. 


Boon Grass Countertop Drying Rack

I primarily breast feed but have tote loads of bottles courtesy of my mother. I began to give them away but then decided to keep a few to bottle train him so my family members can feed him. The Boon Grass Drying Rack is just a cool way to present the bottles and pacifiers that are all over your countertop. 




I got a lot of his toys second hand from a semi-annual rummage sale in town. I struck GOLD! I bought brand new Baby Einstein and Lamaze toys and DVDs as well as stuffed animals. Being that they were second hand, I didn't know how they were previously handled, so cleaning them was crucial to me. I machine washed the stuffed animals with Dreft (smelled so good I had to talk myself out of sleeping with them). The hard toys I washed with a vinegar and water mixture


Maty's All Natural Baby Chest Rub

I haven't had to use this yet (fingers crossed) but read many great reviews. It's list of all natural ingredients work as a great combat to congestion. Put a dollip of Maty's All Natural Baby Chest Rub on baby's chest and feet and after one night his/her congestion will seem sooo much better. It has a milder, but still effective, scent that isn't overwhelming.



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