Natural Baby Care Basics

by Karen Kerk June 20, 2016

Most skin care products marketed for babies and children contain many harmful ingredients including synthetic fragrances, cancer-causing ingredients and other harmful additives that are easily absorbed into their developing bodies.

Did you know that up to 60% of what you put on your skin gets absorbed into your bloodstream (Environmental Working Group)? Babies and children are especially susceptible to environmental impacts because:

• Pound for pound they breathe more air, and consume more food and liquids than adults;
• They are closer to the ground (crawling, etc.) where environmental contaminants settle;
• They have developing immune systems which are working so hard at growing their bodies that they can’t flush out all the toxins in foods and skin care products.

We strongly believe in a ‘less IS more’ approach to personal care – especially for babies and children. Read on for our recommendations…

Cleansing

• In most parts of the world, plain water is used for all personal care needs. When babies are very young, we highly recommend only using water to bathe your baby.
• Once your baby is mobile, we recommend a very mild, non-synthetic pure soap to clean only the places that get really dirty (hands, bottoms, no private parts - ever!!) (yes, even as adults!), and plain water for the rest. Bars are super economical and easy to hold. And liquid castile soap can be diluted with water, or added to a foaming bottle to make it last longer. 
• Bare Organics recommends the Hair & Body Wash or Organic Baby Soap (or any of the milder soap scents).

Shampooing

• Babies’/children’s hair does not need to be shampooed! Most of the planet does not use shampoo to wash their hair!
• The scalp is one of the most absorbent parts of the body – especially when wet. Shampoo has been called “poison in a bottle.” You can be sure that when you shampoo your baby/child with conventional shampoo, which is a strong detergent, that some of that product is being absorbed into their bloodstream. Be wary, even most “natural” shampoos have varying forms of synthetic chemicals.
• Use plain water on their head/hair. If the scalp gets dirty, use the same mild, non-synthetic body soap/wash as above and rinse it with plain water. You should only need to do this every couple of weeks/months. Your child’s hair will not be dirty! 

Moisturizing

• If left alone, the skin will adjust and moisturize as needed. Most babies do not need any cream, lotion, oil, etc. for daily care.
• Only use a moisturizer if there are ongoing problem areas such as dry flaky skin, or rough spots, or rashes in the diaper area. Most moisturizers are synthetic petroleum-based products. Look for high quality, plant and vegetable-based products and use only a small amount, and only when needed.
• Bare Organics customers RAVE about the Organic Baby Balm and Baby Massage Oil (can be used all over).

And that’s it! If you start and stick with the basics, you will have clean, happy and healthy children, a fuller wallet, and a less polluted planet. Enjoy!

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