Best Hygiene Products for Newborns

[computergal]

FTM currently at 36 weeks and getting things ready for baby. I see that dermatologists recommend Cerave products for baby soap/shampoo, etc. Now I am seeing that it may have a bunch of potentially harmful chemicals.

Also, my MIL recommended that I wash all baby clothes in Dreft and I learned today that Dreft gets an F on EWG. How harmful is this detergent? Should I rewash everything in something else?

I also am not sure what to do for diapers and wipes. We are having a girl so we want to make sure whatever we get is good for her sensitive areas. I was thinking HealthyBaby or Coterie.

For diaper rash prevention, I was thinking Earth Mama.

I feel a bit overwhelmed with all the options. I know newborn skin is sensitive and I want to do what is best and the most healthy for her.

How does one make all these decisions? What resources are the best?

 

[patersonchristian]

@computergal Does baby have a family history of allergies, eczema, or asthma? If so, I highly suggest more processed toiletries like Cerave are a safer choice than more plant-based toiletries like Earth Mama. Current food allergy research suggests that foods in broken skin (like coconut oil on cradle cap, oatmeal baths or lotions for eczema, or the plant ingredients in Burt’s Bees or Earth Mama lotions and Diaper creams) prior to eating them the first time is one of the main trigger for developing food allergies.

This is something I wish someone had told me. My first baby had eczema and I did all the crunchy lotions and treatments in an effort to avoid steroids. He ended up with a huge list of allergies. While it might’ve happened anyway, it’s hard to not blame myself. Now we’re a Cerave household, and eczema-prone baby sibling has far, far fewer allergies.

Any unscented free and clear laundry detergent is a good choice. We use Nellie’s, a simple powder that I bulk-buy in huge buckets.

 

[pandabear84]

@patersonchristian Very interesting, what you said about processed vs plant based toileteries. Do you have any links or resources that expand on this? Thanks!

 

[patersonchristian]

@pandabear84 I got the lessons from my toddler’s allergy doctor and again from his dermatologist, so I don’t have specific papers in mind. You can certainly learn more from Food Allergy Canada; they have a few archived webinars on allergies in babies that get into it.

 

[strange1]

@pandabear84 People are very concerned that use of such lotions on weak skin like skin weakened by eczema can trigger severe food allergies. There's studies around nut allergies and lotions and eczema, but there's still a lot they don't know.

 

[innocentguy12]

@pandabear84 Post peer-reviewed articles please, no mommy blogs.

 

[patersonchristian]

@innocentguy12 Here’s a press release from one of the first big papers that linked skin contact with peanut to peanut allergies. Use it to get to the actual paper (sorry, shit internet at the moment). The current research should be pretty easy breadcrumbs forward as they’ll reference it. I haven’t done this partial dive in a few years as it’s too late for my kids so I’m more interested in oral immunotherapy (OIT)

 

[innocentguy12]

@patersonchristian

Here’s a press release from one of the first big papers that linked skin contact with peanut to peanut allergies.

I've been aware of the skin-allergy pathway, but I was referring to research about avoiding companies like Earth Mama due to "allergens." Reading their ingredient list, perhaps Beeswax might be an issue, but everything else is clean. Beeswax allergies are rare.

Coconut oil I knew not to put on a newborn or anyone with eczema because it clogs up skin, making things worse. It was creams with oats in them that I found particularly interesting to avoid. We avoid them because of the smell and oatmeal creams are less effective than calendula and regular, petroleum-free jelly for us.

That said, with the exception of shell fish, we've introduced most allergens by now at almost age 4. No idea how to get our picky eater to take microdoses of shellfish - he won't eat the allergy prevention powders you can put in food.

 

[patersonchristian]

@innocentguy12 I had mango in whatever EarthMama product I was using, but it was 3 years ago so i have no idea what the ingredients are now. I just remember struggling to find baby-friendly toiletries that didn’t have nuts, coconut, milk, eggs, wheat, or oats.

 

[strange1]

@patersonchristian This is how my cousin developed a potentially deadly peanut allergy.

 

[computergal]

@patersonchristian oh wow, I did not know this! So my baby isn't born yet, but I am anticipating that she will be here in 4-6 weeks. Her dad has seasonal allergies and I have a shellfish allergy. Her maternal aunt has a bunch of allergies to food, dander, history of asthma, etc. Paternal aunt had eczema as a child.

I was told by my lactation consultant to use coconut oil to soften my nipples to prepare for breastfeeding. Could the coconut oil cause allergies for my newborn baby? Is this something to worry about?

 

[alora]

@computergal To echo the person you’re responding to, I was also told by my child’s allergist (saw very young) to avoid using any food products on her until she has had it as food for the same reason. We used lanolin for nipple cream. I had “significant damage” before learning how to latch properly, and it worked so well

 

[patersonchristian]

@computergal Yes, your baby is high risk for developing allergies, so I would be very careful about topical food oils. You can always wash prior to nursing, although that’s tough in the clusterfeeding newborn days. I ended up not using any nipple creams at all, although I did Vaseline a few times when my oldest bit me while teething molars. (Careful of Vaseline or other petroleum products if you’re pumping and have silicon parts. )

Not directly related to your question, but would you like a few more allergy fast tips? I don’t want to give unsolicited advice, but I learned so much the hard way and I’d like to save others from the same anguish if I can!

 

[computergal]

@patersonchristian Please share your knowledge.

 

[patersonchristian]

@computergal If baby’s doctor approves, starting allergy introduction as early as 4 months old increases likelihood of not developing allergies.

Avoid sparkle agents in dishwasher detergents. The evidence is thin so it’s a “better safe than sorry” situation.

If baby has eczema, clear it up quickly. I tried to avoid steroids and prolonged baby’s discomfort and increased his risk:

If you end up needing to use any formula for any reason, try to continue feeding at least 1oz per week even if you later entirely breastfeed. Otherwise, that early exposure followed by stopping it for months can trigger an allergy. (My oldest had formula exactly once in hospital; this may be what triggered his dairy allergy.)

Food Allergy Canada has some amazing webinar resources, but I also really like this handy checklist by BC Children’s Hospital for getting started with solids:

https://preview.redd.it/l2srumrxe5s...bp&s=b9f765791aa93b9c79a3a67ecf34d96047f3ca29

 

[ksenija]

@patersonchristian My 3 month baby received formula for his first feeding and hasn’t had any since, and we suspect he might have CMPI. Now I’m wondering if the formula exposure was why!

 

[patersonchristian]

@ksenija CMPI is a different mechanism than IgE-mediated dairy allergy (classic allergies that can be anaphylactic), and also different than lactose intolerance.

I don’t know much about intolerances, sensitivities, or the various syndromes like CMPI or FPIES, so I have no idea what the risk factors or triggers are for them.

 

[dancequeen12]

@patersonchristian Paradoxically it seems that introducing foods too early contributes to FPIES, though there isn’t much research to back it up. But age is a major factor. Less and less likelihood of developing triggers as they get older. Anyway.

Lucky me - my toddler has both FPIES and ige so idk what to do with #2. Early or late intro?!

 

[margstone]

@patersonchristian Can you tell me more about the sparkle agents in dish detergent? What do they do and what chemicals should I specifically look out for like the soap or is there another thing

 

[patersonchristian]

@margstone It’s early/tentative research, so the only places you can learn more are in the abstracts of the big allergy conferences. I’m lucky in that our allergy team is really good at giving me homework and updating me on current findings.

Common additives that cause contact dermatitis in adults are fragrance, sparkle agent, thickener, colour, preservatives (more often in laundry detergent), and antibacterial agents. I hate to list this particular rabbit hole since it’s damn near impossible to avoid and the evidence is currently skimpy, but Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is a bogeyman in eczema and EoE circles.

I use the free and clear detergents (Nellie’s, different detergent than laundry but same bulk bin plain powder concept). It has a secondary benefit of not making silicon dishes smell/taste gross, since it’s the various additives (scent, sparkle agent, blah blah blah) that bind to silicon and give it a soapy residue. It’s cheap, it works, it’s bare-bones of absolutely essential ingredients to clean and be stored without extras, and I don’t need to play guessing games on if a particular component is causing preventable harm.