Best Hygiene Products for Newborns

[warriorforchrist]

@patersonchristian Yep same. First or second feeding was formula then I EBF for 10 months. Now we are 4 with a dairy allergy and an epi pen Baby 2 will be getting a bottle of formula every day in addition to BF to hopefully avoid this nightmare again.

 

[dtb_blog]

@computergal To further expand on this you can always go to the National eczema association website and look at their seal of approval products list. It includes baby skin products and wipes that are safe for use. There are a few cleaner brands on their list like Honest Company (specifically their wipes and eczema therapy line of products), Ever Eden (we use their protecting wash and lotion and their face cream for my son), Mustela and EllaOla. Even some Earth Mama products. You just have to make sure you’re specifically looking at products because most brands on the list don’t have entirely eczema friendly lines.

 

[tfran]

@computergal I would NOT use coconut oil after baby is born.

 

[computergal]

@tfran I will ask the lactation consultant. Thank you!

 

[thereseozi]

@patersonchristian I also have eczema and have passed that down to my kids. Cerave is the only lotion that doesn’t contain steroids that works to calm it down. We also tried everything and tried to go the “natural” route.

 

[warriorforchrist]

@patersonchristian This is incredibly helpful in prep for baby 2, our first has food allergies and I used all the crunchy stuff with her. I’m going to just get Cerave now. Which diaper rash cream?

 

[patersonchristian]

@warriorforchrist We use the Cerave ointment, which is like fancy Vaseline.

 

[rhapsodyweb]

@patersonchristian This is so helpful! Question about laundry detergents - I have the original Nellie’s and reached out to the company to ask about the original vs baby laundry soap. They stated babies can be sensitive to the coconut-based surfactant in the original Nellie’s laundry soap, so the vegetable base in the Nellie’s baby soap is added to make it gentle for their skin. Does this mean both are not good for baby’s clothes and could potentially cause allergies down the road since the original is coconut based and baby version is vegetable based?

 

[nambome1]

@computergal I really like Molly’s Suds for detergent! You can also get away with anything free and clear if you have a preferred clean brand that has a free and clear option.

I like Aquaphor for baby soap. My LO has a nasty diaper rash right now and we’ve been using Bordreaux’s paste and aquaphor ointment, though I’ll be honest I don’t know how they’re graded, I just used what my pediatrician recommended since it was raw.

It’s definitely overwhelming but I try not to stress too much about the diapers and wipes. I find that a lot of the marketing for “clean” brands kind of preys on new moms and I have yet to find a product that is truly perfect/meets all of my granola hopes and dreams and also isn’t insanely expensive.

 

[onagooddaydevout]

@computergal Definitely not dreft no offense to your MIL. You don’t need soap for a while really. Like the first few months. A clean diaper cream and that’s it! You can use straight tallow cream

 

[ksenija]

@computergal The AAP book “heading home with your newborn” says that it isn’t actually necessary to use soap or lotion on babies, so we’ve just been using water.

For laundry detergent, just use something unscented.

Personally we’ve been loving cloth diapers! r/clothdiaps is very helpful. If we were using disposables full time I would probably just try to use something fragrance free.

 

[andrew888]

@ksenija Been loving cloth diapering too!! We only really started at 10 weeks because before that he literally peed like every 10 min and I couldn’t keep up with all the changing but now at 3 months i like them way better than disposable. Stuffing diapers while watching Netflix after he goes down for the night is my relax time lol. And they are so cute! We still use disposable at night though bc I can’t be assed to change him multiple times and disposable just holds so much pee

 

[ksenija]

@andrew888 It definitely doesn’t need to be all or nothing!!

 

[johannes77]

@ksenija I second all of this. You don’t need too many products! I have never put lotion on my baby and only sometimes use aquaphor soap. I loved using cloth diaper flats in the newborn stage. They’re more annoying now that LO is 1, but they were so great in the early days. We use baby aquaphor for diaper rash and it seems like magic???

Now nail trimming…that’s a whole other ballgame that could be its own thread.

 

[ksenija]

@johannes77 We are loving flats rn!! I’m sure they’ll be a lot trickier once he gets mobile though lol

Nail trimming is my weakness. My husband usually does it with an old school file but he’s traveling for work rn and I’m having such a hard time with it!

 

[hurtbygod]

@computergal I would highly highly recommend a scent-free, clean ingredient detergent for clothes. I love Branch Basics. I go scent-free for diapers and wipes too - Thrive Market has great options for both of those but I also like Pampers Pure diapers, Millie Moon diapers, and Honest diapers and wipes.

For soap/shampoo, I use Pipette. No soap or shampoo is necessary for the first several baths, at least in my experience - newborn skin is delicate and dries out easily! For moisturizing and things like cradle cap, I swear by tallow balm. My baby has never had a rash and despite my own eczema, has wonderful healthy skin!

Congrats on baby girl - I had my girl in October. Truly the most life changing experience!

 

[ebuzi]

@hurtbygod Seconding Branch Basics - we have used it for wel over a year and have been very happy.

We switched to Millie Moon diapers for this baby (2nd girl) and they are LUXURY. So, so soft!

OP - I would personally advise against subscription based diapers. That seems stressful and very expensive, especially in the newborn days, when they go through 10-12 diapers a day.

 

[hurtbygod]

@computergal I would highly highly recommend a scent-free, clean ingredient detergent for clothes. I love Branch Basics. I go scent-free for diapers and wipes too - Thrive Market has great options for both of those but I also like Pampers Pure diapers, Millie Moon diapers, and Honest diapers and wipes.

For soap/shampoo, I use Pipette. No soap or shampoo is necessary for the first several baths, at least in my experience - newborn skin is delicate and dries out easily! For moisturizing and things like cradle cap, I swear by tallow balm. My baby has never had a rash and despite my own eczema, has wonderful healthy skin!

Congrats on baby girl - I had my girl in October. Truly the most life changing experience!

 

[peris1989]

@computergal You don't actually need soap for babies. Once mine started getting into things I started using Dr bronners- but CeraVe or Vanicream is good for more sensitive skin. I agree with the other poster who mentioned that if your child has issues with eczema or diaper rash you actually want to avoid the more natural products.
My kids not sensitive so I haven't needed lotion or diaper cream. I think Earth Mama is fine but you might end up needing something with zinc- triple paste is a good one.
For detergent something without scent. I use All powder, or the Biokleen one is good too.

 

[abrooks]

@computergal My husband has had terrible eczema since birth, so he was very concerned. You can opt out of a bath if you are in the hospital, and just wash them with water fairly infrequently at home, or only wash the parts of them that need it. He uses Aveeno, so we used Aveeno on the baby. Some may not prefer this because it contains oatmeal or for other reasons. Now we typically just use raw shea butter for lotion, Dove sensitive skin bar soap, and gasp, J&J baby shampoo because it’s tear free.

Whether or not you rewash the clothes is up to you. Probably I wouldn’t in your case of seasonal allergies/shellfish, but if it makes you feel better the trade off is water/energy usage. People are “granola” for a variety of reasons and you can decide what’s the most important considerations for you. I use free and clear powder laundry detergent and sometimes I add washing soda, and sometimes white vinegar to the rinse if I catch it.

For disposables we mostly did the Dyper brand which you order a month‘s supply at a time and is delivered by mail. I used them for about 2-3 months, then did cloth during the day and disposables only at night. I like them enough that I plan to use for the second baby. I had this link saved from another poster on this sub, regarding Consumer Reports recommendations for wipes: https://www.consumerreports.org/bab...-wipes-without-harmful-chemicals-a1051850790/ At home, I had so many cotton receiving blankets given to us that I cut them into squares and just wet them with water from a spray bottle. Either hem them or use a mesh bag to wash them because the strings will clog up your washer drain.