The essential parts of bath-time are water and well…soap or baby wash. Read more about basic steps to keep in mind while bathing your baby in my earlier article.
Baby soaps we’ve sworn in these past few decades are not only not good for you, they contain toxic substances that are carcinogenic! Don’t panic…read this piece to know what to steer clear of when choosing products for your baby going forward.
A few weeks after birth, the surface of the baby’s skin changes from a neutral pH to an acid pH. Water-only baths are only advisable if you live in an area with soft water. Soft water has an acidic pH, whereas hard water has an alkaline pH.
If you use the latter exclusively to bathe her, you may mess with the acidic pH film of the tissue, which forms a protective barrier for the baby’s skin. This may cause dryness, and in severe cases cause eczema. Higher cases of eczema are reported in areas of hard water than of soft water.
If you live in a hard water area, and frankly in the case of all Indian babies who are exposed to oil and sweat and grime, regardless of how soft their water is; dirt is dirt and needs washing off increasingly as the weeks go by − a mild baby cleanser will become necessary that does not upset Nature’s protection inherent in your baby’s skin.
Also, you probably give your baby an oil massage and would need to wash her with something more than water.
While some traditionalists may use homemade cleaning materials made from soap nuts (Reetha) and Indian gooseberry (Amla), we are increasingly moving towards a nuclear family set up with fewer domestic helpers on hand to constantly whip up fresh batches of these, so something ready-to-use is more the order of the day!
The one product which ticks all the boxes in a mommy’s mind is MamaEarth’s nourishing body wash.
It has no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, mineral oil, petroleum, synthetic fragrances or dyes. It comprises coconut based cleansers and conditioners, aloe vera, orange essential oils.
This baby body wash is super-convenient: no juggling a wriggling baby and a slippery bar of soap at the same time. It just squeezes, lather and uses!
The body wash uses 100% non-toxic ingredients to ensure you and your baby have a satisfyingly bubbly experience (because one always needs bubbles, one of life’s greater joys) and does a thorough cleaning job without irritating the eyes or skin of your infant.
If I had a rupee for every time my baby squalled because I’d inadvertently rubbed soap into her eyes, I’d be…well a bad mother. (Ahem, moving on.)
Here’s wishing all you lovely mommies a bubbly clean bath time every day!
