I thought I would finish up my list of baby products by covering the 4 most necessary items.
Diapers
Cloth diapers –Cloth diapers are the best option hands down for baby and Earth. I found cloth diapers made in India to be the most absorbent and not treated or bleached. For the diaper cover buy wool. Those plastic covers will not allow air in and cause all manner of diaper concerns. The wool is very absorbent and incredibly soft.
Disposable – A study conducted by Anderson Laboratories in 1999 found volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), including toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and dipentene in disposable diapers. Known side effects include cancer, brain damage, allergies and respiratory concerns including asthma. Keep that in mind and opt for ecofriendly non chemical diapers. Cuz let’s face it, it takes a special kind of Mommy to cloth diaper. It was not something I was able to do for more than a few days, so my hat is off to cloth diapering Mommies. For the rest of us it’s gonna be some trial and error. Some kiddos may react differently than others, but here is what I discovered in my search for a good disposable diaper.
7th generation– This is a good diaper that worked well for my first kiddo with no real blow outs. For reasons unknown they dye their diapers brown. If your kiddo has an allergy to dye stay away. I discovered later and stopped using them. Still they are better than most.
Earth’s Best– I really liked these diapers and they worked when the babies were babies. I used these exclusively until my oldest was 2. But they have a strange and uncomfortable fit as they get a little older. My kiddos are very muscular so for the average little one this probably won’t be an issue.
Naty Baby– I bought a package of these after reading the rave reviews. The fit was odd and they leaked. Not sure why I had such an experience. Maybe they changed the product.
Eco attitude– Bought one pack of these. The tabs pulled off all the time and my little one’s diaper rash continued on. As far as ecofriendly they are one of the best on the market. Wish they had worked.
Use the diaper that works for your baby. For those of you reading this, do not feel guilty if you end up putting your kiddo in a mainstream diaper. My daughter got a rash from just about every diaper I tried. I couldn’t figure it out, and it was my doctor that suggested Huggies. I honestly ignored him for several months. I was not about to trade in my chemical free diapers for anything else. Then the oldest began to potty train and wanted those pink trainers with girly things on them so I gave in an allowed her to have them. It so happened I ran out of diapers and used said training diaper on my other kiddo and what do you know, she no longer had diaper issues and hasn’t since. I believe the reason they work is 3 fold, it never actually touches her bottom since it is so big, it absorbs everything and is so huge air circulates all the time. So in the end you may have to allow some chemicals in your kiddos world or have them live with chronic painful diaper rash. I opted for pain free.
Diaper Creams
I went through every product there is and hands down Baby Ganics Hiney Helper Soothing Diaper Cream is the winner. No nasty chemicals and it worked. For preventative BabyGanics Healin Groovy Healing Ointment is still in my cupboard just in case a little diaper redness shows up.
Do not use pretroluem based products ever! Known Side affects include Organ developmental concerns, Hematological, Liver damage, Immune System concerns, damage to Urinary tract as well as Kidneys. Nasty stuff and is in most mainstream diaper products.
Pacifiers
Natursutten Natural Rubber Pacifier is the best natural pacifier on the market. They come in 3 sizes and are from a German company manufactured in Italy. You can not buy them in stores, but most all online baby stores have them.
Baby Wipes
Make your own. When my last little one started with the constant rashes I started making my own. It’s easy and economical. Here is a good tutorial http://camilledawn.blogspot.com/2010/05/going-green-baby-steps.html.
BabyGanics , 7th Generation and Earth’s Best are all good brands. I preferred BabyGanics as they are thicker and softer than the other brands. They all contain a certain amount of alchohol which bugged me so I made the switch to homemade.
Links
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/substances/toxsubstance.asp?toxid=75