The pumpkins are on the porches and the pomegranates are in the stores. You know what that means – fall has officially arrived. It also means the weather has gone from hot, to warm, to cool, and will settle on cold over the new few days.
Making sure your baby’s skin stays healthy, hydrated and moisturized during the winter months is crucial. But it can also be easy if you have the right organic baby skincare products all ready to go.
During the summer months, most parents want to take the necessary precautions to keep their newborns out of direct sunlight before the baby’s skin is mature enough for sunscreen. For babies six months of age and older, it becomes important to apply organic skincare products that will not only nourish Baby’s skin, but also protect her skin from the harsh UV rays of the sun.
During the winter months, babies don’t get as much direct sunlight, but a different set of challenges are presented, namely the toasty warmth of indoor heating coupled with the dry winter air. This sort of unavoidable combination can easily dry and chap your baby’s skin, and that’s where organic baby skincare products can be of tremendous help.
Before we get into the specifics of which organic products are best, let’s talk about a few other things you can do to keep your baby’s skin healthy during the winter months.
What to Look for in an Organic Baby Skincare Product
The products you use on your baby’s skin are a big deal for two reasons. First, babies put almost everything in their mouths, including the skin on their hands and feet. Second, the products you put on your baby’s skin topically are absorbed into the skin quickly. So, using products that contain heavy metals and chemicals known to cause adverse reactions, especially on baby skin, may be something that gives you pause as a parent.
What should you look for in organic baby skincare products? Well, you want to make sure the products you choose don’t contain any heavy metals, harsh chemicals, dyes, perfumes, pesticides, or herbicides. Babies have sensitive skin and harsh chemicals can cause skin irritation.
Look for products that are gentle on the skin and which contains ingredients that are naturally-occurring in nature. Only naturally-occurring things can be organic.
What Makes a Skincare Product Organic?
Organic products will say they are organic. While the USDA doesn’t define the term “organic” for beauty products like it does for the food we eat, companies that manufacture skincare products can legally use the USDA Organic seal (or the words 100% organic) if all the ingredients used in their formula are certified organic. If at least 70% of the ingredients used to make the product are certified organic, a company can designate up to three ingredients in their formula that are organic.
Affordable, Effective Organic Baby Skincare Products
We put together a list of three organic baby skincare products that are affordably priced and that have fantastic reviews, and three naturally-occurring organic items you can grow, make or buy and use as skincare products for your baby during the winter months.
A Little Something for Baby, 4-Piece Set
A Little Something for Baby is a travel set from Earth Mama Organics, a company that produces a line of USDA organic-certified care products for new moms and babies. Products for Mom include teas, bottom sprays (for new mamas post-delivery), postpartum bath herbs, and nursing ointments. Products for Baby include diaper rash ointments, soaps, shampoos, lotions, and oils.
This 4-piece travel set retails for about $20 and includes:
• Angel Baby Body Wash & Shampoo 1.67 fl. Oz,
• Angel Baby Bottom Balm 1 fl. oz,
• Angel Baby Lotion 2 fl. Oz,
• Angel Baby Oil 1 fl. Oz (grapeseed oil blend infused with calendula oil)
California Baby Calendula Cream, 4oz or Everyday Calendula Lotion
California Baby is another popular brand of organic baby skincare products. This vegan cream is made with French lavender oil and clary sage, and scented with organic calendula flowers grown on California Baby’s certified organic farm. The lotion has vitamin E, French lavender, rosehips, aloe vera, and calendula flowers. Both the cream and the lotion can be used for both face and body.
At around $25 per 4oz jar of cream and $30 for a pack of two 6.5oz lotion pumps, California Baby is pricier than the Earth Mama line.
Badger Baby
The popular line of Badger products offer help with everything from soothing muscle aches to falling asleep. Two of the more popular products in Badger’s line of organic Baby skincare products are the Baby Oil and the Badger Baby SPF 30 Non-Nano Zinc Oxide Sunscreen Cream.
While Badger’s Baby Balm is popular, a balm is best for keeping moisture out, not necessarily moisturizing the skin. The Badger Baby Calming Oil has certified organic chamomile, calendula, jojoba oil, and olive oil. The 40z spray bottle is $14. At about the same price, the Badger Baby sunscreen is certified 100% natural and 98% organic and has stellar reviews.
There are several super-inexpensive natural products that are also great for moisturizing your baby’s skin. These two products you can pick up at your local chain grocery store or a superstore like Wal-Mart.
Organic Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is an antimicrobial, antibacterial, and anti-fungal moisturizer that easily absorbs into the skin and serves to both protect your baby’s skin from germs and keep your baby’s skin radiant and healthy from the outside in.
Shea Butter
Shea butter is packed with vitamins A and E, and has anti-inflammatory properties. Shea butter is heavier than coconut oil, and unlike coconut oil it remains solid at room temperature. Nourish Organic produces an organic Fair Trade raw shea butter.
Aloe Vera
The unassuming conical leaves you may find at your local health food store are a fantastic source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids. Organic aloe vera gel (which you can access by slicing the leaves in half and scraping out the gel) has inflammatory properties to reduce swelling when it occurs and antibacterial properties to kill harmful bacteria. But most important for our purposes, it’s a fantastic moisturizer and would work quite well as an organic baby skincare product.
Signs your baby’s skin needs a little TLC
There are a handful of skin problems that typically affect babies. Here is a quick list of the most common offenders, how to spot them, and the quick-fix remedies.
- Diaper rash – Starts as redness and a slight wrinkling of the skin around your baby’s bottom and genitals. It’s itchy, uncomfortable, and burns if left untreated, and will make your baby miserable. Quick fixes are organic balms. Balms are largely oil-based so they aren’t great for moisturizing the skin, but they provide a layer of protection to keep moisture away from your baby’s skin and stop diaper rashes from getting worse.
- Eczema – Often found on the cheeks or forehead, baby eczema can occur just about anywhere. They present as dry, red, itchy patches of skin on the cheek that may look scaly or may even ooze. Eczema responds best to moisturizing creams to alleviate itching and reduce inflammation. Eczema will often subside during childhood.
- Dry skin – You can usually diagnose this temporary condition by touch. A baby’s skin will start to feel more like paper. You can remedy this instantly with an organic baby lotion or oil.
Taking care of your baby’s skin during the colder months can be as simple as buying one or two products that work best for your baby and your budget. We hope the above list of products provides you with a solid place to start in your search for the best organic baby skincare products for you.
