The stores offer countless children's cosmetics from various manufacturers that sometimes parents get lost in the choice. You should not immediately trust beautiful packaging and advertising; before purchasing, you should carefully study the composition.
Children's skin is different from adult skin. It is very thin, practically defenseless against the penetration of toxic and dangerous substances, and therefore requires special care and the use of appropriate cosmetics.
Let's consider what products are needed to care for a newborn baby and how to choose them correctly.
Basic newborn care items
The purchase of care products for a newborn is usually planned even before the birth, when the children's room is furnished, diapers and vests, a crib and a stroller are purchased.
Some people postpone purchases until the postpartum period. In both cases, it doesn’t hurt to study the list of the best products for caring for a newborn in advance so that you can make your shopping list based on it. The range of children's products in specialized stores is huge, and not every beautiful package hides safe products. The surest way not to make a mistake is to read the ingredients and recommendations.
Diaper cream
The range of creams that protect the delicate skin of babies from irritation, diaper rash and redness is very large. In order not to make a mistake when choosing a product, you must carefully read the label: purpose, composition, method of use.
So, what to look for when choosing diaper cream:
- A high-quality cream should contain natural ingredients. It is very good if it contains zinc oxide, beneficial extracts or oils. The presence of paraffin, parabens, silicones and other chemicals that can cause allergies is unacceptable.
- The product should prevent the appearance of irritation and diaper rash and treat those that have already appeared.
- The cream should have a moderately thick consistency and be well absorbed.
In the fight against diaper rash, children with allergies will benefit from a cream with zinc, which has a drying effect. For babies with dry skin, products containing natural oils are better suited. This should also be taken into account when choosing a cream.
Some of the most common diaper creams are Bepanten, Our Mother, Babyline, Bubchen, Weleda, Mustela, Sanosan.
Baby bath products
All purchased hygiene products for children must be hypoallergenic and pH-neutral, and do not contain dyes or preservatives. The label of quality products always contains information about clinical testing and approval by pediatricians. Classic baby soap is not recommended for frequent use as it dries out the skin. It is much safer to use a special gel or foam. It is desirable to have a valve or dispenser on the bottle.
You can also bathe your child with the addition of a decoction of herbs. Only pharmaceutical plants are used in low concentrations. On the recommendation of a pediatrician, you can use chamomile decoction (soothes, disinfects the skin), string (antimicrobial effect), valerian (antispasmodic, calming effect). Bathing with herbs will be prescribed by your pediatrician after the umbilical wound has healed. The specialist will give recommendations on what products are needed to care for a newborn, taking into account contraindications and the presence of dermatological problems.
Bathing products
Foam, gel or soap for a newborn should be pH-neutral, hypoallergenic, without preservatives or dyes. The label must indicate that it has been clinically tested or approved by pediatricians.
It is recommended to use traditional baby soap only in extremely rare cases, as it dries out the skin greatly. The safest means for bathing a baby is a special baby foam or gel made in Russia or abroad. When choosing it, you should also pay attention to the bottle, namely how convenient it will be to use. It is more convenient to use a bottle with a dispenser or with a special valve.
You can also use herbs to bathe your child, alternating them with foam. Some of the most common are the following herbs:
- chamomile - has a calming, disinfecting effect;
- succession - has an antimicrobial effect, is effective in the presence of skin diseases in a newborn (diathesis, seborrhea);
- valerian - has a calming, antispasmodic effect.
Bathing a newborn in herbal decoctions is possible after consultation with a pediatrician and only after the umbilical wound has completely healed.
Special shampoo
Among the variety of children's hygiene products, the choice is made in favor of products without active additives, fragrances and artificial colors. Each of the unwanted additives can provoke an allergic reaction. It is advisable to choose a lightly colored or colorless shampoo with a light floral aroma and no odor at all. The composition may contain plant extracts, vitamins and other safe additives that soften and nourish the scalp. The most popular among them: string extract, calendula and chamomile, vitamins A, B and E, wheat proteins. Children's cosmetics usually have a "no tears" symbol.
Recommendations for parents
Doctors recommend paying attention to the following nuances when choosing cosmetics for a newborn:
- buy newborn care products in a specialty store or pharmacy;
- safe cosmetics are those marked 0+ on the label;
- the product should be colorless and without a strong odor (the brighter the color, the stronger the smell, the more chemicals it contains);
- You should not take damaged, wrinkled packaging or with worn-out labels;
- always check the expiration date (the shorter it is, the more natural the product);
- cosmetics must be certified, which is confirmed by the marks on the packaging: ECOCEPT (no harmful dyes, mineral oils, emulsifiers, fragrances), NATRUE (contains only natural ingredients, has a short shelf life), ICEA (contains environmentally friendly and safe ingredients), BDIH (does not contain GMOs, animal fats, artificial fragrances, dyes, paraffins).
It is necessary to choose cosmetics for your baby according to the individual characteristics of the body, since it is still sensitive to environmental influences. In order not to harm the baby’s health, it is important to use high-quality cosmetics from well-known companies.
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Moisturizing baby body milk
Some parents ignore this baby skin care product, considering it unnecessary. They are partly right, but only if instead of milk after bathing you use another skin moisturizer. Tap water and detergents dry out the skin, reducing the effectiveness of its protective barrier. Therefore, it is important to protect the epidermis after water procedures, moisturize and restore the natural microflora. Milk is selected according to the child’s age, it should be liquid and easily absorbed, and not have bright aromas or colors. Only natural additives are allowed - coconut milk, chamomile, almond oil, lavender, linden.
Wet wipes with safe impregnation
When choosing napkins, pay attention to the material. It should be durable and soft, absorb dirt well. Impregnation should not contain alcohol, as it dries the skin and destroys both harmful and beneficial microorganisms. If you wipe an area with irritation or diaper rash with alcohol wipes, it will cause a strong burning sensation.
The lotion used to impregnate napkins should not contain strong fragrances. The packaging of children's products usually bears the label “free from harmful ingredients.” The best impregnation is water with plant extracts: chamomile (anti-inflammatory effect), string (for various dermatological problems), aloe (moisturizing effect) and sea buckthorn (for diaper rash). It is worth paying attention to the expiration date and brand recognition.
TOP 10 things and means to care for your baby
Disputes around the necessary cosmetics for children in their first year of life have already become commonplace. Pediatricians and representatives of the older generation especially disagree. As a result, a young mother, who already does not have enough experience, is completely lost in recommendations. For this reason, some begin to buy up half of the pharmacy, so that God forbid they miss something.
We decided to study which cosmetic products are the minimum necessary. So, the top 10 products that every young mother should have in her arsenal.
Cotton buds
They will be useful for ear hygiene and umbilical wound treatment. To clean the nose, try not to use sticks, but rather flagella rolled out of cotton wool.
Ordinary cotton swabs, of course, will not work for the baby. You risk injuring the baby's mucous membranes or leaving some of the cotton wool in the baby's ears. For children of the first year of life, cotton swabs with a special limiter have appeared on sale, which reliably prevents unreasonably deep penetration and associated injuries.
cotton swabs for newborns
Pay attention to the quality of the “tool” you purchase. In well-made sticks, the cotton wool is securely fixed to the base, and the container itself closes tightly.
Reading on the topic:
- One of the first questions for young mothers is how to properly treat the umbilical wound so as not to harm the baby - read the detailed article;
- Caring for the ears of a newborn baby requires strict adherence to the rules, because they are easy to injure. We read about proper care for the ears of a newborn baby;
- The question of how to properly clean your newborn baby’s nose from boogers or snot worries every new mother; we read how to do it correctly.
Wet wipes
This care item also needs to be chosen carefully. Wipes should not cause allergies, and the concentration of impregnation should be within normal limits.
Give preference to wipes impregnated with plant extracts (chamomile, lavender, aloe). Please note that the composition does not contain alcohol, chlorine, various fragrances and preservatives. The ideal packaging is a plastic container.
Shampoo
You can safely do without baby shampoo only for the first couple of months of your little one’s life. Then it is advisable to buy your baby a special shampoo for children under one year old. Using it, you can more easily cope with various contaminants, excess fat and crusts on the baby’s head. In addition, washing your hair with shampoo is an additional scalp massage that will strengthen the hair follicles and stimulate the growth of hair follicles.
Do not purchase shampoo under any circumstances if you notice the presence of the following substances in its composition:
- diethanolamine;
- 1,4-dioxane;
- carcinogenic formaldehyde;
- sodium lauryl sulfate.
Preference should be given to products labeled “no tears.” Such products do not cause allergies, have mild cleaning properties and do not contain fragrances.
Baby powder
The product is used as an adsorbent. By absorbing excess moisture, the powder prevents your baby's skin from various irritations and redness.
The classic powder form is no longer as relevant as it used to be. When moisture gets in, it forms lumps, which is an additional factor for irritation. Now liquid talc has become popular, which does not form lumps and creates a protective layer on the baby’s skin.
Soap
For children under one year old, the best option is to use liquid soap. The composition of such soap should include emollients such as glycerin or lanolin.
When choosing baby soap, pay attention to its compliance with GOSTs and the absence of fragrances in the composition. Give preference to a product based on plant extracts with a dispenser bottle.
Baby oil
Oil for babies is a universal remedy. It is used in the daily hygiene of the baby’s skin, to remove crusts on the head, during massage and water procedures.
The oil should not contain dyes, preservatives or other substances harmful to the baby. When choosing it, pay attention to the presence of plant extracts and the absence of odor. The bottle must be hermetically sealed and have a dispenser.
Reading on the topic:
- The skin of a newborn baby is delicate and prone to irritation, so it requires special attention. In order to avoid problems and inflammatory processes, it is necessary to carefully care for it - proper skin care;
- Perhaps every second baby has seborrheic crusts on the head, regardless of whether there are hairs on the head or not - read in detail about the crusts and how to care for them.
Moisturizing cream
This cream is used after water procedures. It must necessarily be based on plant extracts and contain glycerin. Mineral oils in the cream are undesirable; give preference to almond, olive or jojoba.
When choosing a cream, pay attention to the expiration date. If it is small, it means the product is truly natural and has been certified.
On topic: How to choose baby cream for little ones.
Diaper rash cream
A baby’s folds are unlikely to be able to avoid such a common phenomenon as diaper rash if you don’t start using special products in time.
When choosing such a cream, we also pay attention to its plant origin and the absence of harmful substances. Don't forget about the expiration date.
Reading on the topic:
How to apply diaper cream (+ rating of the best diaper rash creams) –
Detailed article about diaper rash and how to deal with it –
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Hair brush
We don't need it for combing at all. We don’t even have anything to comb yet. Brushes for babies are purchased for the purpose of massaging the scalp and removing annoying crusts (link to the article about crusts above). That’s why we choose the one that has soft and dense pile. It is desirable that the brush handle is made of high-quality material.
At an older age, when the baby is more than six months old, you can purchase a baby comb with rounded teeth.
Nail scissors
In order to cut your baby’s nails neatly, you need to purchase scissors with rounded tips. This will help prevent possible injuries. Pay attention to the blade - it should be thin.
On topic: how to trim a baby's nails.
Reading on the topic:
Excellent health, absence of skin problems, good immunity in a newborn depends on whether the mother can properly carry out hygiene procedures - read about the hygiene of a newborn baby;
A small child requires constant care. A first aid kit for newborns should contain all the means for this. You need to create it before the baby is born - many of the components of the first aid kit will be needed from the first days of life - list of first aid kits for a newborn.
Watch the video: cosmetics and hygiene products
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Protective diaper cream
The choice of baby creams is wide, but not every product is safe and effective. The label of a good newborn care product indicates the full composition, purpose of the cream and method of use. Like other children's cosmetic products, the cream should consist mostly of natural ingredients. It may contain zinc oxide, oils and plant extracts. The presence of silicones, paraffin and parabens in the composition is unacceptable. If a child has a tendency to allergies, choose a cream with zinc; if the skin is dry, choose a product with natural oils.
Wet wipes
When choosing them for your baby, it is important to pay attention to:
- The material from which the napkins are made must be soft and durable. If they are not durable, then in addition to a dirty diaper, your hands and clothes will be dirty. High-quality napkins should quickly absorb moisture.
- They should not contain alcohol, which dries out the skin and destroys not only harmful but also beneficial microorganisms. If such wipes are applied to irritation or diaper rash, it will cause a burning sensation in the baby.
- The impregnating lotion should be odorless or have a faint aroma. The packaging must be marked “without harmful components.” The best and natural impregnation for napkins is water, thanks to which they clean well and are absolutely safe.
- Wet wipes for a newborn may contain extracts: chamomile (against inflammation), aloe (against dryness), string (for problem skin), sea buckthorn (for diaper rash).
- Be sure to have an expiration date on the packaging, since the impregnation may deteriorate or dry out during storage.
- You should not choose products from little-known manufacturers; only large companies can guarantee the safety of their products.
