i am thinking back… back, back,
back before i had changed a diaper.. back to the last month of pregnancy.
i felt pretty prepared, (although now i know no one can ever be truly prepared for being a parent) but i was still unready as far as products. what would we need for a baby? what should we use on a baby's bod? and why isn't it in my house already?! i don't know if any of you are at this point, but after a bit of hunting around, i got hooked up with some products that i think are tops.
soap | shampoo: the calendula castile bar by Apple Valley Natural Soap Co.
(scroll down to read bar description)
i emailed the lovely shop owner about which bar she recommends for babies, and she was super sweet! she told me about this castile option and we love it. very creamy, gentle, unscented, and doubles as shampoo. after 4 months, we're still on our first bar, so it's absolutely economical.
you should see all the shampoo/body bar options they have! i could go crazy there. i also bought bug spray from this awesome company over the summer. can't wait to buy from them again.
baby wipes: Baby Bum Drops from Natural Family Botanicals.
(scroll down to read description)
for $12 you get 50 of these drops. 50! this box is going to last us forever. it's so nice. and we haven't had a single diaper-area issue to report, so we are pretty happy about this purchase. here's what we do: put one drop in a cup of very hot water and let dissolve, then pour the solution over a stack of paper towels cut into thirds. boom! baby wipes. and you don't have to run to target when you're out! you can also use the solution on cloth wipes or in a spray bottle, but we like the throw-away option for now.
really, that's it for the day-to-day things. the only other products we've used so far are: California Baby super sensitive everyday, cradle clear lotion, and unrefined coconut oil. oh, and we use Charlie's Soap liquid laundry detergent. can't forget about that!
i've been super happy with everything, so just had to share with you guys.
9 comments:
Those sound great! Just today I was reading on another blog about how to make your own safe baby soap, and it uses castile soap as well. It's here if you want to check it out...
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2011/10/19/how-to-make-your-own-homemade-safe-baby-body-wash/
thanks for the tips - i'm 25 weeks along with twins (who can apparently come any day now - eep!) and i'm trying to figure out what all i need to register for/buy so this post came at a great time for me! :)
How does your diaper and wipe system work if you're out running errands or away for the weekend? We're leaning towards cloth diapering and making our own wipes but unsure how mobile the system is. Thanks for sharing your products! I've never heard of Apple Valley before, is it local? Sounds like a lovely company!
@anonymous.. we keep our wipes in an old huggies wipes box, so you just toss that in your bag like you would any other wipes. one batch lasts a week or so for us, so you wouldn't need to worry about making more over a weekend away.
for diapers, there are several options.
1. keep a stash of disposables for getaways.
2. use a disposable insert with your cloth covers. (the Flip system offers these)
3. keep using your cloth system when out and about, just bring along a wet bag for dirties.
i heard about Apple Valley Soap via the keeper of the home blog. :)
Have you tried the shampoo bar? I am curious to find out how it works on hair.
As soon as we run out of the baby wash we have - still from our baby shower a year later - I am trying the bar for our little one. Thanks for sharing!
Wow - that's great that the castile bar is so economical! :) Economical finds are always a bonus :)
Summer,
How many wipes do you make each time? And what do you mean you cut them into thirds?
Nessa - I ordered some products from the Apple Valley Natural Soap blog just this week, and have used the shampoo bar for about 4 days and I am so impressed. I haven't even used conditioner (but my styling creme is conditioning). I love every product I ordered (shampoo/body bar, jojoba oil, chapstick, lotion bar).
The shampoo bars are not for use in hard water, and the AVNS blog also has info about doing an apple cider vinegar rinse if you feel like there's buildup.
Just my 2 cents - I've become a fan overnight.
You need to make sure that your baby soap is gentle because otherwise it could be irritating your baby's skin during or after bath time, and this would actually be opposite to what bath time is supposed to do.