Recommendations for Baby Toiletries

[Anonymous]

Happy New Year, everyone.

I'm a first time (almost) mom. Does anyone have recommendations for must have baby toiletries? I know the familiar brands like Destin and J&J, but would appreciate any feedback if people think certain products are actually better than others. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

My recommendation would be to research the brands (as you're doing here) but not stock up too much. For ours, we used baby soap/shampoo and not much else, not even diaper cream. Also, as needed later, generic baby acetaminophen (tylenol equivalent) for fevers and teething.

[Anonymous]

My pediatrician actually recommended against Johnson and Johnson. She said they find that it's actually quite harsh and many babies react better to gentler brands. She recommended Baby Aveeno or California Baby. You basically only need one baby wash, emergency diaper rash cream (my DD is 5 mos. and we've used it once), and infant Tylenol (but you probably won't even need that, hopefully, before baby's 2 month shots).

[Anonymous]

We used mostly Aveeno and desitan. You must also have Aquaphor. The best.

[Anonymous]

For soap our pediatrician recommends Dove Unscented.

For moisturizer our pediatrician recommends Cetaphil.

Out pediatrician also says Johnson and Johnson is very hard on the babies.

Also, for a diaper rash creme I found that Desitin worked great.

[Anonymous]

Noodle and boo shampoo smells the best and a bottle will last you a long time (it costs 12 dollars a bottle). I think j and j is chemically. Also, make sure if you buy powder to get talc-free, and not j and j baby powder. Cetaphil cleander and moisterizer was rec'd by my ped when my baby got a rash at 4 mos, so it is gentle, and you can use it on yourself too. I agree on aquaphor. I grease down my baby after the bath every night.

[Anonymous]

My ped also recommended Dove unscented instead of 'baby soap'. We use this and aveeno, and have been happy.

I like Burt's Bees Wax for an everyday lotion and aveeno for dry skin season (like right now!)

Triple paste is the best diaper rash cream on the market without a prescription, but it's expensive.

[Anonymous]

Our ped steered us away from Johnson + Johnson too. We used Cetaphil soap and lotion for a while, and eventually switched to California Baby shampoo/body wash and lotion (CB is expensive, but we only use a little and it lasts forever). Aquaphor for the little patches of eczema she would get. Butt Paste for diaper area (a tub of that lasts us AGES).

Look for no or minimal dyes and fragrances. Alcohol is in many products and can be irritating to babies' skin.

[Anonymous]

We've been using unscented Dove soap, as recommended by our ped, and the Mustela baby foam shampoo (which is great for cradle cap). A bottle is about $9, but DS just turned one and we're still using the bottle we got as a shower gift . . . . I also like the Mustela moisturizers, especially the Stelatopia for his eczema-prone skin. Again, expensive but it lasts. I agree with the PPs that you don't need much. A bar of soap, some lotion, and some diaper cream (we love Triple paste) to start is about all you need.

[Anonymous]

These are great tips for new moms - thanks!

[Anonymous]

We love California Baby; also second the recommendation for Aquaphor.

[Anonymous]

We use California Baby for our 3 week old, and have been happy with their diaper rash cream and body wash/shampoo. We also have the Boudreau's Butt Paste and have been pleased. I like the California Baby line because it's lavender scented rather than that overpowering baby powder scent on everything else. DD has dry skin and the products have not irritated her...and still no diaper rash! Only downside is that the CB brand is EXPENSIVE!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We used mostly Aveeno and desitan. You must also have Aquaphor. The best.

Actually, I'm going to have to disagree (see, OP, aren't you glad you asked your question - lots of view points and opinions ). Our ped. office gave out a variety of sample-size lotions and I found Aquaphor to be really greasy. Plus, it stains on certain fabrics (ie. the sofa!). The Eucerin sample, on the other hand, was much better for us. I don't know about price since we are still going through the trial size samples from the ped. office so I don't know how much either of the cost at the store.

We were ocassional users of Bordeauxs Butt Paste, but DD has only had one really bad diaper rash. And the Butt Paste really helped. It is pricey though. So, wait for a sale if you can.

The shampoo, pain relievers, toothbrush (when baby starts getting teeth), bathtub bubbles (when baby can situp and "enjoy" bath time) are all generic brands (Safeway, Target, Walmart, etc.) and have not had any problems.

Congrats!

[Anonymous]

Boudreaux is MUCH better than Desitin, and Desitin is great stuff.

[Anonymous]

I loved the smell of Mustela products. They worked great for my first but with my second I had to use eucerin and aveeno b/c of really dry skin.