Parenting|

Preparing For Baby? 5 Natural Product Swaps To Make Now

by Team Scary Mommy
Updated: 
Originally Published: 

Congrats! Your bundle of joy/bun in the oven/excuse to eat for two is on the way. You’re in for so many exciting changes, including a closer look at what to use on your skin. It’s one thing when you’re shopping for yourself, but when you start thinking about products that are good for you and your impending family, it’s a whole new shopping list.

Now’s the time to start swapping out products with chemicals for ones that are natural and gentle –– remember, whatever is on your skin will be on Baby’s skin too. As you’re prepping for your new arrival, you can refer to this list of simple swaps and ensure you’re getting the safest, simplest products that work for you but won’t irritate your skin or your baby’s.

Sunscreen

A little bit of sunshine every day is pretty much essential. But we all know the sun is, sadly, not really a good friend to our skin. Sunscreen is a must but some of the ingredients in these things are just…not ok. Some of the more offensive ingredients in sunscreens like oxybenzone are associated with hormone disruption and relatively high rates of skin allergy. Yuck. No one wants to deal with that. Toss your old school sunscreen and swap in a facial sunscreen without oxybenzone like this sunscreen that doubles as a “makeup-gripping primer.” Who doesn’t love a combo product?!

Deodorant

Deodorant is such an everyday product that you may not even stop to think about what’s in it. But many commercial deodorants contain dyes and heavy perfumes as well as ingredients like aluminum. Ivory’s Gentle Deodorant is dermatologist-tested to be gentle on skin and made without things that can irritate skin like aluminum, baking soda, dyes, parabens and phthalates. With all the skin-to-skin contact you’ll have with your new baby, it’s a perfect choice for new moms. It’s long-lasting too; which is a blessing since sometimes finding time to shower with a new baby in the house can be tough.

Bath Salts

Even if it’s literally for 10 to 15 minutes, there is nothing like a soak in the tub. Add some Enya and you’ve got your own little home spa. But have you ever read the ingredients list on some of these bath products? Yiiiikes. Both pre- and post-baby, you’ll want to use products like epsom salts. Epsom salt naturally eases muscle aches and helps you de-stress without the irritating fragrances found in bath bombs. (Fun fact: Epsom salt gets its name from the town of Epsom in Surrey, England, where it was originally discovered. The more you know!)

Lip Balm

Forehead kisses increase by 45% when you have a new baby. (Probably.) And each of those kisses should be soft and gentle on infant skin. But lip balms often contain ingredients like petrolatum (literally made from petroleum) and other stuff you don’t want on your lips, much less your baby’s forehead. Swap the weird stuff for beeswax and a lip balm you can feel good about.

Dry Shampoo

Let’s face it: you’re gonna need dry shampoo. Again, those showers can be hard to come by in the newborn days and weeks. But conventional dry shampoos can contain things like sulfates, parabens and phthalates. Ew. Swap those out for a cleaner alternative that’s certified organic and vegan but can still handle oil and sweat and other fun stuff.

Skin Balm

When you think about all that we put our skin through, it’s kind of a miracle that it doesn’t just fall off. It’s good to have an all-purpose balm around to handle rashes, scrapes, chapped nipples and lips, and plain old dryness. Get one that subs grapeseed and sunflower seed oil for petrolatum, lanolin and silicone. This multi-purpose healing balm has only 5 ingredients and is safe for nursing moms.

The arrival of a new baby is truly life-changing. Start changing your life now by treating yourself to pure and natural skincare products that really work for you and your new addition.

Free of dyes and heavy perfumes, Ivory celebrates over 140 years of bringing simple clean to families everywhere. Ivory’s new products are designed to be gentle on skin using pure and purposeful ingredients for generations. Visit Ivory.com to learn more.

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