Oh Baby!

As parents we all love the snoogly good smell of a baby after a bath and especially after they are all lotioned up. That's a good thing..... right? Maybe baby. Before we must mull over the of that yummy smelling lotion with which you are anointing your little one; let's consider a few facts about babies.

*Babies skin is about five times thinner that ours.

*Their skin is significantly more permeable: what goes on it, in general,

goes into the child's body in some form.

*And once in there, it may have a surprisingly strong effect.

Johnson's Baby Lotion is fairly typical of the content of most commercial products in the US. What are these chemicals? Are they harmful?

Johnson's Baby Lotion: The Number one Choice of Hospitals Ingredients:

Water, Propylene Glycol, Myristyl Myrlstate, Glyceryl Stearate, Oleic Acid, Stearic Acid, Polysorbate 61, Dimethicone, Isopropyl Palmitate, Stearoxytrimethylsilane, Sorbitan Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Synthetic Beeswax, Stearyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, BHT, Sodium Hydroxide, Red 33.

--The answer may, of course, be that they are not harmful. But Scientists are concerned that some of these chemicals can "bioaccumulate"; that is hang around in your child's body. These are chemicals called xenobiotics that are considered "gender bending" chemicals that can, it seems, disrupt the human endocrine system.....our hormones. Toxicologists warn us that the younger you are, the more significant it is to be exposed to hormone-disrupting or hormone-mimicking chemicals. The most concerning are the parabens that are used as a preservative in almost all commercially manufactured products : methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben.

So What's A Mom To Do?

There are smaller companies that are committed to leaving these type of chemicals out of their products... search them out online, the health food store or your local farmer's market. And if you've just got to love that little one up consider a soothing massage with organic oils such as almond, sunflower, or grape seed oil. Essential oils are readily available to the public; feel free to add very small amounts...just 2-3 drops in 2 ounces of oil. Lavender, chamomile, and rose are nice for the twelve months and under crowd! Still not sure about all this? Talk to your naturopathic physician to get more information.

Here at Botanical Health Magazine our #1 pick for all natural, herbal infused skin care for babies is the Salmon Creek Botanicals line.....Baby Colours. You can check out their website at www.salmoncreekbotanicals.com

Article written by Judith Caporiccio.