Dr. Manny Alvarez on Formaldehyde and Baby Care Products
Dr. Manny Alvarez of Fox News Channel debunks many of the wilder claims about formaldehyde and children’s health care products.
Dr. Manny Alvarez of Fox News Channel debunks many of the wilder claims about formaldehyde and children’s health care products.
For proper baby care, babies always need to be pampered. They are so sensitive and mothers are always worried for them. One way of providing them with comfort and relaxation is bathing. You can find a wide range of the items necessary for baby bath. The most important are bathtub, towel, shampoo, soap etc. So if you are planning to buy some baby shower gift then why not to buy baby bathing utensils instead of fondant baby shower cakes etc?
Baby bath tub is very important as it gives ease to parents while bathing a kid, because infants are difficult to handle. There are various types of bath tubs you can go for. Baby towel is also essential item that you have to buy. Towels in different sizes and bright colors are available. You specially have to check the fabric of towel while buying it. Baby washing clothes are also essential for bathing your toddler. These are the items that you can also gift a mother -to-be on baby shower. The most important items for baby bath are soap and shampoo. You have to be very careful when selecting these items. There is a big variety of these products but not all are good enough in quality. You should go for reliable brand in baby shampoos and soaps which are baby skin friendly. They should not irritate the skin of your baby and meant to keep it fresh and soft. The shampoo should be of a kind which cannot irritate the eyes. The best soaps and shampoos for babies are the ones having organic ingredients. These are chemical free and hypo allergic and best for baby skin.
If you want your baby to have fun while bathing, you can also buy bath toys for him. They will be a fun element for him and instead of getting irritated your kid will play with the toys and you will easily get him bathed. All these items are also very useable if you want them to gift a mother-to-be on a baby shower.
Babies are much sensitive. They need special and extra baby care. All the mothers are very much curious about the health and hygiene of their toddlers. For this reason they try their level best to take care of the cleanliness of their kids. It is a very good habit to give bath to your kid everyday, especially in summer. It needs great perfection and precautions while giving bath to your kid. As the infants are quite difficult to handle, therefore mothers need baby tubs for the bath. It is a good idea to buy the baby bath tubs as a baby shower gift instead of buying traditional edible baby shower cakes.
Baby bathtubs are available in many sizes, shapes and colors. Let us discuss some of the bathtubs that can be found in the market. Aqua baby bath ring is a secure one. The ring seat can easily hold the baby and there is no fear that the kid will fall. The seat on the tub is non slippery and allows the baby to move inside the tub and has also a back for firm support.
A munchkin safety duck baby tub is another type that is quite common. It is a cute duck tube having security disc, which will turn white, if the water in the tub becomes much hotter. This is compact and non slippery. The tub has a headrest, which makes it easy to wash hair of babies. The best thing about this tub is that it is portable and folds easily. You can take it with you wherever you want to take.
Kirby bathtubs are also comfortable ones and make a perfect choice. They are light weighted and make ideal transition from infants to grown up babies. Choosing one from the above mentioned it would be a fun time when a baby takes bath.
Every parent wants the best for their baby but figuring out what is best can be a mine field. Something as simple as choosing the best baby shampoo, baby lotion and baby powders can affect the health of your child. Recent studies have shown that these products quite often have Phthalates. Phthalates can be passed on through the placenta and have been linked to asthma; genital malformations and low sperm count in boys and animal studies suggest a link to liver and kidney cancers.
Why are dangerous chemicals like Phthalates in our baby products?
Phthalates are added to lubricate and soften other substances, as well as help lotion soften and penetrate the skin. Phthalates are also used in baby lotions and baby shampoos to help the fragrance last longer. A study published in the Journal of Pediatrics February 2008 “Baby Care Products: Possible Sources of Infant Exposure.” concluded that: “Phthalate exposure is widespread and variable in infants. Infant exposure to lotion, powder, and shampoo were significantly associated with increased urinary concentrations of monoethyl phthalate, monomethyl phthalate, and monoisobuty phthalate, and associations increased with the number of products used. This association was strongest in young infants, who may be more vulnerable to developmental and reproductive toxicity of phthalates given their immature metabolic system capability and increased dosage per unit body surface area.”
How to avoid harmful products & where to find the good ones
The logical answer to protecting your child from these chemicals is to read the label before using anything on baby’s delicate skin. Unfortunately, the label may or may not indicate the presence of toxic chemicals. Often it is disguised behind the word ‘Fragrance’ or they do not necessarily disclose the presence of chemicals. The good news is that there are alternatives to the mainstream products such as the growing Organic Baby Product market. Products like Organic baby lotions, Organic baby shampoos, Organic baby cleansing gels and more are readily available at online stores such as www.takethetime.ca
No matter where you shop, the following are some tips on buying baby care products to guide you along the way:
Tips on Buying Baby Care Products
1. Educate yourself about the chemicals that occur in many Baby Products. “Children are uniquely vulnerable to phthalate exposures given their hand-to-mouth behaviors, floor play, and developing nervous and reproductive systems” says Sheela Sathyanarayana, acting assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington and lead author of the study “Baby Care Products: Possible Sources of Infant Exposure.”
2. Check the labels and avoid products that contain
* DBP (dibutyl phthalate)
* DNOP (di-n-octyl phthalate)
* DiNP (diisononyl phthalate)
* DEP (diethyl phthalate)
* BBzP (benzyl butyl phthalate)
* DEHP (di 2-ethylhexl phthalate)
* DiDP (diisodecyl phthalate)
* DnHP (di-n-hexyl phthalate)
* DMP (dimethyl phthalate)
* DnOP (di-n-octylphthalate)
* Bisphenol A (BPA) is another plasticizer.
Caution: If you do not find the above chemicals on the label it does not necessarily mean that the product is chemical free.
3. Consider the product packaging as the container can leach phthalates into the product.
4. Change buying habits and source a retailer that only carries organic baby products – this will take much of the guess work out of protecting your baby and also sends a message to the corporations that as people become more conscious of the dangers around early and prolonged exposure to toxic chemicals, they will have to reformulate their products or risk losing business.
Cassi Evelyne providing Calming Soap , Baby Cleasing Gel and Calming Bath Potion
Weleda harvests and processes more than 4 tons of fresh Calendula flowers each year for use in our medicines and Calendula Baby Care products. Watch and learn how we make our precious calendula tincture in this video.