I have promised and I still maintain that this blog is not going to turn mommy-baby-centric, but duty calls….

You have emailed me, called me, left comments on my blog posts, and approached me at cocktail parties, and I finally feel like I have done enough research to answer you!  Clean baby bath & body products are a new territory for me, as I’m only an expectant mother and have little hands-on experience with the stuff.  However, I’ve done some reading, some testing, some discussing, and I can decipher an ingredient label in about two seconds flat.  I can now tell you what I will and will not be using on my little one in the near future.

Avoid these ingredients: parabens, fragrance (phthalates), ethanolamines (TEA, DEA, MEA, ETA), sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, artificial colors/dyes, petroleum-anything, and anything else that sounds like it was cooked up in a chemistry lab.  For more information on these ingredients, refer to This Isn’t Pretty, where I sum it all up for you.

Avoid these brands entirely when it comes to Baby: Johnson & Johnson, Aveeno, Burt’s Bees, Noodle & Boo, Supergoop, and Mrs. Meyers.  Remember, just because they say “Natural” on the label, does not mean they are Clean!!!

Also, Mustela and Babyganics make some good Clean baby products, but not all of them are totally innocent.  Read your labels!

First Up: Baby Wash/Soap/Bubble Bath

ERBAVIVA BABY SOAP

I love this product line; I’ve written about it before here.  Every single product is Clean, so there is no guessing game, what a luxury.  This soap, if you prefer bar soap, is safe for all skin types, and produces a creamy lather.  Cost: about $12 for 4 oz.  Purchase it here.

Ingredients: Olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, milk, honey, lavender essential oil.

ERBAVIVA BABY BODY WASH

This body wash contains soothing calendula, chamomile, and oat extracts and smells great!  Cost: about $17 for 6 oz.  Purchase it here.

Ingredients: water, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, decyl glucoside, glycerin, chondrus crispus (carrageenan), avena sativa (oat) extract, *calendula officinais flower extract, mahonia aquifolium extract citric acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, *lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil, *anthemis nobilis (chamomile) flower oil, *citrus nobilis (mandarin) peel oil, **linalool. *denotes certified organic ingredient **denotes component of certified organic ingredient

ERBABVIVA ORGANIC BABY WASHBAG

The Organic Baby Washbag bathes baby gently and softly without drying. Designed to maintain skin’s necessary oils, the Organic Baby Washbag is an unbleached muslin sachet filled with soap-free herbal ingredients. Place a sachet in the water, and gently rub for a sweet-smelling, clean baby.  Cost: about $32 for 20 sachets.  Purchase it here.

Ingredients:Organic oatmeal, organic milk powder, organic lavender flowers, organic essential oils of lavender and mandarin. Filled into an unbleached cotton sachet.

WELEDA CALENDULA CREAM BATH

Calendula is a miracle ingredient when it comes to delicate, sensitive skin and it’s the best natural remedy for eczema.  Note: this is for a warm bath; it’s not body wash.  Cost: about $17 for 6.8 oz.  Purchase it here.

Ingredients:Water (Aqua), Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Alcohol, Glycerin, Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) Extract, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Fragrance (Parfum)*, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Limonene*, Linalool*. * from natural essential oils

BABY BEAR SHOP BABY BIRD SOAP

Pure and mild and nothing else.  Cost: about $12 for 3 oz.  Purchase it here.

Ingredients:Saponified Organic Palm Oil Saponified Organic Coconut Oil Saponified Organic Olive Oil Saponified Organic Palm Kernel Oil Natural Lavender Essential Oil Organic Lavender Oil Organic Aloe Vera Rosemary Extract

CALIFORNIA BABY FRAGRANCE FREE BUBBLE BATH

Gentle enough for baby’s first bath.  Did you know that bubbles keep the bath warmer for up to 15 minutes longer than a bath without?  Good to know in the winter!  This bubble bath will not cause yeast infections, as many others can, even in little ones.  Note: since there are no harsh detergents, you will need to shake the bottle and help the bubbles along by pouring under the faucet while running at full blast.  Cost: about $14 for 13 oz.  Purchase it here or at Whole Foods.

Ingredients:Water, Decyl Glucoside (Organic, Sustainable or Renewable), Lauryl Glucoside (Organic, Sustainable or Renewable), Vegetable Glycerin USP (Organic, Sustainable or Renewable), Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract (Calendula), Viola Tricolor Extract (Pansy), Yucca Schidigera (Yucca) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender), Salvia Sclarea (Clary Sage), Phytic Acid (Rice Origin), Gluconolactone (Sourced from Corn (Non-GMO)), Sodium Benzoate, Quillaja Saponaria Extract (Soap Bark)

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Do you have a Clean baby bath time secret weapon?  Tell us about it!

Tomorrow I’ll cover baby shampoo, so stay tuned!