favorite child/baby organic bath soap, shampoo, lotion for sensitive/dry skin?

[griciai]

Our two kiddos (2 and 5) have very sensitive skin. Both still wear pull ups at night, and have patches of eczema in their diaper areas.

We try bathing rarely and mostly in water, Dove soap (not even close to ideal, which is why we're looking for an alternative) for hands/behinds/feet.

Eucerin or Curel for the dry skin. A&D (again, petroleum - yuck), Lansinoh, or Aveeno zinc based creams as a barrier at night in the diaper areas. Cloth diapers are leaking, so we had to go to disposables overnight. Both are in underwear during the day.

We just recently switched to Rainbow Research shampoo, but our daughter's long locks are hard to manage - too dry?

Help! I want to switch to a natural shampoo for them, as well as to non irritating bath soap, and a natural moisturizer.

I've tried a ton of natural and WAHM butt salves, but they haven't been terribly effective on skin that has developed patches of eczema. I'm going to try to make my own butt salve for them.

And maybe a salve to ward off wind chapped winter cheeks?

Any suggestions for good bath soap, moisturizer, and shampoo for sensitive kiddos? I've looked into Noli n Nali and Aubrey organics, but would have to order online. I'd love input from other mamas before buying a product just based on description on their site!

There have been similar threads, but most are older; I thought maybe there's something new out there I haven't found.

TIA! (wow! That ended up being quite long....)
:)

[lunarlady]

My older DD had eczema for years. I've tried many products, and here is what I like: burt's bees baby shampoo and wash, CA baby sensitive lotion, pure Shea butter, and olive oil for extra dry patches. Although natural, my choices are not organic. The thing that actually helped the most was suggested by her pediatrition - only natural fibers for pj's, close fitting daily clothing, and panties. Her skin cleared within months of getting rid of her fleece foot PJ's. The ped said that although they seem soft, they actually rub and irritate the skin.

[MsFortune]

Have you checked out the Environmental Working Group?  They do product reviews based on toxicity & ingredients.  I find them very useful.  Here is a link to some of their recommendations for kid's products

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/parentsguide/

My son also has excema - or maybe had it since he has not had an outbreak in at least six months.

What I found helpful

diaper creams NOT zinc kind.  I spent lots of money, tried every pricey brand out there, and A&D was the best.  Also really cheap.  But petroleum.  

I get lots of Burt's Bees and California Baby.  Not because they are the best, necessarily, but they are the best / greenest / least toxic brand that is in regular big box stores (like Target)

We bathe every other day and use California Baby wash and conditioner.  I use very tiny amounts of the wash.

For moisturizer, I got a cream that has hydrocortizone in it and used that occasionally, and a regular moisturizer like Eucerin (which is well rated by EWG, I just discovered) the rest of the time.

Good luck

[MaryMarg]

tWe had lots of eczema with DS and tried tons of ideas, especially after reading posts and ideas from this site.  Never had it in diaper area, but close.  For soap, we used CA Baby sensitive skin soap and lotion (no fragrance) but made a gradual switch to Dr. Bronner's Baby-Mild castile soap that I pump in a pump bottle and diluted a lot with water.  Using this to wash DD's hair (she's 5) and then follow with a few drops of jojoba oil rubbed into her hair.  Works great for her--my hair is too dry.  Limited bathing for DS based on eczema.  And for whatever soap/product you use, dilute, dilute, dilute!!

Most important solution for eczema that worked for us was homeopathy.  If there is a homeopath or naturopath familiar with homeopathy in your area, it might be worth a consult.  We tried various remedies for DS and finally found one that worked (for us, Sulphur, but it various tremendously based on the child).  It took ~2 mos of off and on treatment but we are eczema free!

For the diaper area, used straight USP zinc oxide when things were bad, lots of air-time (no diapers or undies at all) and baking soda in the bath when necessary.  If I see things started to get red, I'll use a cream that I made of coconut oil (1/8c), raw shea butter (1/4c) and ~1T of talc-free cornstarch or arrowroot powder to make it thicker.  Mountain Rose Herbs has been a great resource for purchasing high-quality organic shea butter and other products that we tried (like Evening Primrose oil). 

Finally, I made his lotion after realizing that the CA Baby lotion may actually be exacerbating the problem.  I use ~3oz org raw shea butter, ~1 T emulsifying wax, ~1/2T of vegetable glycerin and ~1T distilled water.  Keep in mind shea butter (and coconut oil) can cause reactions on some skin, so test patch. 

Hope these ideas are helpful.  So many good products are out there, but after starting to make my own, I realized how easy it is to tailor products to the needs of each person and buying in bulk has saved us dramatically.

[Scarlettmoon]

One of my close friends used  organic EVOO to moisturize her babies skin and it was wonderful.  That is all that my daughter and I use on our bodies and our skin is  softer than any lotion ever made us.

[griciai]

Thank you so much for all the replies! I posted the question and then wasn't able to get back to follow up on the responses.....

You've shared some terrific ideas -

MaryMarg, I especially appreciate the ideas on how to make your own - I'm gearing up to try to make bum salve already!

Thank you all!
:)

[NevadaMama]

I second Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild! We tried many different soaps on DD and all of them left her with dry patches on her skin except Bronner's. We use it very sparingly in the tub and her skin has been great.

For her hair we use a tiny amount of Burt's Bees Shampoo, and that's it. I love the way it smells, it just leaves a faint bit of fragrance on her little head and she smells so good! We usually only bathe her every other day, sometimes every 3 days, because it is so dry where we live and her skin is so sensitive. This routine has worked really well for us, and it's cheap too - I just had to replace the first bottle of Burt's Bees, we've been using the same one since she was 2 months old!

When she does need a little extra moisture, I use organic EVCO, mostly on her knees since she's still crawling so much. That works really well too. Good luck mama!

[azzeps]

My daughter had some patches of eczema and we cleared it up with the California Baby Calendula Cream (the one that comes in a little tub).  I tried so many other things before that and nothing helped.  So that's what we've stuck to using after her bath.  We use the CA Baby shampoo/wash for her hair and body.

[mystic~mama]

i like natures baby organic vanilla tangerine shampoo/body wash. and topricin for kids is suppost to be helpful for eczema. the regular topricin is wonderful for pain.