What is really in your baby products?

I am very concerned about what I put on baby or my family... we use chemical-free sunscreen, and Arbonne Baby Care products for bath & body & natural cosmetics.

I don't think you should only go by what "some website" says. Do the work yourself. It's important! Read the ingredients! Just as you do for what you eat, you should for what you put ON your child, as well as inside the body (this includes vaccines, too!!!)

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Beware of the EWG. They are just another junk science organization with an agenda. All you need to know about them and their "science" is right here - http://www.activistcash.com and select Environmental Working Group from the Activist Groups pulldown.

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Both of those websites have obvious agendas. If you're worried, sure - do more research! But I would recommend taking the advice of either the Environmental Working Group or Activist Cash with a grain of salt.

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Mothering magazine actually published an article about this topic several months ago and listed this website as one of their references so I believe it's legit. I've been using it to check on what products we have that are harmful or not. It's been helpful in finding safe products that we need to buy. If I find that we already have something that's harmful, I use it on myself until we use it up and then never buy it again (I hate throwing out stuff).

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What goes around comes around for "ActivistCash" -- see http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ActivistCash.com

In short, it's a front organization for the corporate interests represented by Rick Berman's PR firm.

That doesn't mean that the science of this Enviromnental Working Group shouldn't also be treated with appropriate skepticism, of course.

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I *love* the baby products with warnings that say "Consult a physician before use" or "If injested or inhaled contact a doctor immediatly"

Soooooo totally not using those products. If I put it on babies hands, arms, or feet it is going in his mouth.

That being said if you look up Petroleum Jelly in that database it says:
"Potential for harmful impurities"
"Safety limits on use/purity/manufacturing"
"Ingredient(s) not assessed for safety"

Well limits on purity are there because of the potential for contamination, wouldn't you think? Isn't that a good thing?

And "ingredients not assessed for safety" there is a limited amount of time/money available for testing, and I am sure testing petroleum jelly is probably pretty low on the list. It has probably been tested repeatedly in the past, only those tests are no longer "up to standard" so they don't count.

That website drove me mental for awhile, then I gave up.

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Although we didn't stop using everything we had on the shelves based on this website, after researching the individual carcinogens that website warned against even further (my husband has a background in environmental engineering and has had just enough chemistry over the years to make him dangerous), we did eliminate some of our baby products based on two of the main ones. If we heeded every warning, we'd be left with water and air, and those are questionable as well. But we certainly are going to be a lot more careful with label reading in the future because "newborn", "natural" and "gentle" obviously mean nothing. And I'm ashamed to say as much as we research everything that goes in their mouths, we didn't devote equal time to the things that go on their hineys - Butt Paste included.

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5. and goes around some more-http://www.jennifermarohasy.com/blog/archives/001457.html. Source/PR Watch has it's own problems. I'm glad to see that there is healthy dose skepticism all around here though. Just remember- being an Environmentalist these days is Big Business.

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As an expecting mom, Robyn's post really opened my eyes to the things that I will want to buy and the things that I will put on my registries. I don't think I will be keeping a close eye on things when I purchase them and my mother has also printed all of the baby items so that she wont buy anything that could be harmful. I even crenged last night when my husband pulled out the A+D for his heat rash which he happened to have lying around from when he got his tattoo. I'm not so concerned about some of the things on us but I wont be using them on my son.

If any of you use Purell, quit using it. Use Germ-X instead. They have a nice new lavendar one! Oh, and WetOnes is also on the list.

Just do an ingredient search on "SODIUM BORATE" and see what comes up. This ingredient is listed as "Unsafe in infant products" and doesn't make me want to buy anything that is on the list. Items range from Balmex to Gerber Diaper Creams and Gerber to Johnson & Johnson Baby Lotions.

The only store brand that was on the lists was Rite-Aid and I'm not sure if they even tested any other store brands. It would be nice to know since I shop at Wal-Mart for the most part and I have Publix Baby Club coupons for free stuff.

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We have also started using Arbonne products in our home. I love the baby line! What a difference in the sunscreen and diaper cream.

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Tons of things are harmful, if you find ONE thing that is 100% NOT HARMFUL then you have found a MILLION dollar product. Because it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to find things for ANYONE that is 100% not harmful in ANYWAY because there is always something that will do something. EVEN HERBAL! EVERYTHING baby says "Consult a physician before use" and I have put sunscreen on my daughter and go it on her hand by accident, a LITTLE won't hurt! It is DRINKING a LARGE amount that WILL hurt them! My daughter has eatten Destin (still not sure how she got it) and I called my doctor and she said to watch her for the next few hours, give her some milk, and it probably won't do anything ANYWAY. And it didn't! I know people that use to eat Comet or has drank Bleach with NO EFFECTS, I listen to warnings, look at what else there is to choose, ask my mom, the pharmacist, about a dozen friends, and sometimes my doctor before using a product.

I remember when my daughter got thrush TONS of people told me to use "Gensing Violet (SP?)" and I did, I only found out later that it is "linked" to cancer of the mouth. Now, lets see, how did they make that link? From people who used it TOO MUCH, a LOT, or just ONCE. Every day you BREATHE is a HEALTH RISK. I just go with the flow!

Another thing, I have noticed a lot of people still use corn starch with thier babies, don't they know that is a MAJOR breeding ground for bacteria!? Also all that baby lotion and baby powder and baby oil out there and I remember coming home with a piece of paper from the hospital that said DO NOT USE BABY LOTION, BABY OIL, OR BABY POWDER ON AN INFANT UNDER ONE YEAR OF AGE!!!!!!! HHHMMM, I didn't listen and my daughter is just fine. What was I suppose to use while she was getting her massage at night (oooo, I could use one)?? I know TONS of people who use them and I bet everyone here did too before their child was one year old.

Anyways, that is my piece!

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that butt paste is the ONLY thing that works for diaper rash on my toddlers (1yo and 2yo), so the environmentalists will have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers. ;)

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