After years of bathing little ones, it seems I have tried many different products-some I have found to be a waste of money, some I have really enjoyed and have kept buying.
During my first few pregnancies, I enjoyed taking a trip to the local ShoppersDrugMarts or good ole' Walmart to stock up on baby bath items. I would stand in the aisle, read all the backs of the bottles and try to pick my favorite scent depending on my mood that day! It was fun, and although I was a tad overwhelmend with all the choices I narrowed it down.
I used ALOT of Johnson's baby products back then and the classic scent was my favorite. (still is out of the Johnson's products that we still use sometimes)
When we had our second child, they came out with "Lavender" scented products which I lathered on our son daily after bedtime bath in hopes that he would Sleep longer (ha!) according to the commercials that made this product look so promising. In fact it did nothing but give me a headache! Plus they are full of other chemicals and parabens.
Over the years, there have been way more choices and some great natural baby bathing essentials that have come out. One of them is "Live Clean" Baby which has a soft subtle scent which is not overpowering like some other products I've used. It is 98% all natural and organic, "plant-derived", pure vegan and is attractively packaged all for a fairly reasonable price. I have bought this product for friend's baby showers and have gotten such positive feedback.
Another nice product out there is the "Burt's Bees" Baby collection. This company has creams, lotions, powders which are full of natural components and are phthalate and paraben free. This is important in that everything that touches baby's sensitive skin is absorbed. I want to make sure nothing harmful touches our precious little ones. I absolutely love their "Apricot" baby oil and use this for baby massage after Hannah's baths at night.
Even though I am confident that Johnson's is not natural but is full of other unnecessary chemicals, I do enjoy their "green" line. You may have seen it before but is not advertised like the mainstream products are. They are not bad, but dont smell the greatest.
All in all, it comes down to trial and error. In my experience what works for one baby may not be beneficial for another. I do believe it is important to guard what is put on our baby's skin or inhaled (powders) but I though it might be nice to show you what we use in our family. Sometimes its a mix of these products plus the classic favorites that we rely on time and time again. There are times that I dont use much "baby stuff" at all too! Sometimes a simple pure water bath with relaxing lullabies and soft candlelight are all that is necessary to relax baby and hep put her/him down for the night.