subject: Nurture Your Baby With The Safest Baby Care Products [print this page] 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 babys 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.
