Best Of: Baby Grooming
Ah yes, the ever important yet at first overwhelming task of grooming your baby. Since babies can't really do anything for themselves, this includes a lot. I know...so needy, right? Grooming your babe includes everything from bathing to the dreaded task of <GASP> clipping her nails!
Here is a crash course in all the things you'll need...and maybe a few extra things you don't require. While none of these tools will do it for you, they will make it all a little bit easier for you.
So first and foremost, you are going to need to bathe your child. They say 2 times a week is sufficient for newborns. For Mary Clare, we do a nightly bath as part of the bedtime routine. The choice is yours! Bathing my baby made me nervous, like losing sleep - heart racing - full on sweat while I was doing it, nervous. Fear not my darling, you will get the hang of it, I promise. What was once an irrational fear of mine, is now a favorite time of day for the whole family. We use Aveeno baby wash, Burt's Bees organic cotton wash cloths and for cradle cap, Head & Shoulders classic dandruff Shampoo.
Okay, before you call me crazy for the dandruff shampoo, let me ask you something. Have you found anything that gets rid of cradle cap? (your answer is no). My pediatrician recommended it and it is the only thing that helped! So try it and thank me later.
We always moisturize Mary Clare post tub and are big fans of these two products. Aveeno Baby Lotion is a great year-round product. In the colder months, we've taken to using Aquaphor Baby ointment when baby has drier skin. We also use this as hiney paste with every diaper change and I rub it on baby girl's red cheeks. This healing ointment is the stuff of magic!
If your baby has even a tiny bit of hair, you'll find a hair brush is quite useful. It's something I didn't consider getting beforehand. So once I gave birth and was in the weeds, as I like to say, I did not realize I needed a hairbrush or just did not seem to care. Again, postpartum depression, really makes you a different person. Eventually, someone said, "maybe you want to get her a hairbrush?" Amazon to the rescue! I ordered this Green Sprouts set. The bristles are soft as can be, so it is gentle on Mary Clare's sweet (and enormous) dome.
Welcome to the Frida Baby portion of today's programming! Frida Baby, which I am certain you've heard of, has tons of amazing products. I love their mission to empower parents to safely tackle common baby issues at home! Here are the products I have tried and swear by! No this is not sponsored by FridaBaby, ha I wish!
The Snotsucker is the best nasal aspirator product out there. If you haven't used it, you just put the tube in the baby's nose and then you put the other end in your mouth and suck! It's made so there is no way you can put it in too far, takes away any anxiety of hurting the little one. Love that! And here's a plus, it is strangely satisfying to get those boogies out. And NO, you do not suck the boogers into your mouth, it has a filter to stop the snot!
These BoogerWipers rule! Mary Clare has had a stuffy nose a few times and these wipes are a lifesaver. With eucalyptus, menthol, chamomile and aloe, they reek of calmness and double as a chest balm. So I can rub the wipe on her chest to help her breathe more freely and then wipe her runny nose in one fell swoop! I always want to use them when I have a cold too.
The SkinSoother is an item I just recently purchased but we are enjoying it so far. It is a skin brush that they say is like a "baby spa in the palm of your hand." I use it in the bath to massage Mary Clare's skin and she really likes it. It has also helped keep that scalp flake free! Her cradle cap was mostly solved by dandruff shampoo as mentioned earlier but this is great to do nightly in the tub to keep things in check. So, no this item is not necessary but it is a nice extra for sure!
So let's set the scene shall we... baby is not feeling well, fussing and crying and you are trying to soothe him. You need to give some Tylenol and no one is there to help you. So you get some Tylenol up in that medicine squirter thing with a wriggling baby in your arms and somehow finagle it into his mouth. Screaming he spits it all out and gets his jammies all sticky and wet. Congrats, you now have a baby covered in sticky, grape stinking goo!
ENTER THE MEDIFRIDA ACCUDOSE! I purchased this item and had that thought we all have..."why didn't I think of this!" This genius product allows you to give baby medicine without the mess. It is a medicine syringe that attaches to a pacifier that has a tiny hole in it. So all you need to do is pop this paci in his mouth and breathe a sigh of relief knowing he is getting exactly the amount of medicine he needs...just as long as he doesn't spit it out!
I have been blessed with a baby that toots like a champ and does not have any gas issues. However, for those babies that need some help getting toots out, I have heard Windi the Gaspasser is a fantastic product. It helps baby pass that pesky gas!
Raise you hand if you are terrified to clip your babies finger nails!
We have all heard the horror stories drawing blood when clipping a baby's finger nails. We have had quite a nail clipping journey over here and I hope I can help you avoid that!
As a mom with postpartum depression and anxiety, my first plan of attack was to pretend her fingernails didn't exist. That lasted a good 2 days before she was clawing at my boobs. <Hmm, this is strange, I guess her nails DO exist.> Next, I tried biting her nails off which was suggested by many. I couldn't really get the edges of her nails off though. There were tiny points on the edge of each nail, creating actual claws. Okay, this is not going to work. Next we went to baby emery boards. That was pretty much a huge pain in the butt because it took forever!
THEN I discovered the baby nail buffer. I would have scoffed at this when I was pregnant but it really is genius. It takes away any stress of hurting your baby and gets the job done quickly! I have tried 2 brands. The Badass Baby NailTrim is awesome but it died after 4 months which is annoying. So I ordered the Zoli Baby nail buffer but it is not as powerful as the Badass Baby NailTrim. I may just buy another one of the Badass Baby buffers and deal with it dying in the future?
Regardless of the brand you go for, I find the buffer to be the best route to go. I do have the NailFrida nail clipper which I use once in a while...when I can work up the courage.
I hope this list helps you as you figure out the best tools to take great care of your little one. It should be fun keeping baby looking fresh, not stressful! When you are having fun, so is baby! What are your go-to products? Did I forget anything you just can't live without?
