Archive for the ‘Baby Products’ Category

It’s extremely difficult to stay away from the sun especially during summer. Since you really have no choice but to go out and enjoy the hot summer sun, it might be best if you protect yourself, especially your skin from damage and possible diseases like sunburn and skin cancer.

To protect your skin from sun, it is important that you choose a sunscreen that can give you the best defense. There are many different sunscreens available – creams, gels, lotions, ointments, spray, and wax sticks. There are some that even contain tint and glitter too. In choosing the best sunscreen, it’s necessary to remember a few important things:

• It must be water resistant. It doesn’t matter whether you’re going swimming or simply strolling along the beach. Your sunscreen should not be easily removed by water or sweat.
• It must have an SPF of at least 15. SPF works by prolonging the time of sun exposure before sunburn happens. For example, a skin without sunscreen protection could get sunburn after 10 minutes of exposure. However, a skin with sunscreen of at least SPF 2 could get sunburn after 20 minutes. So the higher the SPF, the longer your skin is protected.
• It must provide a wide-ranging protection. Sunscreens containing avobenzone, benzophenones, cinnamates, salicylates, sulisobenzone, titanium oxide, and zinc oxide are recommended. It’s also better to get sunscreens with UVA and UVB protection. This is to ensure that you’re protected not only from sunburn and skin cancer, but from premature skin aging as well.

Some of the recommended sunscreens are Kinesys Spf 30 Sun Protection Stick, Badger SPF 30 Unscented Natural Sunscreen, and BabyGanics’ Cover Up Baby™ Sunscreen Stick SPF 50+.

For you to fully enjoy the benefits of sunscreens, you have to apply it all year round, even if it’s not summer. UV rays can still penetrate clouds even on rainy or snowy days. UV rays also reflect and bounce off surfaces like cement, sand, snow, and water.

Also, put on sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes before going out. Put on enough amounts on both your face and body. If you’re going swimming or doing any sweaty activities, then reapply sunscreen every two hours.

If you have a baby, then chances are, you hate diaper rashes as much as your baby does. Diaper rashes tend to leave babies feeling cranky and fussy. They’re characterized by reddish, puffy skin on the thighs, butt, or genitals, generally in the diaper area. The term “diaper rash” is used to generally refer to any skin irritation appearing in the diaper-covered region in the baby’s skin. Other terms include diaper dermatitis (skin inflammation), irritant dermatitis, or ammonia dermatitis.

There are several causes of diaper rash, but the most common is the warm and moist area enclosed by the diaper which makes a good breeding ground for bacteria. Since the baby’s bottom is the one that’s often moist and exposed to bacteria due to urine and poop, it’s the usual place where rashes develop. Other causes of diaper rash are hot or humid weather, poorly laundered cloth diapers, skin allergies, skin irritants in the diapers, skin irritating detergents, lotions, and soaps, and seldom diaper changes. Yeast or fungal infection and allergies due to baby wipes and other harsh skin products also trigger diaper rash.

When treating diaper rashes, you cannot solely depend on the use of creams which can contain ingredients that can be harmful to the baby’s skin. Here are a few natural remedies for diaper rash:

Proper Diaper Change

Proper diaper change includes cleaning and wiping your baby’s bottom at each change. Don’t scrub the skin. Just wipe it gently. Make sure that no stool or urine is left. Use either cotton balls or cloth wetted by clean plain water, or unscented and alcohol-free wipes.

Switch to a Different Diaper or Wipe Brand

If you’re using disposable diapers, then try changing brands. Choose those non-irritating and well-fitting ones to reduce friction with the skin. Consider cloth diapers if you keep on having problems with disposables. When washing cloth diapers, either you go to a cleaning service, or do it yourself by rinsing them with half a cup of vinegar.

Frequent Diaper Change

Newborns need diaper change every two hours at the least. For older babies, change should be at least every three hours. The bottom line is, as soon as you know that the diaper is soiled or wet, then change diapers right away.

Diaper Rash Cream

If you do want to use diaper rash creams, get those with natural ingredients and no irritants or chemicals. Great examples are Miessence Baby Barrier Balm, Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Diaper Ointment, and Badger Diaper Cream. Chemicals can also cause rashes. Preventive creams also help. A good example is BabyGanics’ Healin’ Groovy™. It’s a pediatrician and dermatologist-tested ointment with a non-petroleum formula that helps sooth dry and irritated skin. It also provides a moisture barrier, protecting the skin against diaper rash. It contains plant-based ingredients and Vitamins A, D, and E. It is hypoallergenic and fragrance free with no parabens, sulfates, or phthalates.

Your baby’s skin is very delicate and sensitive. It’s therefore important to give the best care and products to your baby. If your baby’s comfortably happy, then so are you.