We put baby oil in our child’s skin in order to keep their skin hydrated and moisturized, especially after they bathe or when the weather’s too cold or dry. What we don’t know is that what we may be putting in our baby’s skin to protect it may actually be causing more harm than good.

Some commercial baby oils have mineral oil, which is also a typical ingredient in creams, lotions, and other baby products. Mineral oil is clear unscented oil that will not spoil. It is produced through the distillation of crude oil or gasoline. Since it is abundant and quite cheap, it is therefore used by many baby oil manufacturers. The problem with mineral oil is that it has many harmful effects to the body, most especially to infants.

Mineral oil is difficult to be absorbed by the skin, so it can clog the pores of the skin, which can therefore slow down the skin’s capacity to eliminate toxins. Once broken down and absorbed by the body, it will absorb most of the fat-soluble vitamins, which is kind of stealing away the important vitamins that the body won’t be able to replace. This can then lead to nutritional deficiencies. Studies show that mineral oil can cause decreased lung function which is also known as lipoid pneumonia.

Mineral oil also has hydrocarbons which may not only cause stomach and lung problems, but may also cause the organs to stop functioning. Once ingested, mineral oil can cause a child to vomit and once it gets into the lungs, it can cause lung inflammation, which may then lead to death.

For those of us who want to use safer and more natural baby oils, there are safer products out there, such as Gourmet Body Treats GBT Baby Oil, Lavera Baby Neutral Skin Oil, and Badger Baby Oil.