My mother-in-law Lucy had four children. They were born in the 1950s and the early 1960s. Like many mothers during that time in the U.S., she fed her children formula or condensed milk and she used cloth diapers and products like Johnson’s Baby Shampoo for their hair.
Another product that she always used on her children was Johnson’s Baby Powder. That is, until her last child, my husband Joe, was born. Lucy noticed that whenever she used baby powder on her son after a bath or a diaper change, he would cough. “This cannot be good for him,” she thought.
Although this was many years before we learned about possible adverse effects of talcum powder, she was concerned that the powder had a harmful effect on her son. So, in order to keep her son comfortable and dry, she decided to use plain old cornstarch instead. It worked like a charm! He was dry and cool with no more coughing.
I’ve seen many recipes for baby powder on the internet while browsing for nontoxic products for myself. A lot of these recipes include cornstarch, arrowroot powder, and a few drops of essential oils like lavender or chamomile. (My personal blend is simply cornstarch and a few teaspoons of baking soda to control odor.)
A sustainable trend right now is to use all-natural, organic products to care for your baby. This can be an all-natural baby wash that you can buy, or baby products that you have made up yourself, like diaper cream made from coconut oil. Some experts even suggest you limit the use of soap (or eliminate it) on very little babies.
Reducing our exposure to products with toxins is good for our babies and ourselves. And using natural, organic, products that are sustainably sourced is good for the Earth.