Bug Off! Eliminating Toxins in Kids’ Health Products

What’s in your child’s sunscreen?

I feel like I’m forever applying stuff to my daughter’s body. Soap for her bath, lotion afterwards, sunscreen for daytime, bug spray for evening… When you read the mile-long lists of ingredients in these products, you get a headache.

When you find out that most of the chemical ingredients have never been tested for safety and many are linked to cancer, you’ll likely scare yourself from ever using anything except water and vinegar to clean yourself.

Ingredients with names like Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and quaternium-15 can seep into your child’s skin and wreak havoc on their bodies.

I never thought about this before I became a mother. Growing up, we lathered ourselves in all sorts of chemicals not knowing there were alternatives. But along with pregnancy comes expansive awareness. I decided to aim for nontoxic products from day one.

My baby wish list included Burt’s Bees diaper ointment and Weleda calendula lotion. Although people still insisted on giving me the “quintessential” Johnson’s. (Since 2009, the company has been slowly removing harmful chemicals from its baby products.) Sofie never had diaper rash (even with a year of wearing cloth diapers). I’d like to attribute that to my conscious product selection, but who knows? Maybe she just has a really tough butt.

She has had her share of unexplained skin rashes since then. I’ll admit to becoming a bit lax at times, opting for lower priced or more convenient items in a pinch. I’m almost ashamed to write this knowing that the sunscreen sitting in her school cubby is a chemical-laden Job Lot special. It’s partially mollified by the knowledge that I’ve recently ordered Kiss My Face Sunspray from Vitacost. Help is on the way! (By the way, if you order anything from Vitacost through this link, you’ll get $10 off your order and so will I.)

It’s a challenge to consistently use the best (read: safest) products since they typically come with a bigger price tag. I’ve been most strict with laundry detergent, bath wash and hand sanitizer since they are the three items my daughter uses most frequently. I’m currently loving Seventh Generation Free and Clear detergent, Noah’s Naturals grapefruit shower gel (an eco-conscious Job Lot special) and EO sweet orange hand sanitizer.

You could kind of drive yourself crazy finding the perfect product in every category. However, here are a few of the best-rated children’s items from EWG, achieving a “0” or “1”on the ratings scale.

• Sunscreen: TruKid Sunny Days Sunscreen
• Bath Soap: Adorable Baby 100% Natural Body Wash
  
• Baby Lotion: Adorable Baby Body Lotion
• Diaper Cream: Baby Organic Shea Butter Cream
• Hand Sanitizer: Dr. Bronner’s Magical All One Organic Hand Sanitizing Spray

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Donna DeForbes