Right as we are done with the naming ceremony for the infant, we are faced with choices about the eco system within which our child will grow – more often than not, with toxic chemicals. We don’t realize that by taking it for granted that babies should be soothed with petroleum jelly and mineral oil, washed with chemical-based cleansers, fed from bottles made from complex plastic compounds, made to wear disposable diapers and surrounded by scented products, we are harming our children.

I accept the fact that parents act out of love, but how can they avoid the above choices and identify healthy alternatives when there are baby care products by the million out there, screaming for your attention from TV ads, lifestyle magazines and even recommended by “experts”?

Taking care of my niece has given me little experience of being a mother, and I always think about little things which will make a difference to my child’s life.

Keeping aside the XYZ v/s ABC brand debate aside, I seek to cover the broader debate of Ayurvedic (Read Organic/Natural) v/s Processed (Read Synthetic/Chemicals) debate, which apply not only to baby care but to every aspect of our life cycle.

One caveat: While I’ve learned, understood and read a lot on this subject, I do not claim to be an expert.

Whats the harm in using synthetic/processed baby oil products if chemical levels are below “acceptable levels”?

Sure, there is only small amounts of these chemicals in our baby products which are stated to be below the acceptable levels, but isn’t it possible that repeated exposure over a life-time can increase the risk for cancer?

Do you really want to take that chance? Sure, your child still faces a risk of contracting cancer from pollution, mobile phones and other things. But why do we need to expose his body to chemicals when his immune system is much weaker than as an adult?

Ayurveda is still unproven. Is it any good?

While there are endless debates about whether Ayurveda really is effective, all I would like to say is, we as human beings were wired to be close to nature. Most of the chemicals in synthetic products are very likely to be manmade and infant bodies are not engineered to absorb/digest/deal with them. On the other hand, Ayurvedic medicines have herbs, plants, etc as their ingredients and given their effectiveness and zero side effects, they are much more acceptable to a mother than a synthetic product. Plus, ayurvedic products have been shown in many cases to be much more effective than man made products.

Some facts and Jargon…

Your baby care products (even your everyday products like shampoo and soap) may contain some of these. Google this up like I did, and trust me, you will be very wary of buying synthetic products the next time around.

• 1,4-dioxane
• formaldehyde
• phthalates
• parabens
• BHA
• Oxybenzone
• Triclosan
• Boric acid
• Sodium borate
• Toluene
• Triethanolamine
• Dyes
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone
• Methylisothiazolinone
• Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate
• Benzyl alcohol
• Isopropyl alcohol
• Oxybenzone

Segment: Gyaan on Baby Oil…

Moreover, whilst there are several products in the market which claim to help your new born for his/her growth, ranging from creams to foods, I would want to focus my writing here on “baby oils”.

Why are baby Oils important?

Since your child’s skin is the largest organ, and it needs “proper nutrition” to function, you should be as careful (if not more) about what you apply to it as what your child eats.

Why use organic baby oils?

Children have roughly double the skin surface of adults and they also breathe more air in proportion to their body mass, which make them more susceptible to a “chemical attack” than you or me.

If you are not convinced, run a test yourself like I did.

Take any synthetic chemical based baby oil (Say XYZ) and an organic one (such as Dabur Lal Tail). Look up the list of ingredients and simply google the major ones to see which baby oil has the “most harmful ingredients within acceptable limits”. Trust me, you won’t be surprised with the answer.

Through this article, I have aimed to share my thoughts and open a doorway well worth exploring.

P.S: This post is a part of Dabur Lal Tail Indiblogger contest.

Image via Google