About four or five years ago I went to a friend’s house. At the time she was trying to conceive and was showing me how (on a recommendation from her doctor) she had changed all her cleaning products and toiletries to natural products in a bid to help rebalance her hormones. I remember being in awe of her citrus scented vinegar jars and the beautiful branding on her all natural hand soaps.

I’ll admit it was the minimal aesthetic and fancy bottles that won me over initially. But knowing that Gavin and I were going to start a family soon, I had already started to grow suspicious of the growing number of chemicals in my house and after seeing my friend’s success, I decided to start making the transition toward more natural options for us as a family. After many years of trial and error, (and unfortunately, I’ve found that with natural products there seems to be quite a lot of error) I thought I’d list some of my favourites for kiddos and babies alike.

Whilst nappy rash was never a frequently recurring thing in our household, there were few things that brought a tear to my eye like my boy screaming and clenching his little bum while I wiped. Weleda nappy cream was my saviour in these situations. It was gentle and seemed to provide him with instant relief when applied.

I used nappy bags only on occasion when there was a very bad stink to be dealt with, but honestly, I found them useful mainly for putting wet or soiled clothes in when out and about. Naty by Nature Babycare Eco Disposal Nappy Bags are great because they’re just like plastic bags but 100% compostable and biodegradable.

In the beginning, I used a few different brands for wipes as whilst they all seemed much the same I was always a bit put off by the ones with strong fragrances. WaterWipes Sensitive Baby Wipes were excellent for this reason and I would highly recommend especially for those with teeny tiny newborns. My Mum always told me that newborns only need to be wiped with warm water and cotton wool in the beginning. Waterwipes are a more convenient version of that. If you’re wanting to score eco points with biodegradable wipes, Jackson Reece Herbal Baby Wipes are a great option too.

For cradle cap (which Ethan had a rather persistent case of) I used a combination of MooGoo Scalp Cream which was fantastic. If I had none of that, I would sometimes just use olive oil, I would leave that to soak and then comb off the loose flakes with a super soft brush. Worked a treat!

Now that Ethan’s a bit more grown up, I’m still experimenting with kids bathroom products. The current favourites are Professor Scrubbingtons Cotton Soft Bubble Bath and Professor Scrubbingtons Magically Foaming Hair and Body Wash. I really like this brand. I find some natural products have very herbal scents or none at all. With these two I can’t stop sniffing Ethan’s hair when he’s out of the bath. Plus the foam squirter on the Hair and Body Wash dispenser is pretty cool. I also find this lasts for ages as you don’t need much for a good scrub.

I’m not strict that everything I use is 100% natural like some folks I know. But like most things in life, I figure if I can get 80% there, then I’m happy with that. Life’s for living too, and quite frankly, as a parent, I find that sometimes urgency and/or convenience trumps everything else.

I would love to hear if there are any natural products you use and love.
I’m currently on the lookout for a good natural toothpaste for Ethan and natural deodorant that actually works for me. Any and all suggestions very welcome!

{SHOP THE NATURAL PRODUCTS}

Image of Adam’s Bathroom. Find the full room tour here.