Homemade Natural Baby Care Products

Welcome to our make it yourself series!  We feature everyday items that you can make yourself.  This saves money, but more importantly, it helps you and your family avoid toxins.  We don’t get into the scientific details on these posts, but we would suggest doing some research about what is in the products we use every day, and what it does to your body.

We started making our own products a few years ago and fell in love with them.  If you or someone you love has sensitive skin you probably struggle with products that have fragrances or dyes, you may think all natural products were good enough but you can also consider homemade products as well.  We don’t want to oversell these or anything, but once you start making my own lotions and soaps, we think your skin will feel better than ever.  Babies can have sensitivities as well to over the counter products, even the organic ones.  So you also might consider using homemade products for them as well.  These homemade children’s hygiene products you will find are very easy to make, and their skin will be even smoother than before.

As with any product you want to be sure and test it out a little bit at a time first.  With a baby especially they can’t give you immediate feedback.  So make sure you test out these homemade products a little a time and make sure you happy with the results.

Here is the first post of this series: homemade baby hygiene items.  We did a lot of research on these “recipes,” and then tried making them on my own to see which “ingredients” we liked the best.  we honestly cannot believe how much more we like them than store-bought products.

Here they are!:

Baby Wipes

Items Needed: 1 roll Viva Brand choose-a-size paper towels (this is not a sponsored post – if you use another brand for these make sure they are smooth and too scratchy for the baby!), 2.5 cups water, 2 tbsp organic baby wash or liquid baby mild Castille soap (such as the soaps from Dr. Bronner’s), 2 tbsp organic baby oil (see recipe for this below) – you can also substitute extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil, 2 capsules Vitamin E, 1 tbsp pure aloe vera, 1 tbsp jojoba oil (this is optional – we love using it in baby products, but the wipes turn out great without it) empty wipes container or food container with a slit cut in the lid

  1. Cut the paper towel roll in half, so that it’s slightly larger than the size of a toilet paper roll
  2. Boil the water, and then cool it to room temperature
  3. Mix the baby wash or soap, oil, Vitamin E, jojoba oil, and aloe vera into the water
  4. Put the paper towel roll so that it is standing up in the wipes container
  5. Pour the water mixture over the paper towel roll so that it’s “soggy.”
  6. Push down on the paper towel roll until you can close the lid of the wipes container.
  7. Turn the container upside down on top of a towel and keep it there for 5 minutes.
  8. Turn the container upright again and pull out the cardboard center of the paper towel roll.  This should pull out the first wipe as well, if not, you can just use your hand to pull it out.
  9. Slip the first wipe through the top of the container, and you’re good to go!

Another option is to make reusable baby wipes.  For these, you can use organic cloth squares, and soak them in the mixture above for 60 minutes.  Squeeze out the extra moisture, and keep them in an airtight container (an empty wipes container will work).  After using one, you can wash it with your laundry.

It is important to note that natural baby wipes free from chemicals are the best wipes for babies as they do not cause allergies or rashes. The natural ingredients clean as well as nourish your baby’s gentle skin.

Since natural fabrics like cotton are so delicate, the baby’s skin will not leave any redness or swelling as a result. The very absorbent material keeps skin folds from becoming moist.

Facial & Hand Cleansing Wipes

Items Needed: 1 ½ cups very warm water, 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1 tbsp liquid baby mild Castille soap, 6 drops essential oil (I like to use lavender and lemon for these), 1 roll Viva paper towels, 1 wipes container

  1. Mix all items together until the coconut oil is melted.
  2. Pour the mixture over the paper towels.
  3. Once saturated, let it sit for 10 minutes.
  4. Pull out the cardboard center of the paper towels.
  5. Put wipes into wipes container.

Remember that when caring for infant skin, it is essential to understand all the factors that can contribute to skin irritation and potentially result in dermatitis, as well as being selective about the products used on infant skin. The ingredients in baby wipes should be carefully selected based on their safety profile, allergenicity, and tolerability.

Baby Wash / Baby Soap

Items Needed: ¼ cup liquid baby mild castile soap, ¾ cup distilled water, 8 drops essential oils (optional), 2 capsules Vitamin E, foaming soap dispenser

  1. Mix all items together well.
  2. Pour into foaming soap dispenser (this is the only dispenser that has an opening large enough for the thickness of the mixture).

Nevertheless, baby soaps should not contain any harsh chemicals, so they are safe for your young ones. Using natural bathing soaps regularly moisturizes and softens the tender skin of youngsters. The organic ingredients of the products ensure that your baby can get a smoother epidermis without any harm.

Furthermore, the presence of components such as honey, glycerine, almond, and olive oil reinforces the positive impacts baby soaps have on your toddlers.  

Diaper Rash Cream

First, a side note.  Because this is somewhat difficult to make and requires a double boiler, we would suggest first trying a mixture of coconut oil and arrowroot powder.  If that doesn’t work, we would then try the following “recipe:”

Items Needed: 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil (you may also use jojoba oil or a mix of these oils), 2 tbsp grated beeswax or 1 capsule Vitamin E (personally, we like to use a little bit of both), 6 drops grapefruit seed extract (this serves as a preservative and it is optional), 1 tbsp chamomile flowers (optional), ¼ cup shea butter, 1 tsp arrowroot or zinc oxide powder, small jar, wire whisk or electric mixer, rubber spatula, double boiler (or you can use a makeshift double broiler with a large and small saucepan)

  1. On low heat, pour the oil into the top of the double boiler.  Add the chamomile flowers.
  2. Add most, but not all, of the grated beeswax or Vitamin E and stir until melted.  Let it heat for 60 minutes on low heat.
  3. Take out a teaspoon of the mixture, and put in the refrigerator for one minute.  This will show you what the consistency of the final product will be.  If it’s too hard, add more oil.  If it’s too soft, add more beeswax.
  4. Remove from heat and strain out the chamomile flowers (I use cheesecloth for this).
  5. Add the arrowroot or zinc oxide powder, grapefruit seed extract, and shea butter.  Stir well – use a blender or electric mixer if necessary.

Nonetheless, although diaper rash may seem alarming, it is pretty easy to clear up with the proper natural home treatment and more frequent diaper changing. Any child who wears a diaper can suffer from mild to severe diaper rash.

A few natural home remedies for diaper rash may also help soothe the baby’s skin and hasten the healing of the rash. Natural diaper rash cream may calm a baby’s delicate skin without using harsh or drying chemicals.

Skin Remedy

This homemade skin remedy helps heal scrapes, burns, cuts, chapped lips, cradle cap, and rashes.  With these maladies, we would suggest using just coconut oil first.  If it doesn’t heal quickly, we would then suggest this calendula salve:

Items Needed: ¼ cup dried calendula petals, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/8 cup grated beeswax, 8 drops essential oil (I like to use lavender)

  1. Put olive oil and calendula petals in a small crockpot on low for 3 hours
  2. Strain with cheesecloth – let oil drip into a glass jar very slowly (this is key!)
  3. Pour oil into saucepan and heat on low.  Add beeswax, and stir occasionally until melted.
  4. Remove from heat and add essential oil

Babies are vulnerable to several different skin conditions in the first year of life. Do not forget to keep your baby’s skin clean, dry, and out of the sun. It is also essential to not overdo it with moisturizers or other skin products, which can sometimes make skin problems worse.

Baby Oil

Items Needed: ½ cup organic extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup coconut oil, 2 tbsp chamomile flowers, 1 tbsp apricot kernel oil (optional), 8 drops essential oils (we like to use lavender for this), squeeze bottle (such as an empty baby oil bottle)

  1. Heat all items in a saucepan on low heat until the coconut oil is melted.
  2. Remove the pan from heat, and let it cool.
  3. Once the mixture is at room temperature, put it into a squeeze bottle, and it’s ready to be used.

Baby oil is a popular skincare product originally made for babies and known to use to moisturize skin, as a massage lotion or to help treat diaper rash and eczema.

Baby Powder

Items Needed: ½ cup arrowroot powder, 1 tsp chamomile flowers, ¼ cup cornstarch, 1/3 cup white cosmetic clay (optional), glass shaker (such as a shaker for salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, or powdered sugar)

  1. Powder the chamomile flowers with blender or food processor.
  2. Mix the flowers well with the rest of the items.
  3. Pour into the glass shaker, and it can be used right away.

Pediatricians encourage parents to consider alternatives to baby powder because babies are prone to inhaling the baby powder that is used on their skin, especially if it has been made from talc. So it is safer to use natural baby powder. It absorbs moisture and reduces skin-on-skin friction, which may help prevent rashes, including diaper rash.

Baby Lotion

Items Needed: 2 cups water, ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup coconut oil, ¼ cup grated beeswax, 2 Vitamin E capsules, 2 tbsp shea butter or cocoa butter, 1 tsp aloe vera, 1 tsp 100% lanolin, 1 medium size mason jar with a lid, glass jars for holding the lotion – (sidenote: you can add essential oils if you’d like, but we like the smell from the shea butter and cocoa butter, so we personally don’t use the essential oils for the baby lotion)

  1. Combine all items in a mason jar with a lid (only screw the lid on loosely)
  2. Fill a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water – put on the stove on medium heat.
  3. Put the mason jar with the items in the pan on the stove and let it heat and begin to melt, shaking occasionally.
  4. Once it is completely melted, remove from heat and let cool.
  5. Once the mixture is cool, transfer it to a glass jar.  Don’t use a bottle that pumps – it will be too thick.

You can also consider using aloe vera gels for natural skin moisturizing

Nonetheless, many new parents wonder if it is safe to use lotions on newborns. However, gentle cleaning and moisturizing help prevent germs, dryness, and rashes from affecting the baby’s gentle skin. Baby lotions help keep their skin soft and healthy, especially during dry seasons.