Baby Powder & Baby Oil Alternatives

There is a whole baby care industry that is devoted to cutely packaged such as powders, lotions, and oils. Most of these options are not necessary, sometimes overpriced, and are not always the safest option for your baby.

Baby Oil
Johnson's Baby Oil contains Mineral Oil and Fragrance. Mineral oil is defined as a distillation product of petroleum. So basically every time you use baby oil, you are rubbing a petroleum byproduct on your baby. No thanks!

Olive oil and coconut oil are some alternatives to baby oil. Olive oil is great for the skin, if you don't mind your baby smelling like this all the time.

At Fresh Co, a 591mL bottle of Johnson's Baby Oil is $4.79. You can buy the same size of Compliments brand Baby Oil for $3.29. Olive Oil is a cheaper and more natural option. I recently bought a bottle of 750mL Mastro Olive Oil on sale for $4.99.
 
Here is a great site that tells you how to make your own baby oil! 


Baby Powder
If you check the ingredients in baby powder, you will find that most contain talc. Talc is a carcinogen, which means it is a substance capable of causing cancer. There are some baby products with "pure cornstarch powder" in the name. A bottle of Johnson's baby powder is anywhere from $7.49 to $4.79 for a 623g bottle. ($7.49 at Shoppers Drug Mart, and $4.79 at Fresh Co.)

Why spend that when you can just buy cornstarch? I am going to buy cornstarch in bulk and buy a spice jar with holes in the top for my nursery. I am not sure the cost of cornstarch, but buying bulk is usually cheaper and there is also less packaging this way.

Read this article for more information about the health risks and environmental costs of  talcum powder.