5.5 months

He'll turn 6 months in a week! I haven't start solid yet. But he showed so much interest with things we put inside our mouth.
So I give him a carrot stick to chew which only last a few minutes before he let it go. A few days ago we tried a table spoon of brown rice cereal with breastmilk. He cleaned the bowl!

I am trying to go slow in this matter due to food allergy he may have in the future. Once I read a research in the newspaper that starting solid before 6 months may develop food allergy in child.

Alright, it means that he gotta wait a bit..another 1 more week and we'll do slow on cereal for him.

Baby Skincare Products, Are they safe?

These days, walking down the aisle of huge supermarket could be a daunting experience which sometimes we often have a vague idea of what items good and needed for us. We see most of the products for baby that we find in the counter claim to be "safe" and"gentle". Advertisements of the baby and health care products traditionally highlight the "soft", "pure" and "safe" qualities so it is sound logical for consumers to trust the products for the baby delicate skin. I think the most effective advertising ever will be in the hospitals for new parents with goodie bags of baby products.

Recently, I was invited for breakfast session at my friend's house with some other ladies in Pasir Ris for a discussion about "How to read the labels of most of the products". This session is facilitated by Delphinia Tam who created the baby products from ONLY natural ingredients which do not harm the delicate skin of the baby. She has two kids which one of them had suffered eczhema. The name of the baby products is "Four Cow Farm". I did not know about this until my friend gave me a present for my second newborn a month ago. I have been carrying around their Calendula Cream everywhere even to hot and humid Bali about 2 weeks ago to help reducing heat rash on Raffael skin.

The study done by The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics discovered that most of children's hair care and bath products contain cancer-causing chemicals, specifically formaldehyde and dioxane.

After my first child was born and admitted in the ICU since day one for 2 months, I asked myself what can I do to ensure I am providing her healthy and good environment. I didn't trust most of the brands offered for baby. I personally subscribe the blog Healthy Child, which update me with the latest information about harmful chemicals and suggesting a good lifestyle for the family. My feelings just right, after careful research I've done the outstanding brand which most people trusted such Johnsons & Johnsons is no longer safe. By the way, my paeditrician recommended me not to use J&J lotion brand for my son.

I have been using mostly organic products of baby shampoo, lotion and gel for my kids because I thought it is common sense these days to switch into something better. But I have no idea that what is appear "organic" for a product may not processed organically nor even certified by the Environment Agency. So, I made a lot of research about this.

For this particular session I attended to, I learned to read the labels right. Why do we need to do it? Do I sound paranoid about this? Maybe I do. It is because recently there are more "convincing" products out in the market using dangerous chemicals although it is small amount but they are used for everyday life. I realized that on having healthy family the responsibility will be depending on the mothers. By being informed and educated on what the products to consume we contribute to the health of our loved ones.

Delphinia Tam managed to guide us on how it is important to understand the ingredients of the baby skincare products. Most of the ingredients contains mineral oil or petroleum derivatives, i.e from crude oil, Petrolatum a.k.a Petroleum Jelly, Propylene Glycol and PEG (Polyethylene Glycol). It is because they are cheap to use and can last pretty much forever on the shelf. Of course, they will also contain strong preservatives to extend a product's shelf life. Parabens (such as methylparaben, ethylparaben, butylparaben and propylparaben) are preservatives linked to tumours in the breast and skin.

I personally love to smell baby after bath and slathered with soft perfumed lotion. But No! Most of the lotions with fragrance are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum!

From my findings, there are some less toxic alternatives for lotion:

• Aloe Vera Gel - food grade (Lily of the Desert)
• Vitamin E oil - food grade
• Olive Oil (organic is best)
• Lanolin cream (organic only). Note: Lanolin is derived from sheep and is a common allergen.

If we are ever going to need to use the baby oil, I learned that the best oil is the olive oil or sesame oil that we can find in kitchen counter. The good brand and package of baby oil from the famous brand had been gone process which may be harmful for the skin. If it is good and clean to eat, it must be good for the skin too.

Therefore, I have gathered some infos about the harmful ingredients which we can look out everytime we purchase the products;

• Parabens: It is used as preservatives in many baby products, including lotions, baby washes, wipes and other products for children. It can cause allergic reactions, skin and eyes irritations. Beside it can cause cancer, it also have been shown to harm human sperm. There are several specific parabens such as Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, butylparaben and others. It can be found in so many products, children can be exposed to it repeatedly everyday.

• Formaldehyde: It is used in at least one baby wash product. It is a probable human carcinogen which associated with gene damage, mutations and developmental problems

• Benzhetonium Chloride: It is used in some baby wipes and it is highly toxic. Ingesting even a small amount may cause vomiting, collapse, convulsions, coma or death

• Benzyl Alcohol: It is found in some baby lotions and diaper rash treatments. It is a moderate skin and eye irritant, and larger exposures can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory distress and even death

• Triethanolamine and Cocamide DEA: It is found in some shampoo and lotions. Cocamide is used in some bubble baths. If mixed with nitrosating agents, it can become carcinogenic. Both are irritants, and Triethanolamine can cause dermatitis.

• Polyethylene Glycols: It is found in cleaning products and lotions. It should not be used on damaged skin due to concerns over kidney toxicity.

• Isopropanol: It is found in at least one shampoo. It can cause dizziness, loss of cordination, headache, confusion etc.

• Phenoxyethanol: It is found in some baby cleansing cloth. It can cause central nervous depression: nausea, vomiting and sometimes diarrhea, headache or other pain.

• Sulfates: This is including Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate which can be found in any shampoo, lotions, cream bath etc. It can cause irritations and it is linked to eye/corneal damage

Darn, I feel that I re-learn the chemistry back again. This reality is not fair, but it is reality. It is the job of the parents to be educated and informed about it.

These brand, Four Cow Farm is created by a mom and a grandmother from the family farm in Blackall Range Mountain, Australia. Their goal is to give parents and babies the best natural and organic skincare products possible. Their products are handcrafted and time-tested recipes ranges from baby creams, balms and washes.

Four Cow Farm has also a blog, and some of the useful informations we can find is here about toxins and chemicals . We can also purchase online the products and delivered within Singapore.

To find out more about them or purchase the products click on their website is http://www.fourcowfarm.com/