I feel very fortunate to be in Germany, the home of the most amazing natural brands in the world, Weleda. I am a big fan of this Homeopathic brand, because they only use only the highest quality natural ingredients that agree with baby’s delicate skin and aid its healthy development.

Weleda is Certified Natural Baby Care. Free of synthetic preservatives, fragrances, colourants. Free of raw material derived from mineral oils, such as petroleum or paraffin, which form a film over the skin. Instead they are made from 100% natural ingredients including soothing extracts of organic calendula and chamomile, and gentle essential oils of lavender, ylang-ylang and orange – warming, nourishing and nurturing.

Natural Baby Skin Care Essentials

Midwives are part of every pregnancy in Germany – they come before baby to help mama prepare and after to make sure both mama and baby are doing well. Our midwife Anne gave us samples of the products which she and her patients love. I was surprised that there were only a handful.

1. Weleda Calendula Shampoo & Washlotion

Mostly I just use water during bath time, but I’ll put a dot on my hand and lather just for baby’s stinky bits when needed.

2. Weleda Calendula Cream

I only use this when I see the start of skin irritation. I make sure to dry the skin well before applying or it defeats the purpose of the cream.

3. Weleda Calendula Baby Oil

I put this on baby’s scalp to sit for several minutes before his bath when he had thick layer of skin that was flaking then brushed it out.  It cleared up after I did this 2 times. I also use this for extra dry patches of skin on his body and during baby massage.

4, White Mallow Face Cream

This is for hyper-senstive skin that’s prone to itching because it also soothes irritation. I use it sparingly after I soap baby’s face, so not really everyday.

Baby Skin Care Routine

These are things we practice with Diplo Baby based on the information that I got from our German hospital and midwives. We tailored their advice to our own baby’s unique needs, and I think it’s important for every parent to know that they decide in the end.

I want to share this information because as First Time Parents it simplified things for us amidst the gazillion baby products and tips and helped manage Diplo Baby’s super sensitive skin – which he definitely got from me. (I am allergic to almost everything)

• We only started bathing Diplo Baby after his umbilical cord fell off. This is why it dried easily and fell off quickly. We kept on asking the nurses in the hospital when we should bathe him (they only wiped him after delivery – no bathing!) and they kept on saying not yet. Finally on our 4th day I asked – when are we bathing the baby, and they told me only to wipe with moist washcloth until the umbilical cord fell off. I was so surprised and Diplo Baby remained fragrant, with smooth plum skin without any dryness or flaking.
• We bathe Diplo Baby only 2-3 times a week. There is no specific day. We use common sense… if he has been sweating a lot or doesn’t feel/smell fresh then we bathe him.
• On days that we don’t bath him, I wipe the stinky bits (face, behind the ears, inside ears, armpits) with Water Wipes. The crotch area gets wiped daily anyway. This is an expensive wipe, but is the purest wipe made only with water and 0.1% fruit extract – so I know it is safe to use on his face.
• During  diaper changes we use Hipp Ultra Sensitive Wet Wipes, but ONLY during poop diaper changes. Then we pat dry with a clean washcloth (we got loads of these cheap IKEA washcloths) or you can also blow on the area till it’s dry to the touch. Then we apply Calendula Cream when the area looks a little red or irritated. So far we’ve only had a diaper rash once, and only for a day. Once we put the cream it cleared up.
• During pee diaper changes, we just pat the diaper area dry with a clean washcloth.  The midwife told us that pee is sterile and not dirty so we don’t really need to use wet wipe.

I just found this video today and I think it’s so cool that the tips and advice were exactly what the nurses and midwives in the hospital advised us.

Imagine my surprise when our health care practitioners here in Germany told me that it was best to bathe baby with only plain water. I had to repeat it just to confirm that I heard correctly. And the obsessive compulsive had to do a little research just to be convinced.

When a baby is born, the skin is protected with its own natural oils and it is important not to strip these from the skin when cleansing. Gently bathing with plain water is recommended for babies skin in the first month.  – Weleda

Baby Skin Care Nice-to-Haves

Konjac sponge

This hypoallergenic and fragrance free sponge made with from natural konjac potato is so soft, yet gently exfoliates skin.

I started using it at around the 2nd month, in places that accumulate dead skin or dirt like around the neck or arm pits, etc. This hardens when it is dry so make sure to soaked till very soft, before using.

where to buy: amazon.com | amazon.de | I’ve seen this in bio company & rossmann

 

Primavera Tea Tree Essential Oil

This is my all around go-to skin care troubleshooter for myself and now also for Diplo Baby. It has antiseptic/anti bacterial properties so I dilute it with coconut oil or other natural oils for pimples, wounds, to sooth itchiness, and so much more. I

‘ve tried different kinds but love Primavera the best because it’s so potent that very little goes a long way.  

where to buy: amazon.com | amazon.de | most bio stores

Coconut Oil

We use this only when we need to apply Tea Tree Oil to rashes. This is not necessary, because you can also place mix one drop of tea tree oil with a little of the White Mallow Cream.

I always have this at home, because I use it for my face, body, lips. It’s amazing for skin irritations and to mix with essential oils – the good quality ones are too potent to use on their own.

My favorite brand comes from the grocery section of any bio/organic store because it’s used for cooking: Bio Planète Bio Kokosöl.

where to buy: amazon.com | amazon.de | most bio stores

 

 

DID YOU KNOW? Not many organic or natural products can be sold in Germany because they have VERY strict certification standards for natural and organic products. In fact the famous Mustela, only gives priority to ingredients with natural origins, but would not be sold in a bio (organic) store here. Many “organic” and “natural” products from other European countries are not fully organic, but only have a percentage that is organic – some as small as 3%. In Germany this simply will not do. Look for the certification seals for truly natural products that are made with the highest standards.

There are two kinds of Weleda baby products: 1. Calendula and 2. White Mallow. To figure out which products suit your baby’s needs best, this is a helpful guide.

 

all images are credited to their brand or owners