Baby Care

Though there is a wonderful variety of natural baby-care products on the market, it's delightful, simple, and far less costly to make your own.

Baby's Bath Herbs

Use the following mixture in the bathwater. These herbs are soothing and relaxing--for Mom and Dad, too.

• 2 parts Calendula
• 2 parts Chamomile
• 2 parts Comfrey leaf
• 1 part Lavender
• 1 part Roses

Mix all the herbs. Place a small handful of the mixture in a cotton bag and toss it into the baby's bathwater. Use the fragrant herbal bag as a washcloth.

Baby Powder
This is an excellent daily baby powder. You may wish to lightly scent it, but use only pure essential oil and be certain it is not irritating to the child's sensitive skin. Orange oil is light and refreshing and often used as the scent for baby powders.

• 2 parts Arrowroot powder
• 2 parts While Clay (available in natural foods stores and ceramic supply stores)
• 1/4 part Comfrey Root powder
• 1/4 part Slippery Elm or Marsh Mallow Root powder

Mix the ingredients together and place in a container with a shaker top, such as a spice jar.
To treat diaper rash, add to this mixture 1/8 part organically grown Goldenseal powder, 1/8 part Myrrh powder, and 1/8 part Echinacea powder. Apply as a powder, or mix into a thin paste and apply as a poultice to the rash.

Baby Oil
This is an excellent all-purpose oil and is wonderful to rub on baby after baths. It also makes a great massage oil for babies.

• 1 ounce Chamomile
• 1/2 ounce Comfrey leaf
• 1/2 ounce roses
• 1 pint Apricot or Almond Oil

Mix herbs and oil and let sit in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid for 2 weeks in a warm, sunny spot.
For stronger oil, pour the mixture into the top of a double boiler. Slowly warm it over very low heat for 1 hour. Strain and bottle. You may lightly scent it with a few drops of pure essential oil, such as lavender, rose, or chamomile. Use at room temperature.