Choosing a wash and sunscreen for your baby

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Choosing a wash and sunscreen for your baby

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When a parent's trying to choose the right baby wash for a newborn, there are a few factors that are really important. One is to recognize that the skin pH is 5.5. The ideal pH for skin, versus water, which has a pH of 7. And there are certain cleansing products that have a pH of 7 and even worse for skin, something like a castile soap, which has an 8.5209. So when choosing a baby wash, one of the most important things is to make sure that the acid mantel barrier of the skin is protected by having a wash that's approximately 5.5 in pH. Another thing to think about when choosing a baby wash is the ocular fluids, the eye fluids, are a pH of 7. And the skin is 5.5. So it doesn't make sense if the eye should not tear if something foreign gets into the eye. It should tear. So when thinking about a wash, a tear-free wash, might not necessarily be the best approach because the body then isn't doing what it should be doing. A wash for a baby should be a 5.5, which isn't necessarily the best pH for the eyes. When thinking about sunscreen for a newborn baby, one of the old myths is that you should wait until 6 months. But the American Academy of Pediatrics revised that regulation so that whenever a baby is in the sun, no matter how old they are, if they can't be properly protected with shade and clothing, they should absolutely wear a sunscreen. The ideal sunscreen for babies is going to be a mineral sunscreen, which means it has zinc or titanium, and no other sunscreen agents in it. Because those are the ones that go on the surface of the skin to reflect the sun versus going into the skin and absorbing the rays, creating chemical reactions within the skin. So when choosing a baby sunscreen think about mineral protection versus something that could be a harsh chemical. And think about doing it anytime they're in the sun if they can't be properly protected with shade. And then other factors are broad spectrum. If you have a mineral sunscreen, it is by its nature broad spectrum. So you can check that box. Other things to consider are the EWG ratings, environmental working group rates sunscreens for safety. The EWG is a good place to look for sunscreen safety ratings.

See Kim Walls's video on Choosing a wash and sunscreen for your baby...

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Kim Walls

Natural Skincare Expert

Kim Walls is an accomplished entrepreneur and internationally recognized skincare expert focused on optimizing health through skincare. Leading child health advocacy groups and national media rely on Kim's clinical expertise to help parents navigate the often confusing world of natural skincare.

As a fourth generation entrepreneur, and second-generation expert on anti-aging skincare products, she has combined her experience and expertise to create clinically effective, organic skincare products for pregnant women and children.

For more than a decade, Walls has honed her clinical perspective focusing on botanically based skincare and transdermal nutrient absorption as a pathway to improved health and beauty for women and children. She shares her experience internationally with dermatologists and estheticians, as well as childbirth and postpartum professionals, underscoring the relationship between optimum health and skincare.

She is dedicated to leveraging the advances of new technology to share that knowledge with new and growing families to support the enhanced health and immunity that effective, all natural products can provide.

Kim’s strong, personal commitment to organic and environmentally-responsible living is at the core of green manufacturing and product development. As the mother of two young boys, she has coupled her innate understanding of the importance of sustainability with her post-graduate work in biochemical and nutritional sciences to establish a new standard in skincare research and products that supports lasting health for today’s families.

More Parenting Videos from Kim Walls >
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Transcription: 
When a parent's trying to choose the right baby wash for a newborn, there are a few factors that are really important. One is to recognize that the skin pH is 5.5. The ideal pH for skin, versus water, which has a pH of 7. And there are certain cleansing products that have a pH of 7 and even worse for skin, something like a castile soap, which has an 8.5209. So when choosing a baby wash, one of the most important things is to make sure that the acid mantel barrier of the skin is protected by having a wash that's approximately 5.5 in pH. Another thing to think about when choosing a baby wash is the ocular fluids, the eye fluids, are a pH of 7. And the skin is 5.5. So it doesn't make sense if the eye should not tear if something foreign gets into the eye. It should tear. So when thinking about a wash, a tear-free wash, might not necessarily be the best approach because the body then isn't doing what it should be doing. A wash for a baby should be a 5.5, which isn't necessarily the best pH for the eyes. When thinking about sunscreen for a newborn baby, one of the old myths is that you should wait until 6 months. But the American Academy of Pediatrics revised that regulation so that whenever a baby is in the sun, no matter how old they are, if they can't be properly protected with shade and clothing, they should absolutely wear a sunscreen. The ideal sunscreen for babies is going to be a mineral sunscreen, which means it has zinc or titanium, and no other sunscreen agents in it. Because those are the ones that go on the surface of the skin to reflect the sun versus going into the skin and absorbing the rays, creating chemical reactions within the skin. So when choosing a baby sunscreen think about mineral protection versus something that could be a harsh chemical. And think about doing it anytime they're in the sun if they can't be properly protected with shade. And then other factors are broad spectrum. If you have a mineral sunscreen, it is by its nature broad spectrum. So you can check that box. Other things to consider are the EWG ratings, environmental working group rates sunscreens for safety. The EWG is a good place to look for sunscreen safety ratings.