Your best baby washing stuff that doesn't smell like baby powder

July 13, 2018 12:19 PM

I am a few weeks away from having a baby. I hate the smell of baby powder, like it makes me gag. Do you have favorite baby stuff that works like gangbusters, doesn't cost an arm and a leg, is good for sensitive baby skin and, most importantly, doesn't have that "baby powder" smell?
posted by Foam Pants to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (31 answers total)

I just used regular mild soap on my baby, with wipedowns with a warm wet washcloth (just water) in between baths. Ivory, Dove, etc. are unscented.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 12:22 PM on July 13, 2018

My nephew used Burt's Bees unscented baby shampoo/wash and it also comes in a couple of nice scents. Also just wanted to mention that actual powder of any kind is not good for babies because it can be inhaled (probably also not great for parents).
posted by pinochiette at 12:25 PM on July 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

For what it's worth, you don't need to use soap on babies. You can get by fine (and avoid the scents and the risk of dry skin or other reactions) with plain water, at least until they start eating solids and/or rolling around outside.

For unscented wipes, I like Water Wipes.
posted by caek at 12:30 PM on July 13, 2018 [7 favorites]

We used Aveeno or Burts Bees for our little one.
posted by erst at 12:32 PM on July 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

We use California Baby Super Sensitive shampoo and body wash. Although it seems pricey, a little goes a long way, and it really doesn't smell like anything other than "soap". We started using it because everything else gave my newborn daughter a rash, but we keep using it because it cleans well but is very gentle.
posted by Knicke at 12:33 PM on July 13, 2018 [4 favorites]

Another vote for the California Baby stuff.
posted by spamloaf at 12:35 PM on July 13, 2018

I use dye free environmentally friendly clothes washing detergent. Dreft is a joke.

Regular mild soap is good. California Baby was a line I used when my kid was little and just smelled a bit like beeswax.
posted by k8t at 12:35 PM on July 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

I like Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy wash. The Target brand unscented wipes are good, though when I'm at home we use t shirt scraps and Baby Bits Wipe Solution.
posted by brilliantine at 12:59 PM on July 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Our pediatrician advised us not to use soap on our son for at least the first two months (and to use cloths with warm water instead of commercial baby wipes in the diaper area after changing). At some point we starting using a fragrance free California Baby wash. And yes, avoid Dreft, it seemed heavily fragranced to me. We always use a "free and clear" detergent.
posted by JenMarie at 1:01 PM on July 13, 2018 [2 favorites]

Plain corn starch works well if there ar times you want to use powder
posted by theora55 at 1:16 PM on July 13, 2018 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: I typically use 7th Generation Free and Clear for all our laundry and was planning on using it for the baby stuff, too. Glad to hear it works well. I was thinking about a stack of dry cotton wipes that I wet with water to start with and see. Not a huge fan of baby wipes, they often seem too wet and slippery and you end up using so many to clean and I feel guilty putting so much polyester fiber into the garbage. Still not sure what to do about diapering. I'm going to make things easy on myself the first month and do disposables and figure it out after I have the baby routine in hand. I went back to college as an old woman and I need to start a new semester about two weeks after the baby comes, so, I am trying to not go too overboard with my expectations and plans knowing that, the more rules I give myself to follow, the harder it will be and it will already be hard enough. But the baby powder scent thing is going to be an issue because, gluh, hate that smell! I've been a bit overwhelmed with all the decisions that need to be made and how to balance them between being a bit crunchy but a bit down to earth sensible. Thanks for letting me do a tiny bit of thread sitting and baby-brain rambling. I am putting that California Baby stuff on my list of stuff to try.
posted by Foam Pants at 1:16 PM on July 13, 2018

Baby washcloths are a thing a lot of parents end up buying by like, the dozens. Just wet them and use plain water to wash your baby. You can throw them in your 7th Generation laundry with the baby clothes.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:20 PM on July 13, 2018

I just had two babies in a row who are now toddlers, I hate scents and didn’t really change anything. I got a penaten (German, I live in Germany) baby shampoo with a light scent and continued with laundry as normal- a natural citrusy detergent (but I only use about a quarter of the recommended amount plus vinegar for softener) no smells to speak of.... and for cream I used a non smelly zinc from the pharmacy.
posted by catspajammies at 1:22 PM on July 13, 2018

Oh! And for baby wipes some are better than others- like some brands two wipes will do the trick, others it takes about 10... Again i used non scented for sensitive skin. It’s only recently I realized the were non biodegradable and if I had to go back I think if it were a particularly hard to clean poop then I’d use a cotton cloth and wipe instead of using 25 wipes.
posted by catspajammies at 1:26 PM on July 13, 2018

For washing off poopy stuff, plain, orange Dial hand soap, applied and scrubbed with an old toothbrush, has done the trick as a pre-wash treatment for us to get rid of stains and would-be stains. It doesn't have much smell, and if it does, it comes out in the wash.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:14 PM on July 13, 2018

Congratulations! You may find some things, both useful and interesting in this recent post on the smell of baby powder.
posted by KleenexMakesaVeryGoodHat at 3:12 PM on July 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Seconding just using regular natural detergent and not using soap on newborn skin. That said, Dr. Bronner's makes some baby soap (though all of theirs are gentle enough for baby skin). Some friends swear by Weleda diaper cream.
posted by stillmoving at 3:35 PM on July 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Ora'smazing Herbal Baby Powder. Alleged to smell only like baby. I only know what I read.
posted by SemiSalt at 3:52 PM on July 13, 2018

For what it's worth, I have a ten month old and I don't think I have anything with that baby powder smell. We use regular free and clear detergent for everyone's clothes, don't use baby powder and use Water Wipes when needed. We only use baby soap occasionally, and that doesn't really have that stereotypical baby powder smell either. Unscented is pretty much always available these days. I think you might find this to be less of a problem than you imagine.
posted by peacheater at 4:50 PM on July 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Again, no soap on babies here, especially those with eczema. Babies (and even most kids, tbh) really don't need much more than a washcloth and water, in my opinion.
posted by heavenknows at 4:55 PM on July 13, 2018

I love the Honest brand's orange vanilla baby soap from Costco. I used a tiny bit in the bath water when my kids were babies, and I slather them in it now that they are filthy preschoolers. It smells great and cleans well.
posted by gatorae at 5:21 PM on July 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

We use small amounts of castile soap (Dr. Bronner’s) for baby, and Biokleen powder (either the unscented, or the one with a bit of citrus oil) for laundry. If you like the 7th Generation detergent, you’ll probably remain happy with it. I’m a big fan of using gentle products that are good for everyone rather than special baby-specific versions of everything, which are usually expensive and not necessarily as good.
posted by musicinmybrain at 6:20 PM on July 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Mustela brand is great for washing and lotion. Light scent but not cloying. Assuming no skin issues, it's ok to use something in a light scent you enjoy!
posted by cessair at 7:36 PM on July 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Also using a hair dryer to dry your baby’s butt is a thing. My kid thought it was hilarious.
posted by kerf at 8:36 PM on July 13, 2018

I didn't use soap on my kids for like 3mos, just warm water and a soft cloth. After that I used Cetaphil but I'm sure there's something less chemically out there.

If you're asking about clothes washing I just kept using the clear Woolite that we already used for our own laundry, just less. And hot water for everything.
posted by vignettist at 11:16 PM on July 13, 2018

On the diapers thing - I found that newborns were by far the easiest to cloth diaper (especially if breastfed). Prefolds + snappy + cover worked great. Once they get bigger and mobile and start adding other foods, I found I was having to do a lot of troubleshooting to make cloth diapers work. However, if your child will be in care while you are in school, most care providers don't work with cloth diapers anyway, and you're certainly still a good parent and person if you go disposable.

My partner has a toddler that stays with us about half the time, and I have noticed that the Pampers she wears are baby powder scented. I don't even think it says that they are scented on the box, but they very clearly are. The Honest diapers we had before were not scented. So if your budget can swing it I recommend springing for the "natural" diapers.
posted by jeoc at 5:47 AM on July 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

Gaia Baby do some pretty good kit that smells nice but not totally baby sugar sweet kind of thing. Their wipes are bamboo so they're biodegradable. I'd echo the no soap till they're a few months old thing, but by the time they start engaging with the bath bubbles can be hella fun.

This is hands down the best nappy rash cream I've used on either of my kids.

If you do opt to go for a damp washcloth on the butt instead of wipes, I'd suggest you keep a lotion at hand to use for really nasty poos. We use cocoa butter to help lubricate the bigger messier nappies even with regular wipes. Even something as basic as a sorbolene cream will help.
posted by Jilder at 5:53 AM on July 14, 2018

I love the new Dove baby line: tip to toe wash + the lotion. It definitely smells like clean, perfumed baby, but I like it. It does not remind me of baby powder. Good on sensitive skin, $5 per bottle at Target will get you through many months.
posted by this-apoptosis at 7:49 PM on July 14, 2018

Still not sure what to do about diapering. I'm going to make things easy on myself the first month and do disposables and figure it out after I have the baby routine in hand.

There's definitely more natural diapers out there, flushable/compostable and whatnot, if that's in your budget. Also consider a diaper service if you'd really like cloth, but just can't deal with washing it right now. (Also great when your baby is growing through a few sizes quickly.)
posted by Margalo Epps at 9:32 AM on July 15, 2018

Dreft is excellent for washing cars.

This nappy creme, I would alternate with Jilder's.

There used to be something called Elimination Communication, but I cannot presently bring myself to Bing that for you.
posted by wonton endangerment at 2:33 PM on July 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

My baby has sensitive skin. I use unscented wipes from pampers with the sweet pop tops for convenience. I also use Aveeno overnight lotion for eczema, it's really thick and has no scent and works perfectly. I use it myself too on my very basic skin. I use Luvs diapers, which have no scent, and when I use a scented lotion I only ever use the Oatmeal or Lavender ones. I actually LIKE the smell of baby powder but surprisingly don't use any at all.
posted by Sara_NOT_Sarah at 1:18 PM on July 16, 2018