Bath time has always been an important part of Willow’s routine, she loved the water from the get-go (even being born in the water) and as well as being a practical part of our day, it’s also a fun time for her to get out the last of her energy before bed.
We usually start bath time at around 6pm and play/wash for around 10-15 minutes, before getting out and ready for bedtime. We play with her toys, she usually kicks and splashes lots and sing songs, she loves to hold (chew) a sponge, whilst I wash her. At the moment Willow is in the Angelcare bath support which we have loved but she’s getting a bit too wriggly in it now and also trying to sit up, so we’ve purchased a new seat to start using soon.
I mentioned in my 0-3 month post (here) that we first used the Burts Bee’s Baby Wash, not only does it smell amazing but it is 98.9% natural and super delicate on her skin, which was super important to us.
Once this ran out, I picked up the Weleda Calendula Baby Wash, which is also 100% natural but has a more creamy texture; however, I’m not sure if it was this product or that Willow started swimming at the same time, but she started to develop a few dry patches on her skin (tummy and arms). After speaking with our Health Visitor I bought Oilatum Body Wash for dry skin & Child’s Farm Baby Wash, both of which helped to clear up her skin super quickly. The Child’s Farm products smell AMAZING and I love using them for Willow, they’re also super affordable, 98% natural and suitable for sensitive skin; I’ve since purchased the Apple & Blackberry scent and the After Swimming wash too. Willow has lot’s of hair, so we wash this every evening with the Child’s Farm wash, this leave it lovely and soft.
After Bath
I still love to use coconut oil on Willow’s skin & in her hair, it’s a miracle worker and I credit it for helping to clear up her baby acne and dry skin on her face in the early newborn days. It’s also useful for when they are scratching themselves with those teeny nails, it helps to heal those up quickly too. However, since we experienced her dry patches we purchased Oilatum Junior Cream for Eczema, alongside her bath products this has helped when in need (I’ve since learnt that this can be put on prescription by the GP too). It’s quite thick, so you only need the smallest amount and so I think this tub will last a while! This will probably come in more handy during the colder/harsher winter months.
Prepping Willow’s nappy before bedtime is really important, as I don’t want her to get nappy rash over-night. Before she was born, as a clueless first-time Mummy, I stocked up on pretty much every different cream I think! We have Sudocrem, Bepanthen, E45 Nappy Cream and Metanium Nappy Rash Ointment. I tend to alternate between a few these, (we have Bepanthen in our nappy bag and usually use E45 Nappy Cream on her changing table before bedtime) but if she is looking quite red, I usually reach for Sudocrem and if this still doesn’t work then Metanium soothes it straight away, it’s bright yellow which freaked me out at first!
For wipes, we have tried a few different brands (Huggies Pure, Pampers Natural, Aldi Sensitive and Water Wipes*) and they all do the job, but by far my favourite to use are the Water Wipes. We bought these for when Willow was a newborn and had them in our hospital bag, as we were recommended them by friends and I think they were advised by Midwives because they are so pure, with no chemicals; being 99.9% water and 0.1% fruit extract. They’re as close to cotton wool and warm water that you are going to get, but FAR more practical and much quicker for those 2am nappy changes. They are much wetter than any other wipes that we have used, which is really useful for a number of things, as well as being cool (which helps to soothe their skin, if they are suffering from nappy rash) and they are also gentle/soft in texture too. We usually stock up on them from Boots when they are on offer and I’ve also bought them in bulk from Amazon before too. So far, Willow hasn’t had any awful nappy rash (*touches wood*) and I definitely think that it’s from using a combination of these products to keep on top of it.
After her bath and skincare, it’s time to pop on her PJ’s (currently a long-sleeved vest and a sleeping bag) and start the rest of her bedtime routine.
*Water Wipes very kindly sent me some samples to review, however, this is my honest opinion; as I mentioned I have been using them since Willow was born & loving/purchasing them prior to this post. I always ensure that any products mentioned on the blog are tried-and-tested and that we genuinely love 🙂
The Letter B 