There are many challenges facing parents of babies and toddlers, and equally as many essential products that are needed on a daily basis. One challenge is shopping for the right brand of supplies to suit your family’s needs, lifestyle, and concerns. Some of the challenges of meeting your family’s daily needs include: allergies and sensitivities, time constraints, and budget constraints. You may even be tempted to make your own baby care items, but that is often impractical and unnecessary. The less time you spend agonizing over which shampoo to use or if your baby’s diapers are gentle enough; the more time you can enjoy catching that first smile, playing pat-a-cake, and taking in all the joys of parenthood.
Shopping Challenges
Babies’ skin is naturally soft, subtle, and undamaged by exposure. Babies are also sensitive to everything from scents and dyes to chemical preservatives used in hygiene products like shampoos, body washes, lotions, wipes, and diapers. WebMD’s medical experts explain that harsh chemicals like alcohol can burn Baby’s sensitive skin and dyes, fragrances, and preservatives can cause allergic reactions that can range from a mild rash to trouble breathing.
Eczema is another possible condition caused by sensitivity to chemicals. The condition usually causes skin to become dry, flakey, and itchy. You can easily get free baby samples from stores such as The Honest Company or buy travel-sized products to help you hone in on products that meet your needs. Pediatricians recommend trying a new baby product for a few days on its own, that way, if an allergy occurs you can easily isolate the cause. Concerns about your baby’s sensitivity can make shopping for essential supplies difficult.
Time can pose another problem to parents who are trying to care for their baby’s needs. Once you have a child, a trip to the store is much more involved than simply jumping in the car and driving to the nearest supermarket, getting what you need, and leaving. Before you even leave the house, you have to prep the baby, make bottles, and pack a diaper bag! Then you get to the store and there is isle after isle of options-who has time to read all those labels?
The third major challenge of trying to procure essential baby products is fitting everything into your budget. Your monthly shopping list increases by at least four items once you become a parent: diapers, wipes, bath soap/shampoo, and rash cream. Many of the “all-natural” products are significantly more expensive than standard products.
Solutions
Sensitive skin issues can be avoided by following a few simple baby shopping rules. Keep things simple-once you choose a product, try to stick with your chosen brand unless it causes problems. Also, less is more. Products with fewer ingredients have fewer potential allergy causing variables. KidsHealth.org suggests that you look for products with fewer than 20 ingredients. Products with natural ingredients and fewer chemicals, dyes, and scents are what pediatricians recommend for babies. Avoiding soap based cleansers and opting for mineral based products can help to avoid allergic reactions like eczema, according to AskBaby.com.
To cut down on time spent searching store shelves, consider choosing a brand and sticking with it, that way you know what you are looking for when you shop. You can also cut out entire shopping trips by having products sent right to your door. Many online companies offer this service. By opting for a sample or travel-sized package, you get to try several products, and, if they work for you, then you can have the essential baby products delivered to your door every month. Even better, if the products don’t work out, you will not have a bunch of large bottles to get rid of and you won’t have wasted a ton of money on something you can’t use – a win either way.
Simplifying your shopping list and cutting out unnecessary items can help ease budget constraints. Once you’ve decided on what type of products you want, such as dye-free or nature-based, then you can shop around for the most reasonably priced items in the chosen categories. Not all natural products have high price tags. Another good way to cut costs when shopping for baby is to buy items that do double-duty. Such items include diaper wipes sold by The Honest company, that are so gentle they can be used for both diapering and cleaning your baby’s face: to achieve this level of gentleness, you’ll need to avoid wipes with alcohol or other harsh chemicals. Shopping for your baby does not have to be an expensive, confusing, time consuming experience. With a little knowledge and planning you can easily procure products that meet your baby’s needs and fit within your means.
