It is no news that the coronavirus pandemic has affected everybody in one way or another. One of the effects we are all feeling is that of the lockdown implemented by governments all over the world. This has led to the loss of jobs by a lot of people (some of whom are parents). Although not everybody is without a means of earning money, this is certainly not the time to live extravagantly. However, baby products are a must, which is why we’ve compiled a list of homemade baby bath products. Here are 10 easy substitutes for baby products you can make at home.
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Diaper Cream
Diaper creams are essential on the list of baby products while parenting during coronavirus. You will need to have this or an alternative if you wish to prevent your kid from developing diaper rash. Instead of spending so much on diaper rash creams, you can purchase simple ingredients and make your own. This alternative is thicker and lasts longer than the regular diaper cream. All you need is some shea butter, coconut oil, beeswax, and glycerine. You can easily purchase these things in bulk and continue making your diaper cream for a long time to come as they are relatively cheap. With this, you also wouldn’t have to use it every time you change your kid’s diaper.
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Baby Lotion
Making your organic baby lotion has its advantages when it comes to baby bath care tips. Apart from being financially friendly, it is also a preferable option while parenting during coronavirus, because most baby lotions contain questionable ingredients in them. To make your homemade baby lotion you’ll need organic cocoa butter, organic coconut oil, organic beeswax pastilles, vitamin E oil, and optionally, an essential oil such as lavender. This should take you about 5 minutes to make and can be stored in a glass jar. Do not add essential oil if you’re making this for a baby less than 3 months old. You may also choose to whip it so it lighter and smoother to apply.
Shampoo And Bodywash
You can also make your own baby’s body wash and shampoo for bathing your newborn baby. Although baby shampoo isn’t essential, it certainly helps to have an alternative means of washing your baby’s hair. The ingredients you’ll need to make a baby shampoo include castile soap, vegetable glycerine, almond oil, essential oils, and some water. The ingredients are all-natural based and excellent for the baby’s skin. The castile soap is a non-toxic coconut-based soap. It is great for cleaning the skin and at the same time gentle enough to be used on a baby. The essential oils are used to provide a soothing effect on the skin. This beats store-bought products due to their natural ingredients. Store products almost always have toxic-ingredients.
Diapers
So what happens when you run out of diapers while parenting during coronavirus? A lot of parents have no idea how to make homemade diapers for their kids. Homemade diapers may not be a better alternative to factory products, however, they may come in handy. Babies were wearing cloth diapers long before disposables came along, and they are much more ecologically friendly – just wash and reuse! With the way the lockdown is affecting society, chances are that you will get to a point where you have no factory diapers and need to improvise. You should know how to do this beforehand so you don’t get flustered when the time comes.
Wipes
Baby wipes tend to be toxic depending on the ingredients they use, and most are toxic. The last thing you want during this time of parenting during coronavirus is more health toxicity. Even the slightest ones shouldn’t be tolerated. It is both cheaper and better to make your baby wipes with a few simple ingredients. All you need is some filtered water, witch hazel, lavender or tea tree essential oil, aloe vera, and cloth wipes. You can purchase these items in bulk and continue making your all-natural and safe baby wipes for a long time to come. This is an investment every parent should be looking to make.
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Baby Powder
One of the important baby bath care tips you need is an alternative for baby powder while parenting during coronavirus. Talc isn’t recommended for use on babies and poses serious health risks. Although there are quite a lot of alternatives that could aid in our goal of a talc-free powder, the cheaper option is baking soda. Also, baking soda can be found in just about every home. It is easily available. However, you need to ensure you don’t use it in large quantities. Another ingredient you’ll need is essential oils. But in making your baby powder stay away from skin-irritating oils. These include lemon, orange, cinnamon, and peppermint.
Pail Deodorizer
This is another product that can come in very handy while parenting during coronavirus. Diaper smells can become a real bother in the house. Without the liberty to purchase sophisticated products for getting rid of such smells, it can get frustrating and you might end up very dissatisfied with the turn of events. To make your own homemade diaper pail deodorizer you’ll need baking soda and some essential oils. This is quite easy to make and requires little technical skill. You can either make it as a little throwaway bag you can put in the trash with the diapers or as a spray solution.
Making Toys
Depending on the age of your child, there are tons of different bath toys you could make for them while parenting during coronavirus. If your kid is 5 years or older, you two could even enjoy making these together. This is also an opportunity to bond as well as get creative while bathing your newborn baby. Some toys you could consider making include an alphabet monster from a brown paper container, baby discovery jug, rain sticks, crocheted baby rattle (if you can knit), plastic bottle bowling set (from upcycled bottles), etc. These items are quite easy to make, although some may require some basic skills. Try and be as innovative as possible, and see how your kids love the new approach to playtime.
Massage Oil For Babies
Another product you might enjoy is baby massage oil. Gently massaging your baby’s skin is a great way to bond. A lot of parents also find this as a great stress reliever. The importance of connecting with your baby cannot be overemphasized and what better way to do it than with your own homemade baby massage oil. To make a homemade baby massage oil you’ll need apricot kernel oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and optionally lavender essential oil. It is important to be mindful of the ingredients used in such oils because the skin tends to absorb them so you want to be sure that there is nothing in them to irritate the baby’s skin.
Tips For Homemade Supplies While Parenting During Coronavirus
You may successfully make any product you want and still defeat the entire purpose for which it was made. One of the reasons it is preferable to make these products at home is because it costs less to do so. Another important thing to keep in mind is that the ingredients must be completely non-toxic. Using even mildly toxic ingredients would make no difference from using market products. Also, if you discover it would cost you more to make any of these products than you usually spend on the store products while parenting during coronavirus, you should consider opting for the store alternative if you have access to them.
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