Serenity perfect for my little guy!

When I first found out I was pregnant with Gory, I started looking into alternative ways to do the normal baby "stuff". When I had Evan, I was pretty textbook with what I fed him, what he wore, ect, because I thought I had no other choice being a "single mom". I was looking at Gory as my "second chance" to do things MY way. Well, he is now 7 months old, and I cloth diaper, make a ton of his clothes myself, and the rest of them, I try to purchase from WHAMs, or from Etsy. I make all his baby food myself. What is left, you might ask? BATHTIME!

Being one half of the FABULOUS duo of Two Girls and A Bar of soap, and having sworn off ALL mass manufactured bath, beauty, and cosmetics since the beginning of 2009, I thought, well, why not my kids, too! So Evan has been all handmade since the first of the year, as well. Well, I was thinking Gory would be more difficult. I mean, heck, he is a BABY! You grow up thinking that Johnson's baby wash is the only crap on the market that will not harm their gentle skin, and how DARE you EVER think to put lotion or oil on the baby's skin! And GOD FORBID when they get a diaper rash, Desitin is the ONLY way to go!

Lies.

I will admit, I do use Boudreaux Butt Bath on his melon in the bath tub, but that is because I got it for a gift, and over 7 months later, the stuff is STILL not 1/2 gone, and I use it less and less as time goes on, cause it is slimy. So, the first soap I tried on his little body was from my beautiful friend Dianne over at Bare Bumm Bath. She made some as a special gift for Gory, and WOW was it awesome! It was VERY lightly scented, and she whipped it so when it slipped out of my hands, it would float! Plus, Evan and I LOVE Bare Bumm soap, it is one of our favorites, cause they all smell SO DAMN GOOD! Her regular scents have really funny names, too, and she even has a listing in her shop for a sensitive skin soap that would be PERFECT for baby!

When I was running low on the Bare Bumm (I wash Gory every night, so we go through a lot of soap! LOL!) I decided to branch off. Scary, right? Not really, when you have a good friend that has just gotten into the soap business, and makes AWESOME soap. Enter Heather from Self-Inflicted DIY. Now, here is the thing about her soap. Not only is it amazing, and leaves Gory's skin super-duper soft, BUT it is scented with really yummy flavors, and he smells good after his bath! Some mommies are weary about lingering scent on skin, but I can assure you, Gory has never had a problem with Heather's soap, and he tends to have sensitive skin. PLUS, she makes some of her soap in tiny little skull head molds.  You all know I love a skull, and these are PERFECT to take when we are staying over night at Aunt Jenny's house, OR just for regular bath time.  Cause the bar is not so honkin' huge, it is easier to maneuver, and there are no hard edges on the soap! Greg now requests this soap, so unless I am getting more soap bars to review, I think Heather is stuck with us! LOL!

**On a side note, Heather is also making some REALLY cool recycled gift tags right now, that you can PLANT in the spring, and they have seeds in them that will grow flowers!  I am buying a bunch for the holidays, how COOL!  Right!?!?!?**

On the shampoo front, when I was still pregnant, Dianne (Bare Bumm Bath, who also happens to be the a rockin' hair gal, too!) told me that anything "tearless" like baby shampoo and baby wash, actually IS tearless because the mixture contains a numbing agent.  Now, whether or not this is true, the THOUGHT of this crap HORRIFIES me.  I currently use the Butt Bath on Gory (can't beat FREE, right?) but I am thinking when it is FINALLY gone, I am going to try this baby wash and shampoo from Etsy seller Flying Bird Botanicals.  I will let you all know when I do!

On the lotions front, I am sort of weary to try anything on Gory right now.  He really did well with Dress Green's Pomegranate Juice lotion, but I am a lotion whore, and I just want it all to myself, so poo-poo on your Gory!  It is all mama's!  The times I have used it, he was fine, but the scent is pretty strong. She DOES make an unscented version, and I think I might grab some when she gets back from her (well-deserved) vacation, because he lotions are a good consistency, and moisturize without leaving you feeling greasy!

When Gory was first born, and until he was a little over 5 months old, he had colic really bad.  Come to find out, it was due to acid reflux, but who knew?!?!?!  Greg and I were desperate to get him to stop screaming, and my girlfriend Kim over at Poisoned Creations pointed me to the direction of Calm It Kid by Orion Stars on Etsy.  I loved this product, and would recommend it to ANY parent, whether their child has colic or not.  It is a sweet blend of essential oils that is very soothing, and Gory gets a little spritz on his chest before he goes into his jammies every night.  I just rub it in, and it is sort of like a mini-baby massage!  Evan has even started using it sometimes, too! Orion Stars also has essential oils for Labor, PMS, Headaches, Sleep, and even a manly blend for the boys!

As far as diaper rash creme is concerned, Gory has only had a problem ONCE.  Once was enough for me to switch to good quality cloth diapers for life, a bleeding diaper rash on a newborn can rattle even the most rigid of nerves.  The doctor gave me a recipe that we actually keep on hand in a small tupperware container in his diaper drawer.  Remember if you are using any kind of a cream, use a fleece barrier in the cloth diaper, as to avoid absorption problems or staining.  On with the "recipe"!

1/4 C of petroleum jelly (or Aquaphor)

1/4 C of baby powder

1/4 C Zinc Oxide (you can find this near the sun tan lotions in the drugstore)

Mix all ingredients together in a container that can be sealed, and dip into it when necessary, but when it is not in use, store in a cool, dry place!

I hope some of this helped some of you, or at least gives you a jump-start to finding YOUR best match for better baby care products! Leave a comment here about any other products that you love, and have tried!  I would love to expand my horizions! ;)