10 Essential Natural and Organic Baby Products We Can’t Live Without

When I was pregnant for the first time I was determined to do everything “perfectly” for my firstborn child. We would cloth diaper, make all of his baby food from scratch and he would be dressed in the cutest little baby clothes that I had ordered from online organic specialty shops. And all of that did happen…with the first child.

Having three children (even having two!) will cause you to question any perfectionist tendencies. After baby #2, cloth diapers went out the window. Because laundry. Lots and lots of laundry. Now for the third child, the cute organic baby clothes are mostly hand-me-downs from the big brothers, complete with spaghetti stains and all. That’s just the way it is.

After each child is born I have to recalibrate what’s important and what’s not worth fighting for.

Even though I’m more relaxed in my parenting style as a mother of 3, there are some things that I will not compromise on. And that’s the quality of products that I’m using that can impact my children’s health and wellbeing.

In this article, I’m going to share my favorite natural and organic baby products. You probably already know that many products and household items that we’re exposed to each day can harbor dangerous toxins that promote disease and inflammation. I wish I could say that it’s not the case when it comes to products marketed for babies and children…but it is.

The same toxins that we’re exposed to as adults are often used in children’s products too.

This is why I want to share my list of 10 natural and organic baby products that every family needs.  Forget the excessive list of items that fill up baby registries (though it sounds like a good idea, trust me – you will not use the wipes warmer or cute and cuddly baby bathrobe).

The items on this list are natural and organic baby products that I have loved for my children over the years. And they all serve an important purpose in creating a non-toxic environment that’s safe for everyone in the family.

1- Organic Coconut Oil

There’s a host of things they don’t tell you before you have children that you just discover after the fact. One is that you will never sleep again. Another is that newborn skin is scaly and peeling in the first week or so after they’re born. But please bypass using “baby oil.”  

Traditional baby oil is made from mineral oil and fragrance.

• Mineral oil comes from petroleum and can be contaminated with carcinogens. It’s also not beneficial for the skin at all and can cause more irritation than anything.
• Fragrance is known to disrupt hormones, is made from synthetic ingredients and can be irritating – especially to newborn skin.

No good parent is cool with slathering carcinogens and hormone disrupters all over their brand new baby. So, what’s the alternative? Thankfully, it’s probably sitting in your pantry right now. You may be tired of hearing about coconut oil, but when there’s over 100 practical uses for it you kind of have to jump on the bandwagon.

Coconut oil is amazing and it’s one of my favorite organic baby products.

In fact, it’s probably one of the best organic baby skin care products available…and for an awesome price.  I love it because it’s economical and it can be used to moisturize and soothe baby’s peeling skin in those early weeks and beyond! I still use it personally and on my toddlers!

I’ve also applied coconut oil to baby’s bum in the days after birth to make it easier to clean up the sticky meconium that babies pass as their first bowel movement. With coconut oil on their backside it slides right off instead of becoming a gooey mess that takes way too long to clean up.

Coconut oil is also great for nursing moms as well. If your nipples are feeling sore or cracked, applying a little coconut oil is soothing and it’s safe (perhaps even beneficial?) for baby. These are just a few reasons why coconut oil is one of the best organic baby products you can invest in.

2- Organic Baby Wash by Dr. Bronner

Good ole’ Dr. Bronner. The claim to fame for the Bronner’s Brand is their liquid castile soaps that have a variety of different uses and come in pleasant scents like Almond and Lavender. Castile soaps can be used for a variety of tasks from sudsing up in the shower to cleaning kitchen counters. But you may have never considered that they can also be one of the best organic baby products you could buy.

If you’re looking for organic baby wash look no further. Liquid castile soaps are highly versatile and even come in a Baby Mild (unscented) version for little ones.

For those that prefer a bar soap, they now have all of their classic scents in bar soaps as well. These natural baby products are made from organic ingredients and because they are oil based they are gentle for delicate baby skin. Consider this one of the best organic baby bath products you can buy.

3- Organic Baby Mattress

Babies spend a lot of time sleeping. Granted, it’s not always at ideal times (i.e. sleeping all day, party at night) but they do spend a lot of time sleeping. This is why a good mattress should be high on the list of organic baby products.

Conventional mattresses are filled with allergens and chemicals in the form of flame retardants.

While we don’t want to compromise on the flame resistant filling, there are ways to do so naturally by using a textile like wool which provides flame resistance without the use of any chemicals.  Many baby mattresses are also certified organic by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) so you can be sure that your baby is getting the best in organic baby products.

4- Organic Swaddle Blankets

While we’re on the topic of baby sleep, go ahead and add organic swaddle blankets to your list of organic baby products. Swaddles blankets are a lifesaver in those early months with a small baby. Part of what makes the newborn “season” so challenging is that it takes a while for baby to get acclimated to life outside the womb.

This is why the first three months after birth are called the fourth trimester. It’s a huge adjustment period for the baby and one thing that can make it a lot easier is swaddling.

Swaddling mimics the warm, cozy wrapped up feeling that babies have during pregnancy. It can be very soothing for the baby. It also calms the Moro reflex, or the startle reflex that can be jarring for little babies and often wakes them up from sleep. With their arms wrapped inside the swaddle, the Moro reflex is “silenced” which can give parents and babies a better night’s sleep.

I’ve always preferred organic baby products and even organic baby clothes any time we’re using something for sleep. And swaddling is no different. I don’t like synthetic fabrics for babies, so organic swaddle blankets have always been one of my favorite natural baby products.

5- Infant Probiotics

Another thing they don’t tell you about newborns…Babies have gas. While I think newborn farts are hilarious, it’s not as funny when you’re waking up for the umpteenth time in the middle of the night because baby is gassy.  I also don’t want my baby to have to deal with the discomfort that newborn gas can bring.

The thing is that early on babies are going through so many changes and that includes changes in their digestive system. Some babies struggle with constipation and even activating the muscles that are required to poop. This is why it’s not uncommon to hear a lot of grunting and see squirming when your baby is trying to make a bowel movement.

But if your baby is dealing with a lot of discomfort – so much so that it seems they are in pain or they’re having trouble sleeping at night, probiotics can really help.

While there’s lots of probiotics on the market for babies, we prefer Therbiotic by Klaire Labs. We’ve used the adult formulation of Therbiotic for years, so when I found out they had an infant version it was a shoo-in for my list of organic baby products.

Probiotics can help a baby’s immature digestive system process food. I noticed big improvements in gas and fussiness  after giving our babies a small amount of probiotics on a daily basis. There was less fussing and crying and they’ve even helped our kids with constipation. Be sure to get a good brand and refrigerate or the bacteria strands can die, making them ineffective.

6 – Charlie’s Soap Laundry Detergent

Baby skin is the softest, most delicate thing most of us have ever felt. I make sure to invest in natural and organic baby products for anything that’s touching baby’s skin. I prefer fabrics that are natural, not synthetic and organic baby clothes are always a plus. But when it comes to providing the best natural baby products it goes beyond the fabric: the detergent is a big factor as well.

There’s lots of harmful toxins found in conventional laundry detergents, including some that are precursors to the carcinogen, formaldehyde. But the one that I’m going to focus on here is fragrance.

It’s not just limited to laundry detergents, it’s everywhere. Fragrances are synthetic chemical cocktails that can disrupt hormones, cause allergic reactions and introduce unnecessary toxins into a small baby’s system. This is not what we want for anyone, let alone a baby.

This is why I love Charlie’s soap. This natural baby product is gentle, free of fragrance and toxic ingredients and it does a great job getting clothes clean.  I first found Charlie’s soap with my firstborn son. I was looking for a non-toxic detergent for cloth diapering and it came highly recommended. It’s a great natural detergent option to prevent build up and keep your diapers fresh and clean.  Though we aren’t cloth diapering anymore, I still use it to wash clothes to this day!

7 – Belly Armour Blanket or Nursing Cover

I’ve been blessed to be able to nurse all three of my boys. Feeding baby takes up a LOT of time on a daily basis – especially when they are young and their tummies are so small! I have easily spent hours nursing each day.  And at least some of that time I will multitask on my phone. Whether I’m answering an email, paying a bill or even ordering groceries to the house it’s helpful to make use of that time.

But what I don’t want? Unnecessary EMF exposure for my baby – before and after pregnancy. EMF stands for electromagnetic field.

Man-made EMF – the kind that’s emitted from cell phones, laptops and other wireless technologies – is associated with health issues like inflammation, cancer, adrenal fatigue, insomnia and many others.

So, even though I love to multitask while I’m nursing I want to protect my little one from EMF as much as possible. That’s why I love this nursing cover by Belly Armour. This natural baby product  shields from 99.9% of EMF radiation that comes from electronics and wireless technology. And they even make belly covers that can be worn during pregnancy to protect your growing baby from EMF. I found those to be especially useful while traveling by plane. There’s so much EMF radiation in airports and on planes!This is definitely one of the best natural and organic baby products that I recommend for every mom.

8- Glass Baby Bottles

I’m not a fan of plastic. I just don’t like it. Plastics are associated with estrogen dominance and they can leach phthalates and other chemicals into our foods. Even BPA free plastic may not be all that much better. Some BPA alternatives are just as toxic if not more so than BPA!

This is why glass bottles are high on my list of organic baby products. Even though we don’t use bottles much with nursing, it is nice to have a date night every now and then or just have someone else give mom and dad a break for a few hours. But the last thing I want is for my baby’s bottle to be heated in plastic where chemicals can leach into the milk.

Glass bottles are an all natural baby product that I highly recommend over using plastic. Glass lasts longer (this is a plus if you’re planning to have more than one kid) and you get to sidestep all of the hazards of heating your baby’s milk in plastic. Personally, we used the Born Free glass baby bottles. They were great!

9- Baby Bjorn Travel Crib

Traveling with children is no joke. Now that we have three that are still in 5-point harness car seats, by default when we travel anywhere it means that we’re taking a ton of stuff. Anything that can lighten the load is an absolute plus.  That’s why I love the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib.

A pack and play is one of the most essential natural baby products that you can buy. Even better if its lightweight and easy to fold – both are qualities that the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib has.

This natural baby product can be checked as “luggage” leaving one less item to haul through the airport. And since it’s compact and only weighs 13 pounds it was a no-brainer for us to invest in. It’s efficient design makes it a great size even when it’s unpacked.  It’s perfect for traveling – especially when you might have limited space in terms of room size. This is easily one of the best natural baby products we’ve purchased and it’s lasted nearly 5 years with no signs of retirement.

The icing on the cake is that this travel crib is free of toxins and harmful materials and it’s even Oeko-Tex certified. That gets major bonus points!

10 – Woolino Infant Sleep Sack

Of all the organic baby products on the list, there are more related to sleep than anything else. That’s no coincidence. Since babies spend so much time sleeping I’ve always wanted to make sure that they were lying on natural and organic baby products whenever possible. It’s just one less thing to think about as a mom.

But while we’re making sure baby is sleeping well, we’re also focused on maximizing sleep for the adults too. There’s not a more important time to focus on sleep than when kids are very young. Isaac and I have always wanted to make the most of the precious sleep that we did get, so we were sure to incorporate as many tips as possible from this article right here.  

Research shows that cooler temperatures promote better sleep. This is why we keep the thermostat on the cool side in our house overnight. It’s anywhere between 67 and 69. Since babies can’t use blankets we’ve relied on the Woolino Sleep Sack to help regulate baby’s temperature so that they don’t get too cold or too hot.

The Woolino Sleep Sack is made from Oeko-Tex Certified merino wool and Oeko-Tex Certified and GOTS Certified organic cotton. It’s also free of flame retardants. This is a 100% natural and organic baby product that’s given me peace of mind at night when it’s time for some much needed rest.

Conclusion

There’s lots of things you can buy for your baby.  Any store with a baby registry will do its best to convince you that you need tons and tons of stuff. But think about it before you start your shopping. For most of us, parenting is the most important job we will ever have. Our children are depending on us to do our best to protect, care for and provide for them in the best way that we know how.

When you invest in natural and organic baby products you’re shielding your children from exposures to toxins and environmental factors that can cause harm. It’s an investment that we highly recommend and one that we’ve never regretted.

What natural and organic baby products have you tried? What would make your list of “must-haves”? Are there products on this list that you have tried or are excited to try?