Just a quick post tonight. It might be the fact that at seven and a half months pregnant, I am just in a perpetual sour mood--this pregnancy has been a lot harder on the old body than the first one was--but I am becoming more and more irritated by Johnson & Johnson's baby wash commercials and sponsorships, and have lost my patience completely with blogs and television shows that accept its advertising dollars and, in my opinion, misleading ads. Case in point, as I was sitting on the couch finishing up some work on my laptop, I flipped on "Amazing Wedding Cakes" on We TV, the "Women's Network." Don't ask why, but ever since my wedding, in which artiste extraordinaire Robin of Gateux, Inc., made my "pile of books" cake, I have been transfixed by the artistry of cakemaking. Anyway, a commercial comes on for a new WE show, called The Mom Show. Sounded dumb almost from the start, but I had to keep looking. Apparently the network is putting together some show that is a thinly veiled paid advertisement for various baby products, most notably Johnson & Johnson's Baby Wash.
J&J's Baby Wash. Sigh. Yes, if you're around my age--thirty or so--then you were probably bathed in this stuff as an infant. Like me, you've probably grown to love the smell of it. But, if you're on this blog, you might already know that it is one nasty chemical soup that, in my opinion, should be nowhere near a baby. In 2008, the journal Pediatrics effectively agreed with me, publishing research that linked phthalates to a host of health issues in little ones and women, in particular. Johnson & Johnson's Baby Wash contains, among other things, a phthalate. Of course, as soon as the study came out, the company scrambled to convince moms that the phthalate they use is safe, that the research done by the folks in the Pediatrics article was flawed, and then, most laughably, they offered the "expert advice" of a panel of "scientists and physicians" known collectively as the CIP, who claimed products containing phthalates are safe. The CIP--Cosmetics Ingredient Review--was founded and is funded by the cosmetics, toiletries, and fragrance industries, which live and die by phthalates. For concerned parents, if you hear from a company that an "independent panel" has made a finding that sound suspiciously convenient for that company's bottom line, check into the acronyms--chances are you'll find a front group.
Anyway, I was so aggravated by this "Mom Show" host singing the praises of Johnson & Johnson's baby wash, "as gentle to the eyes as water" that I wanted to kick in the TV, but my pregnancy heft wouldn't allow me to get off the couch in time. It's one thing to see ads that sing chemically problematic products' praises--at least we know they are ads and know to be skeptical. But television shows that masquerade as concept programs but are really just venues for advertisers to sell their products are gross and misleading.
Luckily, most of us are too smart for this. One of the most heartening things that I've seen happen in the three years since I started this blog is the way moms have done their research and are becoming skeptical to corporate claims of safety and nontoxicity. We are seeing that chemical companies, for example, have underestimated the average mother's intelligence--the BPA fiasco is an example, as is the companies' desperate attempt to convince us that BPA is safe. It's time we talk about Johnson & Johnson's "safe as water" bullshit and stop buying the product until they remove phthalates from their list of ingredients. Some truly wonderful options are available, including my favorite, Burt's Bees Baby Bee Shampoo and Baby Wash (whose formulation has not changed since Clorox bought the company). I will be taking a bottle to the hospital this September so my second baby isn't doused in J&J's baby wash, as my first, unfortunately was, during his first bath. I suggest everyone who is expecting consider doing the same. One note about Burt's Bees Baby Bee Shampoo and Body Wash: it is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, paraben, and phthalate-free. However, it does include "fragrance," which suggests a small amount of synthetic fragrance. However, I am completely comfortable with it because the fragrance doesn't contain SLS or phthalates, which are the chemicals of concern when you see "fragrance." In addition, my son, whose skin is uber-sensitive (he broke out in horrible eczema after using California Baby!), has zero reaction to BB. However, it's important to know that even this product isn't 100% natural (I think it's 98.2%).
10 comments:
Excellent article on the irritating nature of propagation of "safe, non-toxic" products by the chemical industry. You're right - they have underestimated our level of intelligence!
I always appreciate your level-headed and well-worded responses to absurd hidden agendas like The Mom Show.
I couldn't agree with you more!! My 2nd daughter is allergic to Johnson's baby wash!! She breaks out in great big hivey welts...something just every mom wants to see on their newborn, right? We don't have any Johnson's products in our home!
Before that, my oldest had a little bit of a rash from their lavender bedtime bath, so I had already stopped using that with her at the time, but I had written it off as being from the lavender scent. (I have had problems with the lavender scent, too.)
I am proud to say we are 6 years Johnson's free in our house!
I loved reading your article, and your frustrations made me smile because I feel the same way. I was soo disgusted at the hospital gave a package of J&J samples. Total propaganda, and the staff didn't get why I said I wouldn't put that toxic crap on our baby.
FYI, Burt's Bees is owned by clorox now, so I have boycotted them and am looking for something comparable. I like the Dr. Bronner's baby mild, that is what we took to the hospital. I don't know if you look at the environmental working groups skin deep cosmetic data base, i find it a wonderful tool and consult it every time I want to purchase a new product. especially sunscreen.
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/splash.php?URI=%2Findex.php
best wishes.
I agree wholeheartedly with your post. However, I would like to suggest to you and your readers to avoid bathing your babies in the hospital at all. It's actually better for building the breastfeeding relationship if you don't wash either yourself (at least your breasts) or your baby, as disgusting as that may sound to those of us addicted to daily showers. Also, we were in the hospital for a week when my son was born, and didn't bathe him at all that whole time. Not only did our breastfeeding get off to a great start despite my missing his birth and the first 3 hours of his life, but his skin is the softest skin I have ever felt to this day, which I attribute to his not being washed for so long. Just my 2 cents! :)
Amy, hoping you check back. I want to know more about not bathing your baby at the hospital. I remember my son, after being placed on my belly, being whisked into the sink for a scrubdown. This was to get all the "blood and guts" off him, i.e. vernix, etc. Did you have to convince your nurses, midwives, etc., not to bathe him? And what about the bodily fluids that remained on his little body? Please tell me more. I'm very interested....
My husband uses all the J & J we were given when our son was born on our poor beagle, Jerry. You've reminded me why I never used it on my son and why we shouldn't now be using it on our dog! Jerry's good enough for Burt's too or an analogous wash made especially for dogs, if anyone has any recommendations.
I'm so glad you like Burt's Bees. I recently read a bad online review for that because "fragrances" are listed as an ingredient, but I am fairly certain that BB's frangrances are not typical and consist of natural essential oils, etc., but it shook my confidence a little. I'm sorry to hear they've been bought by Clorox, but as long as they stay true to their natural record, I'm sticking with them!
Obscure Author, I didn't bathe my baby in the hospital either. After the birth, they wisked my baby to a table and wiped her down (more than I wanted, I wanted as much vernix as possible to remain), but later when they offered to let Dad do the first bath, we declined. They actually posted a note in her bassinet to warn nurses and such that she was unbathed! I didn't see anyone treat her oddly, though, using only gloves to touch her, etc. She smelled heavenly! The little vernix left on her got to be rubbed into her skin, and she didn't have a bath until Day 3, when she and I took a healing herb bath that my midwife brewed (like tea) out of herbs.
She has only taken a handful of baths in her life, until recently when (at 5 months) we decided to use them as part of a night time routine to help her sleep better. A little washcloth (especially to clean areas where people HAVE to touch her!) did just fine for us.
Hi Obscure Author and everyone else. I'm happy to talk more to you about not washing your baby at the hospital, and what our experience was being the "weirdos on the maternity ward." Not sure if everyone wants the info, but you and anyone else interested can send me an email at amylynnwellness -at- gmail -dot- com
Thanks so much for posting this article! I did not realize that the hospital would be using soap on my son when he was born (I thought water would do the trick) but sure enough, they did. Fortunately, they did NOT whisk him away when he was born. They put him on my chest immediately after he was born which was so awesome.
Someone may have already mentioned this to you, but you should check out www.cosmeticsdatabase.org to compare baby shampoos. Burts Bees actually contains fragrance if you were not aware of that. I use California Baby's unscented shampoo and love it! Congrats on the new little one!
Thanks so much for your comments! Unfortunately, California Baby caused a bad allergic reaction in my son's skin, so we had to stop using that.
I have major reservations about the Cosmetics Safety Database run by EWG. Their rating system is deeply flawed (do a search on my blog for EWG for more details). I'm okay with "fragrance" in products so long as they are Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and phthalate-free, and Burt's Bees is SLS and phthalate-free. The major concern about "fragrance" that catch-all term is that the fragrance contains phthalates. Luckily BB's doesn't.
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