my california baby...

when it comes to lucy's bathtime products, i am a firm believer that less is best. though she gets a bath nightly, we only use soap 3 times per week--the other nights are just a chance for her to splash and play, with no scrubbing involved. on soap nights, we use a teeny bit of california baby calming shampoo and bodywash. just enough to get a good lather all over her skin and hair (it doesn't take much). we're only about 1/3 of the way through our first small bottle, and she's well on her way to six months old.

california baby calming is lavender-scented, and at first it was a bit too fragrance-y for my taste. after years of working as a nanny, i was much accustomed to the fabulous, babylicious smell of johnson's products, and it was a tough switch. but now i associate the smell of lavender with a squeaky-clean, pajama-clad, damp-headed, snuggly little lucy. and i love it.

here's a quick, side-by-side comparison of ingredients in both the california baby brand and johnson's (very popular) head-to-toe baby wash:

johnson's head-to-toe baby wash:

Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG 80 Sorbitan Laurate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, PEG 150 Distearate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Chloride, Polyquaternium 10, Fragrance, Quaternium 15, Citric Acid

california baby calming shampoo and body wash:

Water (Purified), Aloe Vera (*), Decyl Polyglucose (Extracts of Corn, Coconut, Palm *), Vitamin E, Vegetable Glycerin, Jojoba Oil (*), Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamin B5

"Our products contain organic & sustainably grown ingredients. Many of the plants and flowers that are grown for essential oil distillation are very hardy, do not need pesticides or fertilizers and are by default organic and/or sustainably grown."

let's just say that i'm content with my decision!

we've also started using the california baby super sensitive baby lotion, as some very dry weather over the past couple of weeks left lucy with scaly legs and a few eczema-like patches on her arms chest. i'd previously been moisturizing her with organic olive oil, but needed something more. this lotion, applied after bathtime, did the trick within 3 days. lucy is back to her normal self--butter-soft skin and all.

same story there with the ingredient breakdown vs. johnson's. it seems outrageous to me that a company would choose to expose little bodies to big chemicals, but i guess that's the way of this crazy world. kudos to companies like california baby for providing a safe, effective alternative, even if it does come at a slightly higher out-of-pocket cost to the consumer.

oh. and by the way (out of curiosity) i took a whiff of the offending johnson's product while at target a few days ago. i was slightly delighted to find that the smell no longer holds the same appeal--in fact, it seemed a bit faux. and my california baby just doesn't do faux. no way!