Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Safeguard Your Family’s Skin with Baby Mantra!

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Review by Alanna Peters

Like Tiffany, I do my best to avoid chemical cleaning products in my home, especially in products used for my family’s skin and hair. I want to make sure that I’m not covering our skin with harmful carcinogens! I was thrilled when Baby Mantra asked if I’d be interested in reviewing their 100% natural skincare line. Baby Mantra is chemical-free, cruelty free, dye free, toxin free and made with organic ingredients. What’s not to like, right?!

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Baby Mantra products are all Natural Products Association (NPA) Certified, and come in recyclable packaging. The products they offer are Newborn Shampoo & Body Wash, 3-in-1 Baby Bubble Bath, Shampoo & Body Wash, Calming Massage Oil, and Calming Lotion. Since it won’t be long before I’ll be cleaning my baby’s delicate newborn skin, I was sent a bottle of Baby Mantra Newborn Shampoo & Body Wash.

I tried the shampoo & body wash first on myself. To be honest, I wasn’t really impressed with the way it worked for me. First of all, I had a really hard time getting the pump to actually dispense the product. Once I finally got it started I put it on my loofah and could not get a lather at all. I had to keep adding more and more to be sure I was actually getting enough product on my body. The instructions say to use a quarter-size amount in your palm, so that may be the way to go rather than using the loofah.

I also tried the shampoo & body wash on my 3 year old daughter, and again, I was not impressed. I put it on her hair and felt like it wasn’t doing anything at all. I’ve heard that getting a lather is not necessary in order to get hair clean, but I sure feel like it helps. I have a hard time knowing what areas of the head have been washed if I don’t see a good lather! After my initial disappointment, I read the description of the Newborn Shampoo & Body Wash and discovered that it is advertised as a “low foaming” wash. While I wouldn’t recommend it for adults or older children, I do think it will be great to use on my newborn when she arrives. Since her body will be so tiny and she’ll have a lot less hair than my 3 year old, I can totally understand why a low foaming wash would be perfect for a newborn.

The wash itself has a nice, light scent. When I first smelled it I thought of Christmas trees but after using it in the bath I feel like it has more of a sage/lavender smell to it – love! I’m a huge fan of coconut oil so I also love that this body wash is moisturized by coconut oil and aloe. I will be putting the rest of my Baby Mantra bottle on the shelf until my baby arrives, but I’m definitely looking forward to using it on her! I’d also love to try the 3-in-1 Baby Bubble Bath, Shampoo & Body Wash to use on both girls once the little one gets a bit older.

If you’d like to give Baby Mantra a try, right now they are offering a 20% off coupon for all Baby Mantra products at Amazon.com. Use the code “RAD6BKJY” to get your discount! The code is valid from now until December 31st. To find out more about Baby Mantra, you can visit them online at www.babymantra.com. You can also find their products at Walgreens, Drugstore.com and Diapers.com.

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Live Clean (Baby): An Affordable All-Natural Baby Care Line Exclusive to Walgreens

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My girls have personal care products that are all-natural, and whenever possible, organic. I try to do the same for myself, but I do have to make a choice sometimes due to budget restraints, and will always opt to get these types of products for my little ones even if I can’t also get them for myself. It stinks having to make that choice, but that’s the reality when it comes to expensive products.

So when I heard that Walgreens, a store I shop at every week, was the exclusive U.S. retailer of a very affordable brand of eco-friendly personal care products, I wanted to hear more! Live Clean (Baby) is a Canadian brand that has just hit the U.S. market thanks to its partnership with Walgreens. Live Clean (Baby) contains non-irritating, very gentle plant-based ingredients. It is free of parabens, Sodium Laurel Sulfates (SLS), animal-based products and phosphates.

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Basically, the ingredients of Live Clean (Baby) sound very similar to other products I purchase, but the big difference is the price tag. The suggested price of each product in the line is just $7.99. That’s music to my ears and my wallet! I also like that I don’t have to make this purchase online (which was the only way I could find some of the products I had been purchasing). I can just go to my nearest Walgreens to get whatever I may need!

The entire line of Live Clean (Baby) products includes the following:

  • Tearless Shampoo and Wash
  • Moisturizing Baby Bath
  • Moisturizing Baby Lotion
  • Non-Petroleum Jelly
  • Diaper Ointment
  • Moisturizing Bar Soap

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After having used these products, I can tell you that I am very pleased with them. They are gentle and effective. I love the packaging, I love the very mild scent, and I definitely love the price point and the convenience. I will be purchasing these products again as I run out and I would suggest them as great baby shower gifts for new parents, as well.

What about you? Are you spending an arm and a leg to provide all-natural personal care products for your little ones? Have you noticed this line at Walgreens, yet? 

I received product samples for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Dolphin Organics Shampoo and Conditioner GIVEAWAY!!!

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Dolphin Organics is the end result of lots of love, hard work and dedication from the husband and wife team, Nigel and Ayo. They made a commitment early on to eating as much organic food as possible, but later on realized that they weren’t being as careful about what they put ON their bodies as they were about what they put IN their bodies.

Being dissatisfied with the number of organic and natural skincare options for children on the market, they decided to solve that problem by making their own. Dolphin Organics was born, and now has a line of excellent products that you can let your entire family use with confidence. 

We were sent two products to try: the Baby Shampoo & Body Wash (just one product!) and the Hair Conditioner. I really love the shampoo & body wash product. Three cheers for a product that does double-duty and reduces clutter in the bathroom! I have found the product to effectively clean Darah’s body and hair without leaving it feeling too dry (a tough thing to do now that winter is approaching!).

The conditioner is a new product for us to be using on Darah, and I don’t think she needs it every time she gets her hair washed. It gets used about once a week, and I do notice that it adds some extra softness to her hair. I’ve actually used the product as well and found it to do a nice job. It also smells lovely!

One other thing I love about these products is that they very clearly list all the ingredients, and even show you which ingredients are organic, and which are natural. They have a column for designating artificial ingredients, but none of their products contain any, so that column is always empty!

Dolphin Organics is offering a special deal each day for the holidays, so be sure to check in and see what you can snag for a bargain!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Dolphin Organics shampoo AND conditioner set! Yay!

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