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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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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Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash Review and GIVEAWAY!!

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Bath time is a nightly ritual for Darah. She starts using sign language to ask for her bath around 4pm, even though bath time is right around 6pm. She loves it so much! Darah is very playful in the tub, and really enjoys splashing around, playing with tub toys and, knock on wood, getting her hair and body washed (we lucked out on that one!).

earth mama baby shampoo Earth Mama Angel Baby is a company that offers a splendid line of bath products for mamas and babies, all made from organic ingredients. I’ve tried their Happy Mama Body Wash (with a smell that even the pregnant ladies can appreciate!). For the past month, we’ve also been using their new Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash.

First and foremost, this soap works. Darah gets cleaned from head to toe with it, and it takes care of all the food and dirt that somehow manages to cling to her throughout the day.

Second, the smell is FANTASTIC! Some people avoid scented soaps for their babies because those smells are created using harsh chemicals. Not so with this product. It is scented with organic vanilla and organic orange oils. It smells like a creamsicle! I’ve tried several different bath products over the years (I really should say hundreds…I’m a junkie) and Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash is easily in my top 5 as far as smell goes.

Third, the pump formula is extremely convenient when we are bathing Darah. We can easily squirt out some foam right onto her body or her head and we don’t accidentally get too much product, as we sometimes do with more traditional bottles.

We love this product and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants the best for themselves and for baby, but who would love to have something scented on hand.

Buy it!: If you’d like to try the Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash, you are smart to do so. And getting for a discount is even smarter! use code Itsablog20 for 20% off! The 5.3 oz bottle is $10.95 and they offer a 34 ounce refill, as well!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need read will win a bottle of Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash! The contest will run until January 16th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States and Canada. Limit one entrant per person, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me one product in your home that you want to replace with something less toxic, but haven’t yet. Why haven’t you?

My answer: I still have a closet shelf full of body washes that contain ingredients I have since learned are not so good for me or the environment. The frugal gal in me is reluctant to pitch them/donate them, though, since they are already paid for! But I’m not replacing them with other similar products. When they are gone, they are gone! And they are never used on Darah.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Earth Mama Angel Baby on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need via RSS or email

Be sure to check out my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my home page.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Our Favorite Organic Shampoo for Babies: Little Twig

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Bath time is totally where its at in our house. Darah LOVES to take a bath, and she comes by that honest. Tim and I are both bubble bath fanatics (hope I didn’t just embarrass you, dear).

Thanks to the power of moms talking online, I learned about organic shampoo for babies by a company called Little Twig, and they specialize in shampoo for baby and other bath products for tiny tots. Thanks to a great blog win by my little sister Laura, we’ve been using Little Twig unscented baby wash, and it has rocked! It gets her clean as can be, and there’s never been the slightest irritation. I also have had the opportunity to work with little twig, and they sent me the Happy Tangerine baby wash. HEAVEN IN A BOTTLE! The smell is amazing, and Darah seems to like it, too!
organic shampoo for babies Now, I’m going to tell you, when I saw the prices for the products, I thought they were a little bit steep. They are $10 for an 8.5 oz bottle. BUT….the more I use the stuff, the more I realize that the price is actually amazing. The products are completely organic and natural (I recognize everything on their ingredient list). AND let me tell you, a little goes a long way. We are going to be using her bottle of baby wash for several (as in, probably 6) months before we run out. And we bathe Darah every 1-2 days. So $10 for baby wash that will last 6 months and that is not scary for my baby = TOTAL STEAL! They also sell the products in a 17 ounce container (with a pump…super nice) for $14.50, which lowers the cost per ounce quite a bit more!

We also had the opportunity to test out the little twig mineral sunscreen. This stuff goes on smoothly, is water-resistant and is nasty chemical-free! I’ve been very pleased every time I have put it on Darah, though I do wish the SPF was a bit higher than 30.

I also want to point out something really awesome about Little Twig. From their site, “Each month little twig chooses a charitable organization benefiting our environment and children’s issues. little twig donates 15% of the purchases you make every Wednesday to organization we have chosen.” I love it when companies actively give back. You rock, little twig!

Buy it! Overall, I’d have to say that little twig offers an incredible line of delightful and effective products that you can use without worrying about your child’s safety. I highly recommend them! You can buy Little Twig products on Amazon.

Win it!: little twig wants to give one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader a $50 gift certificate to use on their site. You read that right, $50!!! That will take care of your bath and body needs for a long time! The contest will run until September 4th at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. You will have 48 hours to respond to your winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.
Mandatory entry: Tell me anything about bath time at your house. Is there a favorite tub toy? Favorite shampoo for baby? How often do your kids take baths? Any relevant comment will do!

Additional entries:
1. “Like” little twig on Facebook
2. Follow little twig on Twitter
3. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter
4. “Like” Stuff Parents Need on Facebook
5. Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by RSS, email or Google Friend Connect (only one extra entry, even if you subscribe multiple ways)
6. If you are a blogger (posted something within the past 3 months) put my button on your blog and leave a url so that I can find it.

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways (listed on the sidebar of my home page).

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post may contain affiliate links.