Of course, you and I know these things, but it may come as a surprise to know that many of the products you see advertised for baby skin are not mild, but often have ingredients in them that are really too harsh for an infants skin.

Before you buy, you should know what to look for and what to avoid. You will have to look past the cuddly packaging and see the product for its true self in order to decide whether it should be used on your babys skin.

When you think of things that most commonly cause allergic reactions on your skin, you will realize that artificial fragrance and dyes are two of the top ingredients to blame. What are the first two things you notice about most baby care products? For me, I notice that fresh baby scent.

But, of course, this scent has to come from somewhere: artificial fragrance. How many people do you know that cannot be around perfume? Maybe they cannot even walk through the cosmetics area of department stores because they are so highly allergic to it.

If you talk to these people, you often find that they were not always allergic to this kind of fragrance; they developed it over the years. What are we doing when we start our children out in life, exposing them to high levels of man made fragrances day after day? Will they eventually become as allergic to fragrance as some people are?

Dyes are the second thing mentioned above. Artificial dyes are in so many things that we eat, drink, etc. By exposing our babies to them from a very young age, we are only adding to the chances of them developing a reaction to them.

It has been proven that chemicals can be absorbed through the skin and it has been proven that artificial dyes often cause behavioral problems in young children. Are we accelerating this process with the constant exposure to dyes through baby skin care products?

When I think about the things that I have used on my children, just because I loved that baby smell, I feel guilty.

I think of various rashes that occurred during my childrens infant stages and wonder if it was due to the baby products that I used on them.

Other ingredients that we should be aware of in regards to our infants skin include: citrus juices (often, in organic products, you will find essential oils from citrus fruits), menthol, and peppermint.

It is wise to look into essential oils and which ones are safe for babies (and pregnant mothers); not all of them are good to use on such tender skin. Keep in mind that your baby will be happier if their skin is not irritated in any way. Of course, happier babies generally help parents be more at peace, so helping your baby in this way helps you as well.

Another product that affects your baby that should be considered is laundry detergent. Most of the detergents created and marketed for cleansing clothes are created to give your clothes a fresh, clean, scent. What does this mean? Obviously it means that there is a heavy concentration of fragrance in the product.

This fragrance is transferred to the clothes during the wash and remains in them. By using these products, you are still putting man made fragrance on your babys skin. Be picky, look for products that do not contain artificial dyes or fragrances to protect your baby from further irritation.

Remember, your babys skin was protected from all of these good smelling, pretty, man made chemicals for the entire time he was in your womb. His skin has no idea how to react to the various environmental factors that it will encounter as a natural part of life as we know it today. You can help his skin adjust to the world around him by using as many non irritating ingredients as possible.