I know how hard it can be to find honest reviews of items – especially in the days where people are being paid left and right to review this and that. I’m not being paid for any of these reviews (much to my wallet’s dismay), these are all simply things that worked for me and my little babe. Here’s some stuff I swear by when it comes to baby ailments.

1. Rashes | Earth Mama Angel Baby – Angel Baby Bottom Balm

You know the BBQ sauce commercial where the grandma says, “I put that shit on everything”? Yeah, that’s me with this stuff. If Olivia ever has a diaper rash, viral rash, or literally any other kind of skin issue, I apply Angel Baby Bottom Balm and it’s gone within the day. It’s my best friend. Tea tree oil, lavender oil, shea butter, jojoba and olive oil are some of the amazing ingredients, and are all great for baby’s skin. Plus it’s in a tiny jar and fits in any bag or purse you use as a diaper bag. Winner!

2. Congestion | Fridababy NoseFrida

Everyone and their mom recommends the Nose Frida over the bulb snot-sucker, and for good reason. This thing works wonders when your babe is congested for any reason. Olivia was born via cesarean section, and oftentimes babies who aren’t delivered through the vaginal canal don’t get as much amniotic fluid squeezed out of their noses, so it sticks around for a while after birth. Does sucking your baby’s snot out of their nose gross you out a little? Yeah, when I first saw my friends do it to their baby a couple years ago I almost threw up my lunch. But thankfully the parent-sucking part and the baby-suction part are separated by a little filter that doesn’t let anything pass through. Plus, after a few blowouts, snot will probs be very low down the list of the most disgusting bodily fluids you’ve encountered.

3. Poo Stains | Sunlight Laundry Detergent Bar

My sister-in-law, who has a little tyke who’s a little over 3 months older than Olivia, recommended this to me one day when I shared a picture of one of Olive’s first blowouts with her (I’ve found there’s no line when it comes to family and baby poop pictures). I think it’s a Canadian product, so you can’t grab it on your weekly Target run, but it is available on Amazon and is fairly inexpensive. After the disgustingly soiled onesie comes off (oh, and did you know that the majority of onesies are made to be pulled down over the shoulders so you don’t have to pull the poop area over their heads? #tipoftheday), I run it through some water to get any… chunks off. Then lather up the stained area with the Sunlight bar, making sure the whole stain is scrubbed a bit with soap, and throw it in the wash. I haven’t had a stain stick around since I started using it – even on white onesies!

4. Cradle Cap | Bean b Clean Cradle Cap Scalp Massaging Brush + Coconut Oil

Cradle cap is a B. And it makes you feel so bad for your innocent baby. While sometimes you just have to let it run its course and eventually go away, there are a few simple remedies you can try out. Olive had a very mild case on her scalp, so we would massage some Trader Joe’s coconut oil (I’ve linked a great option from Amazon so you can do all your shopping from the comfort of your PJs) on the affected spots and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Then we would hop in the bath and apply some shampoo (we use Burt’s Bees Baby Calming Shampoo) on her head, massaging in a circular motion with the Bean b Clean Cradle Cap Scalp Massaging Brush. After bath time, I would use a gentle baby hair brush to massage her scalp more, and usually some flakes would come off. I have also read that if it’s a bad case of cradle cap, you can use a hard comb to scrape off the scales, and this usually doesn’t hurt baby at all, it actually feels better because this stuff is itchy!

5.Gas + Constipation | Frida Baby Windi

Funny story time: Before I even knew this product existed, I told my husband that there was a Nose Frida for gas, and that you have to suck it out… And he believed me. I was dying inside because I love when people are so gullible (I mean I totally am too), and when I found the Windi, I had to get it. Well, partly because of that and also because my babe had a TON of gas. And by a ton, I mean we had an x-ray done on her spine and they could barely see it because there was so much gas in her tummy. Yeah… Anyway, after my beloved Amazon brought this to my doorstep, I tried to convince my husband that you had to suck out the farts, but eventually he caught on to my joke. Probably because I was stifling my giggles as he was examining these little tubes that were a little too short for comfort. Once my comedy stint was over, I went to work. After some bicycle kicks and a clockwise tummy massage, I went for it (I’ll spare you the details and let you read the instructions, or watch this video.). And you know what? It worked! Gas and poop were everywhere, and I had a happy baby. Side note: I used coconut oil as a lubrication for the Windi, makes it more comfortable for the baby bums. Also, I’ll toss the ones that get poo on them, but if it comes out clean, I’ll wash and reuse (10 for $14 is steep if you use them often).

Hope these make your little one feel a bit better!

C