California Baby {Product Review}

Being the obsessive planner that I am, one thing that I never really gave much thought to as I prepared for Sweetie Pea's arrival was what kind of bath and body products I would use on him. I simply figured I'd use Johnson and Johnson like the rest of the planet. And after all, I did post here about my love of the J & J Bedtime Bath products. But recently I have read several disturbing articles describing how Johnson and Johnson baby wash contains known carcinogens, and that the company has been reprimanded by the FDA more than once for this. Thanks alot, Johnson and Johnson. I trusted you when you marketed your products as safe and gentle for my child. Anyway, it goes without saying that I no longer use their baby wash. I was given a California Baby Calming gift set as a shower gift, and I used it up quickly when Sweets was a newborn, because I really liked it. The only reason I didn't continue using it at the time was that it was higher-priced and harder to find that it's less natural counterparts. But so be it! I don't have a problem paying a bit more and searching a bit harder to find a safe, natural product to use on my sweet baby.

California Baby products were developed by a mom who wanted something gentle and safe to use on her own baby. She literally began mixing things in her kitchen, started cold-calling various chemists to help her develop her formula, and now her line of natural baby-care products has erupted into shampoos, washes, lotions and bubble baths that are recommended by pediatricians, dermatologists and other mamas. My first experience with California Baby was their signature item, the Calming Shampoo and Body Wash:

I truly love this product. It has a fresh, earthy, lavender fragrance, and since it's what I used on Sweets when he was brand new, using it always takes me back to those first weeks of his little life. It's tear-free of course, and I suds him up from head to toe every night. It lathers well and rinses clean and it has never dried out his skin or caused any irritation. I have been known to use it on myself when I'm out of body wash (and also when I'm not ;). Many of the Calming products happen to be available at Target, which is great. I like the large 19 oz size of this body wash, which I've found at Buy Buy Baby, and I love that I can use one of their 20% off coupons on it. Best of all, it's free of all the nasty un-pronounceables you find in so many other products! 

Inspired by my love of the Calming Body Wash, I decided to branch out when California Baby launched their new holiday line. I purchased their Holiday Cheer bubble bath, which is infused with a scrumptious blend of orange, lavender and vanilla essential oils:

Yum.Eeee. This bubble bath smells so light and fresh, produces tons of fluffy bubbles, and they include a bubble wand in the container which is so much fun! I let Sweets try this out first, but after I put him to bed that night I definitely ran myself a Holiday Cheer bubble bath and it was blissful. I sank into that tub with my Parents magazine and emerged smelling all fruity and flowery and relaxed. The only drawback is that as far as I can tell, the Holiday Cheer products are only available on the California Baby website. But the container is quite generously-sized, so I know I won't need to purchase another until at least next winter. Sweets loved this bubble bath too! 

Since I'm a sucker for free shipping promotions, I also purchased the Colds and Flu survival kit, since I have a feeling it's going to be a loooong winter on the illness front. Luckily we haven't had to bust it out yet, but I am actually looking forward to trying it when the time comes. The kit includes California Baby's Colds and Flu bubble bath, massage oil, and spritzer spray, all of which are enhanced with essential oils of Douglas Fir and Eucalyptus. I'll keep you posted!

I was not provided with any of the above products for review purposes, I purchased them for our own use. These opinions are strictly mine and I am in no way affiliated with California Baby.