Hey guys, for those of you who are already done or almost done with shopping.. what brand did you go for when it came to baby products - shampoo, body wash, diaper creme, baby oil or lotion..

The only brand I am aware of is gerber, are there other/better options out there??????
all this trying to decide is harder than I thought it would be.. Simmi replied. Hi Avi.

Well, after reading everyones' suggestion, here is what we do in UK. Scented products are not recommended for babies from birth. Oil and warm water dip and wipe cleans the baby as baby only gets dirty when the nappy gets dirty, which we wipe clean anyways. And when u do start using the baby bath liquid (e.g. J&J) we get from head to toe, which is lighter than shampoo to use on baby's soft hair and scalp.
About breast feeding, it was recommended exclusive for 4 mths but this yr they r saying exclusive for 6 mths breast feed and introduce food after that. Of course each baby is different and if u get enough milk to start with it is better at least for first few mths that u try to give no bottle, as baby would make a choice and then may not take breast milk at all. Babies don't tend to be natural at bottle concept from birth. My friend tried to juggle between the two from very early and had great trouble even when her son got older to get him to feed from the bottle.
Babies do take to the bottle if trained after some mths, of course not after too long.
Of course, there are only recommendations, what one actually does, would depend on the gut feel of the mum! U r the best at judging what suits u and the babes.
BTW, about formula, we have different varieties too but the suggestion is to try one and if the baby likes it, stick with it or try another till the time baby takes to one of them. So don't buy in bulk, like Vandana said.
Hope this helps.
Simmi hetal replied. j&j is better than any one for us if it in india than for india`s weather this option not work better as i listen and abt bessan flour with haldi is very better than soup do to using bassan with huldi and milk the skin of baby is glowing well and unlike hair of baby is also removed so once in week or alternate week that is better and also i go for Baby dove and for shampoo and all j& j is best Vandana replied. Hi Avi, I have not started buying baby bath and other products yet, but I feel most std. brands are pretty comparable. Have been warned about one thing by most of my friends though, dont buy anything in a large qty. initially bcos not all babies adjust to all brands. sp. diapers and wipes, have heard of lotsa lil' ones being allergic/not fitting well to a particular brand etc. so its best we go trial n error with smaller packs in the beginning, and once we know it suits 'em fine we can buy in bulk.

Hope this helps
Vandana Priya replied. Hey,
This is what I am planning ( its worked for several of my friends with babies)...feed the baby breast milk exclusively till about 4 months if possible. Once day care starts, we can introduce maybe 1 bottle of formula ( avoid completely if pos.). Then go onto solids. by month 5 or so.
If baby grows well on breast milk alone, then formula is not an absolute necessity.
regarding brands..I'm not sure yet.
P Priya replied. Hi Avi,
I have a lot of the J & J products that were given to me during my shower. I was told at my newborn baby class to stay away from scented products for the early days. New borns also don't actually need soap or lotion until 4 weeks onward. Just wash cloth and warm water should do the trick.
Yeah, Mom mentioned the besan bath, but I think she's not picky about how to do stuff.
I'll look in my New born class handouts and look for other things they suggested.
Priya Avi replied. Vindhya, my mom was suggesting using some flour thingy too(not sure if it was pea flour), she said that most newborns in India are bathed using that...but she also said that newborns are given a bath as soon as they are brought home .... Here,we are asked not give a bath till the cord heals (only sponge baths).. so I dont know how viable her suggestion is...

I am sure I will have some of them back and forth's about what/what not to do with my mom... I hope not...

Arshiys, thanks for the suggestion... Johnson and Johnson has been around for a while now and so it must be good.... Formula, oh my god didn't think about it at all... doesn't a pediatrician suggest using one over another??????? Vindhya replied. Avi & Arshiya,

I 've heard good reviews about J&J. One of my friend is using pea flour and turmeric to wash the baby. Her mom is here who doesn't suggest using shampoo or soap that early. Had you heard of this?

Vindhya Arshiya replied. Hey Avi,

Baby Bargains didn't suggest anything for baby toiletries. But, my friends had told me Johnson & Johnson is the best for all these things. Also, my friend works for this company, so I have bought tons of these things from her. I am pretty sure Gerber might not be a bad brand either.
Also, Have you decided on the which formula to use?

Arshiya Avi replied. Arshiya, does the baby bargains book you have suggest one brand over another????