Baby Love

Soon after my mother found out that she was pregnant with me she won a pink baby bath in a raffle. She took this as an omen that she was having a girl. When my mother told me this story very recently it chilled me to the bone. You see, I'm pregnant with my first child and hearing about the pink baby bath reminded me that I'd have to wash it. That thought alone robbed the sleep from me on more than one night. As an only child I've never had much to do with babies. Until I hit my thirties I couldn't understand the appeal at all, they were things with no volume control that were constantly evacuating from one orifice or another. Something strange happened around my thirtieth birthday and suddenly the loveliness and gorgeousness of infants became apparent. However, I was still able to hand them back to their doting (or deranged) parents once the squalling and wholesale evacuation began. No one was ever stupid enough to ask me to bathe their child for them.

And now, I'm going to become a mother myself it will be up to me to do it all. The feeding bit I think I can manage, even the nappies although something I am not looking forward to are not an insurmountable issue, but the bathing... I'm terrified of drowning my offspring, or scalding it or doing something equally horrible or fatal. Babies, as anyone who has had one will tell you, don't come with a handbook. My mother is quietly amused by all of this. Of course she is, I can't blame her. I'd see the funny side myself if it wasn't me.

However on the up side I soon realized that aside from the usual benefits of being a Mommy a whole new world of retail therapy was about to open it's doors to me. I've already started pawing at miniature shoes and socks, felt up the fabric of diminutive denims, oohed and aahed over teeny-tiny onesies but superstition and an ignorance of the baby's sex have kept me from purchasing anything. It doesn't stop at clothing and Winnie the Pooh cot covers, there's a whole range of special products for keeping baba clean. In preparation for the inevitable moment when I will have to plunge my child into water I took a look at some of the specialty items for keeping babies and children clean. A far cry from when I was a child and the only bath product specially designed for us was 'Matey' a bubble bath that came in a bottle shaped like a sailor (the cap of the bottle doubled as his hat). Apparently there was a Miss Matey a few years later but by then I'd already moved on to more adult bubbles, like the wonderful Zents Sun Bath Salts ($18) a gorgeous smelling luxury soak that I'll tell you more about in an upcoming column.

But back to the babaland, let's take a look at some of the lovely potions and lotions that are available for kids today. Circle of Friends is a professional hair, bath and body line designed especially for kids. The company was set up by Moms to give children not only professional products but to challenge active growing minds. Each Circle of Friends bottle depicts a 'friend' from a different part of the world. The individual products are named after the 'friend' depicted on the bottle and there is an accompanying story about that 'friend' on the back of the bottle. The stories tell about the life of the character and what its like in their part of the world, so making these products both fun and educational.

One thing I do know about small children, something I can remember vividly from my own childhood, is that generally they hate having their hair washed. All Circle of Friends shampoos are tearless and should help hassled parents to get their kids hair clean without tears and tantrums. Shampoos are formulated for different hair types, Bonita's Banana 2-in-1 Shampoo ($8) and Hans' Blueberry 2-in1 Shampoo ($8) are both good for long, thick or curly hair. Chehn's Mandarin Orange Shampoo ($8) or Rosa's Raspberry Shampoo ($8) are recommended for fine or normal hair and are ideal for daily washing, if you have a child who allows you to wash its hair daily that is. If your child is the sporty type and likes swimming George's Swimmers' Shampoo ($8) is ideal for dealing with chlorine and its side effects. Circle of Friends have just added a very yummy product to their line. Klunie's Chocolate Shampoo ($8) should be enough to tempt the most reluctant child into having its hair washed.

Most Moms will be able to tell you that the tears don't necessarily stop as soon as their child's hair is clean. Ever heard a child that's having the tangles combed out of their hair? Yep, it's not pleasant. Luckily Circle of Friends has a whole range of products to help keep kids hair tangle free. There are two conditioners, Chehn's Mandarin Orange Conditioner ($8) a rinse out conditioner which helps with overall hair manageability and Marisol's Melon Leave-in Conditioner ($8) which works especially well with dry or curly hair. Circle of Friends also have a range of Detanglers, an instant spray to help provide a quick and easy solution to knotted and twisted tresses.

Circle of Friends also have a fantastic line of bubble baths and shower gels (each $7) each of which are formulated so as to be safe for all skin types and are completely free of Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfates (a common foaming agent that can irritate sensitive skin). Sophia's Ciao Bella Bubble Bath is peach scented, Maria's Buenas Noches Bubble Bath is melon-scented and contains extracts of Vanilla, Cucumber and Mango, and Tommy & Sean's Home Run Root Beer Shower Gel smells of, yes you've guessed it, root beer! Tommy and Sean are from New Jersey, Sophia is Italian and Maria is Spanish. I bet you think that Ireland, as is so often the case, has been ignored by the makers of Circle of Friends. Not so, Lachlan's Shamrock Suds is a pear-scented bubble bath which contains Aloe Vera and Vitamin E. (I don't know what pear's have to do with being Irish but they do smell a lot better than extract of shamrock).

My absolute favourite of all the Circle of Friends products is without doubt the Sudsy Sponge range. Each duck-shaped Sudsy Sponge ($6.50) is infused with an all-natural glycerine and olive oil-based soap. Even when the soap is gone the sponge can still be used with other yummy smelling Circle of Friends products. Forget kids, this is a product that can be used by kids and adults alike. (Come on seriously, why should the small people have all the fun?) There are six Sudsy Sponges - Chehn's Mandarin Orange, Ana's Banana, Susie's Root Beer, Niklas' Mint Chocolate, Natasha's Raspberry and Han's Blueberry. Apart from the fun factor and the educational value of Circle of Friends products the company is one which sponsors a number of different child-related charities and charitable events.

Being a parent, or a child for that matter, isn't all fun and games. Kids are always getting into scrapes and getting scraped. Mine will be different as I plan to wrap it in cotton wool the day it is born and keep it that way until it can vote. However, failing that there are some products around to help keep baba and child in good physical nick. The Circle of Friends Little Docs line has products to help deal with childhood eczema and irritated skin. Unfortunately eczema is more common among children and babies than you'd imagine with an estimated 24% of children up to the age of 15 suffering from it. Along with asthma and hay fever, eczema is the most common disease of childhood. Symptoms are, to say the least nasty, and include dry itchy scaly skin, cracks behind the ears and rashes on the cheeks, arms and legs.

I've experienced eczema once in my life. Last year when I was on the road promoting my book I got a small patch of it above one of my eyebrows, (stress apparently). Not only was it unsightly but it was extremely uncomfortable. I would hate to imagine the discomfort of a small child or infant inflicted with it on their body. The Little Docs products are dermatologist and allergy tested as well as being free of Sodium Laurel/Laureth Sulfate, synthetic fragrance, dyes, propylene glycol, alcohol, soy, nut oils, gluten, oat and dairy. In short anything that is likely to provoke an allergic reaction. As with Circle of Friends products each Little Docs product has it's own special character or 'friend'. The Little Docs range consists of a Soothing Shampoo & Body Wash ($9), a Cooling Spray Lotion ($10) a non-greasy moisturizing lotion which gives immediate relief and helps comfort dry, irritated and itchy skin; Calming Cream ($10.50) a light non-greasy moisturizing cream which has a high level of Vitamin A to help the skin's natural water -barrier keep moisture in. It also contains soothing Aloe Vera, Calendula, Chamomile and Vitamin E. Little Docs have an Eczema & Irritated Skin Trial Size Kit ($10) which contains sample sizes of all three of the products listed above. And, Little Docs products are equally effective on Moms as they are on kids.

California Baby also has a Baby Eczema Treatment Regimen which includes California Baby Super Sensitive Shampoo and Body Wash ($9.95), California Baby Calendula Cream ($10) and California Baby Soothing & Healing Spray ($9.95) an easy to use mist which contains ultra-hydrating ingredients such as Aloe Vera and Yucca.

Anyone with irritated skin or skin problems will probably be aware of the Aquaphor from Eucerin line. Now there's Baby Aquaphor to help deal with any problems your baby's delicate skin might have. They recently increased the line to include Aquaphor Baby Gentle Wash ($5.99), a clinically-tested soap-free cleanser created for daily use. This new addition to the line is gentle enough to use on irritated skin or on children with eczema. The other addition to the line, Aquaphor Healing Ointment ($16.99) can be used in a number of different ways - to prevent and treat diaper rash, to sooth everyday irritations on baby's skin, to heal chafed skin from drooling and to calm dry skin associated with Atopic Dermatitis. Atopic Dermatitis causes extremely dry, itchy patches on the face, scalp and diaper area. It can also cause red, scaly, itchy skin on the backs of knees, ankles and wrists. Needless to say your child's first reaction will be to scratch at these areas and that will make the infection worse. Aquaphor Healing Ointment will help to ease these flare-ups and help prevent scratching which might lead to infection or bleeding.

So now that I have my bathroom cupboard stocked against any eventuality all I need is someone to come and bath the baby for me. Any takers?