As parents, we know the first five years of a child’s life are the foundation for developing knowledge, skills, behavior and emotions. One of the first ways babies experience the world is through touch – making their tender, delicate skin, and its care, so significant to their overall health and development. The grooming rituals created during this formative time translate into a healthy lifestyle for the future.

Touch is your baby’s most highly developed sense at birth, and was the first sense her brain registered in the womb.  The act of touch is more than gentle expression of love, it allows you to reassure, nurture and build your baby’s cognitive and physical strengths – instrumental to a robust immune system.

“Being touched and caressed, being massaged, is food for the infant.  Food as necessary as minerals, vitamins, and proteins.” Frederick Leboyer, M.D.

Massage can influence your baby’s hormone levels, elevating oxytocin, to help her respond positively to stressful situations.  The result is a stronger immune system that is more prepared to handle the challenges in our environment today.

More easy tips for reducing chemical exposure and boosting immunity:

1. Wash hands!  Simple and still the most effective preventative against the spread of germs.  Natural antibacterials such as thyme oil and orange extract offer added benefits – but a good, all natural soapy scrubbing using warm water is more than sufficient!
2. Eat a rainbow! Colorful foods are high in antioxidants — powerful nutrients that help fuel the body’s immune system.
3. Go barefoot!  Shoes harbor pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals.  Take shoes off outside to reduce indoor pollution.
4. Choose all-natural products.  But, if you can’t, skip the baby shampoo and just use water and a washcloth.  Pediatricians have long recommended plain old water as the simplest method for keeping baby clean. If you don’t have access to products that are free from harmful chemicals, then skip them.

As with all healthy habits, creating good grooming routines during the first five formative years have lasting positive benefits for both body and mind. What we teach our children when they are young, is our gift to them as they flourish.

The front line defenses of the immune system are located at the respiratory system (lungs), the digestive system (stomach) and the skin.  These three areas are where harmful elements such as germs, viruses and toxins are introduced into the body, so it is no surprise they are where our body’s strongest defenses are housed.  One important way to reduce the immune systems’ workload is to reduce the body’s need to process everyday, unnecessary chemicals at these points of entry.   A simple way to think about this, and help improve your child’s immunity, is to decrease the chemicals that go IN, ON and AROUND your baby’s body.

1. In- Food: To help prevent the build-up of toxins in your baby’s body, you can provide her with natural and organic food that is grown without the use of pesticides and dangerous fertilizers.  BONUS:  Organic ingredients are naturally more potent antioxidants – as much as 30% more – so the free radicals our bodies are exposed to (and produce) are offset better and faster by choosing organic ingredients.  DOUBLE DUTY: Specific food choices affect the skin (the “ON” category). Nearly any skin condition can be improved with better circulation and more efficient toxin elimination. Circulation and toxin elimination control how the skin gets the oxygen and nutrients it needs to heal and how hard it has to work to help the body stay healthy. Choose brightly colored, natural foods to best support your skin’s immunity and even to boost natural sun protection from the inside out!

2. On- About 70% of what goes on your skin goes in, and can hit your bloodstream in 30 seconds.  And, about 30% of unscheduled visits to the pediatrician are caused by a scary skin problem that probably could have been avoided. Further, eczema rates in babies and kids are reaching 25% now where they were only 5% 20 years ago.

Skin Care Products: Typical skin care products can be drying and filled with harsh (even toxic) chemicals. When developing baby skin is dehydrated, under-nourished, cracked, irritated or disrupted, whole body immunity can be compromised. You can wash your baby’s hair and body with baby wash that is free from harsh chemicals.

Avoid Fragrances!  The word “fragrance” in personal care products can indicate upwards of 4000 chemicals that are not required to be listed on an ingredient label. Synthetic fragrances are used to make goods such as fabrics and cleaning supplies smell more “appealing”. These fragrances are usually generated with a mix of chemicals including benzene, ammonia, ethylene glycol, and other petroleum based synthetics that are known toxins or carcinogens.

Avoid Petrochemicals! Mineral oil, petroleum jelly, and paraffin wax are examples of petrochemicals. The production and disposal of these ingredients is damaging to our environment and they may contain toxic byproducts like 1-4 dioxane.

3. Around-  Household cleaning products, paints, carpets and even furniture can emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) into the air and are considered a primary source of indoor air pollution.  VOCs, including formaldehyde, ammonia and acetone, can harm eyes, nose, throat, liver, kidneys, and cause nausea, headaches, and loss of coordination. Here are a few ways to avoid them:

Cleaning Supplies and Fabrics: Choose household cleaning products that are effective without generating ammonia vapors. Wash clothing without bleach and artificial fragrances.

Seek Out Natural Materials! Natural fabric materials like wool, cotton, silk, hemp, bamboo, and linen are better for the body because they are breathable and better for planet due to safer production and disposal. Plus, there are organic options that further reduce the chemical load for both the body and the planet. Rayon is a good synthetic choice because it’s made from cellulose, not petrochemicals like polyester, acrylic and nylon.

As a parent, you can carefully select hydrating, nourishing and protective all-natural ingredients, which specifically and safely help support skin immunity proper moisture and nutritional balance to support skin health.

Many nutrients applied to the skin are absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed throughout the body. Unfortunately, the same is true for harmful chemicals that are remarkably prevalent in personal care products – even those marketed for babies.

Here are some healthy ingredients to look for:

Probiotics: Probiotics support healthy bacteria that are necessary for the skin’s strength and immune system. They are particularly important for eczema or other bothered skin conditions.

Organics: Organic ingredients have more nutritional value for the skin with greater antioxidant capabilities than their non-organic counterparts.

Natural Fruit Extracts: With the high polyphenol content found in natural fruit butters and extracts, you can soothe your baby’s skin, benefiting from fruit’s super antioxidant properties.

While many parents worry about their kids’ exposure to the chemicals and pollutants found in food and the air, the absorption of toxins through the skin is a health risk that is often overlooked. Skin acts as our barrier to the environment, but it is designed to be permeable – meaning substances both healthy and unhealthy pass through the skin into the body.

Health risks including increased rates of cancer, allergies, mental illness, nervous system disorders, endocrine dysfunction and many others have been unequivocally linked to the increased chemicals present in our environment.  While everyone is at risk from such exposure, babies and young children pay the highest price.

This year’s flu strain is making headlines.  While the media debates the effectiveness and safety of the upcoming vaccine for our children, we’d like to add to your toolbox with a few natural approaches to preventing sickness and boosting immunity!

The skin is part of the body’s immune system, responsible for three specific functions.

1. Barrier Immunity – the skin is a permeable barrier.  It is designed to keep out and move out stuff the body does need, like dirt, germs, bacteria and waste. Skin care ingredients that help create a stronger barrier include fruit butters (like Shea) and most importantly, probiotics.

2. Antimicrobial Immunity – the skin has natural antimicrobial and antibacterial properties that can defend against germs and bacteria on its surface. Skin care ingredients with known antimicrobial properties like thyme and orange oils can boost the skin’s natural protection.

3. Assistive Immunity – the skin helps the body identify, recognize and remember germs and bacteria for the rest of the body to be able to initiate a well-targeted immune response for both the first and future encounters. Skin care ingredients like flax, borage and primrose oils are rich in essential fatty acids which are moisturizing and essential to keep the skin from drying out. Colostrum is another wonderful ingredient that supports skin immunity.

The body’s immune system — its basic protective mechanisms — are dependent upon healthy skin. As a parent, your selection of pure, natural and organic baby skin care products, as well as adherence to healthy skin care rituals, is critically important to your child’s health.  Radiant, healthy skin not only looks great, but works to keep your baby’s body strong. With proper natural skin care, respect for the body can be instilled from birth and result in lasting health, grace, and confidence.

is more than a protective cover, its healthy condition is vital to the functions of our whole immune system. In addition to creating a barrier against the elements, the skin houses immune cells and produces antibodies.  It is also one of the body’s 3 main systems for eliminating toxins, along with the lungs and digestive system. Therefore, naturally healthy skincare is essential to supporting your baby’s immune system.

Supporting skin immunity is a tool in your arsenal to battle all kinds of illness, even colds and flu. Many don’t know the skin plays a vital role in immunity, or that proper skin care can indeed contribute to overall health.

Dry, cracked skin is typical in winter months.  More than annoying, these conditions leave the body more susceptible to viruses and bacteria that circulate from contact and through the air. When developing skin is dehydrated, under-nourished, cracked, irritated or disrupted, whole body immunity can be compromised.

Keep the skin well supported with 3 simple steps. For best protection, the first step is to start with a moisturizing cleanser, then second, nourish the skin (ideally in two phases) with a water and then an oil infused moisturizer – like an aloe vera based cream, followed by an essential fatty acid rich lotion. Then third, defend the skin with protective balms with a mild SPF factor – especially the facial area where skin is most exposed to the ravages of dry air and temperature changes.

Keeping skin healthy and hydrated is an important step in supporting the whole body’s immunity!

The recent news may cause you to have questions about the products you are using to care for your baby’s skin and hair.  But I urge moms to go beyond the boycott. Choose all-natural products.  But, if you can’t, skip the baby shampoo and just use water and a washcloth.  Pediatricians have long recommended plain old water as the simplest method for keeping baby clean. If you don’t have access to products that are free from harmful chemicals, then skip them. You absolutely have that option. But if you do use baby care products, here are some things you can look out for.

1. I agree that harsh chemicals have no place on baby skin – or anyone’s skin for that matter – because 70 percent of what goes on the skin can be absorbed into the body very quickly.  Choosing products made only of all natural ingredients is a positive, actively healthy step.
2. Reading labels takes effort – no question – but, if the ingredients are naturally derived, they should be pretty easy to understand.  The best product labels list the chemical AND common name of natural ingredients.
3. When choosing baby lotion, avoid petroleum-based products, such as mineral oil.  Instead, look for plant-based oils such as olive, sunflower, avocado or jojoba because, in addition to moisturizing and lubricating the skin, they have actively healthy antioxidants and other good-for-you nutrients.
4. Your nose doesn’t always know.  An easy way to identify chemicals in personal care products is the ingredient “fragrance”  a compound of up to several thousand chemicals – some quite harmful.  If a product contains fragrance, it likely contains other questionable chemical ingredients.
5. Parents should know skin plays an important role in our overall health and immunity, so taking care of it is important.
6. All natural, actively healthy skincare formulas that are free from the bad stuff are more available and more affordable than ever before.  But if, for whatever reason, those products aren’t available to you – remember warm water and a wash cloth does a fine job!

So the moment of truth arrives.  The reality is, a lot of kids really don’t like and resist applying sunscreen.  I know, I have two boys and sometimes it is a frustrating process.  Patience, as with all things, is key.  So is a bit of understanding and good old fashioned ingenuity.  Here’s a bit of mine.

It’s important to remember that most kids are very visual and literal. They learn best through and enjoy multi-sensory experiences. Remember, kids need more time than adults to process information and they will always be more proactive and engaged if they are empowered to make choices on their own.  A few thoughts:

The Gift Of Time:   Don’t rush them through the application process – again, they need more time to process information.

The Sunscreen Place: Find a place in or around your house where clean up is easy or not an issue.  You want to make children a part of the process from an early age, which can get a little messy.  Make sunscreen a fun, actively healthy ritual, not a rushed afterthought.

Start with one body part:  Let them choose it – and give them enough product to make it happen.  It engages them, gives them a task and empowers them to be responsible for taking care of themselves.  It also keeps them busy while you slather the rest of their body.  I also let them “paint” my face or arms with sunscreen; why not? I can use all the help I can get and it keeps them entertained and engaged in the process.

Kids learn by example: Make sure they see you apply your own sunscreen.  Talk about sunburn and sun damage as health risks.  Make the correlation by presenting examples of how the oxidation occurs, show them rusty metal, let them smell a rancid oil and show them pictures of what happens to skin from sun damage – photoaged skin.

The Power of Choice:  If your kids continue to object to sunscreen, give them the choice not to use it – with the choice being that they must stay in the shade. Kids like to make their own choices. If they sit on the sidelines at the beach long enough, they will eventually make their own choice to apply the sunscreen so they can go splash in the water or kick the ball or what have you. Don’t let the battle be about applying the product, make it about staying out of the sun.

I’ve enjoyed this week’s journey with you on the topic of sunscreen.  I got to catch up on the industry buzz as well as listen to some of your biggest concerns in the process. I truly embrace the opportunity to hear your feedback and love to get questions from parents about skincare for babies and kids. You are most welcome to join in our conversation on facebook.  You can also find a library of my skincare articles on our website.

We all have heard the phrase, beauty begins on the inside.  But did you know you can actually decrease the risk of sunburn by loading up on fruits and veggies and other nutrient rich foods?  Its true!

The foods you choose to eat can significantly enhance your skin’s ability to protect itself from environmental damage, including sunburn.  An organic, antioxidant rich diet that is filled with brightly colored, nutrient rich foods gives the skin cells an added measure of protection against free radicals.

What are free radicals?  Simply put, it is a molecule that “steals” an electron from an oxygen molecule, destabilizing that molecule – which then seeks out an electron from a neighboring stable molecule causing a chain reaction called “oxidizing.”  You’ve probably seen evidence of oxidization; its called rust when you see it on metal surfaces and it certainly isn’t something you want to encourage happening in your body.  Science has linked free radical damage to DNA destruction and mutation, the aging process and a host of chronic health conditions.   Antioxidants are valuable nutrients that neutralize this process…stop it in its tracks on a molecular and cellular level.  You probably recognize most of them:

• Vitamins A including beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein
• Vitamins C and E
• Minerals Zinc and Selenium
• EFAs a.k.a. Essential Fatty Acids or Omega 3s
• Flavanoids such as pycnogenol,  grape seed extract
• Polyphenols from aromatic spices such as curcumin (found in curry)

Antioxidants are abundantly available in fresh fruits and vegetables and they work wonders to protect the health of skin and can help it heal more quickly.  Organic fruits and veggies have an estimated 30% more antioxidant power and nutritional value than conventionally grown counterparts.   Keeping your diet loaded with antioxidant-rich foods – primarily from raw fruits and vegetables – can boost the skin’s resistance to sunburn by up to 30-40 percent in some cases.

This doesn’t mean you should go without sunscreen.  But in the ongoing effort to achieve balance between free radical damage and important Vitamin D production (both require exposure to UV rays), it is good to know you have other options.    While UV exposure is the most efficient way for the body to get the Vitamin D it needs, there are dietary sources including fortified milk and butter, oils, wild tuna/salmon, and sprouted seeds.

But, let’s say you blow it and you and the kids get sunburned.   That same antioxidant-rich diet – with a few additions – can help speed healing.  A few things to look out for:

• The phytochemicals from brightly colored fruits and vegetables (think blueberries and bell peppers – YUM) help prevent infection and boost healing, providing protection from burns. I know when I’m hot – cool, crunchy and sweet really feel and taste great.
• L-Cysteine is an amino acid found in high protein foods and garlic, broccoli and wheat germ promotes healing of burns.
• Of course, hydration is key.  And with a particularly bad burn you will want to look for those with some sodium and potassium and both are lost with your body’s effort to cool itself on overdrive.
• Don’t go crazy, but add a few extra calories to your diet; your body needs the extra energy while it heals itself.

Something else to be aware of in preventing sunburn:  Some prescription drugs can make the skin more susceptible to sunburn including: antibiotics, antidepressants, diuretics, antihistamines, sedatives, estrogen and acne medications (e.g., retinoic acid).  If you are planning a sun-filled vacation, it is important to ask your pharmacist if any of your family’s medications have photosensitivity as a side effect.

Over the past 150,000 years, skin color has evolved depending on the migration patterns of our ancestors.   Skin pigmentation changed to ensure our ability to adapt to new environmental and geographical regions.  As civilizations and technology evolved, making it far easier to move from one place to another, we migrated out toward the poles, dispersing ourselves from the equatorial latitudes of tropical Africa, South America and Asia. Today, recognizing how well your skin color fits with your chosen environment is especially important to your health.

Often we choose to live in places our skin is not well suited for – who doesn’t want to live where it is warm and sunny all the time? But, this can create potential health risks if we aren’t careful.  In our ancestors, melanin production (the body’s natural sun protection) was directly proportional to exposure from the sun’s powerful ultra violet rays (UVR). Our bodies actually need UVR exposure in order for our skin to produce Vitamin D, which is a vital nutrient for bone development and other critical body and cell functions.  But UVR is also highly destructive to Folic Acid, a B vitamin that is essential for DNA production and maintenance.  So, we’re locked into a Catch 22 between protecting our skin and DNA and also ensuring we get enough UVR to support our body’s need for Vitamin D.  What is a person to do?

Fortunately for our ancestors, nature had an answer.  As people migrated from areas where UVR exposure from sun is the strongest, the skin began to lighten (produce less melanin), to permit the right balance between Vitamin D synthesis and DNA protection.

Because of the mutually exclusive needs to produce Vitamin D and protect DNA, there is a very clear cartographic relationship between skin color and latitude. The farther away from the equator your ancestors lived, the lighter their skin became.  As a side note of interest, though skin color has long been used to identify a person’s ethnic background, skin color is not genetically linked to any race – it simply indicates where your ancestors live in relation to the equator (where the highest levels of UVR exist).

There is a lot of public awareness about using sunscreen, but much less is said about how sunscreen can prevent Vitamin D production and lead to serious health problems. Understanding this relationship between skin color and vitamin D production can help you make informed decisions about your family’s skincare and eating routines to actively maintain health.  For example, a fair-skinned child living in Africa might suffer DNA damage from over-exposure to UVRs and, therefore, extra attention should be given to sun protection. Conversely, a dark-skinned child living in Finland might need substantial quantities of vitamin D in their diet to prevent calcium deficiencies and maintain the many other essential functions that depend on an ample supply of vitamin D.

Getting vitamin D from dietary sources can be a challenge as the best nutritive sources are certain types of fish and fortified dairy products.  Consequently, there is a global epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency.   Some are at greater risk than others. The darker your child’s skin, the more sun exposure and/or supplementation is needed to produce sufficient quantities of Vitamin D. Knowledge about skin color and the health factors related to it allows us to take the necessary measures to ensure proper health for all.

Today we’re going to define some terms and talk about some of the ugly truths about the sunscreen industry.  Some of it may seem familiar, but read carefully – those labels can be pretty tricky.  Here’s a primer on what to look for which choosing safe, effective products for your little ones.

UVA vs UVB

An SPF product should protect from both UVA and UVB rays. But did you know that the FDA doesn’t require UVA protection? This is one of those times when reading labels is important; it’s up to you to make sure your product provides both. UVA refers to the wavelengths of sunlight that cause photoaging, UVB refers to rays of light that cause the burn. A good way to remember is uvA for Aging and uvB for Burn.

The good news is natural sunscreen ingredients including zinc and titanium protect from both UVA and UVB overexposure, so look for one or both of those ingredients.

Mineral vs Chemical Ingredients in Safe Sunscreen

A natural mineral (aka physical) block is, by far, the safest option to get your SPF. The minerals zinc and titanium sit on the skin’s surface and reflect sunrays out away from the body like tin foil. Chemical ingredients are absorbed into the skin to deal with sunrays in a chemically reactive process in the skin cell itself, with potentially unintended and harmful consequences to the skin and body.

Chemical sunscreen ingredients such as Aminobenzoic Acid, Octyl Methoxycinnamate (OMC), Ethylhexyl p-Methoxycinnamate, Cinoxate, Dioxybenzone, Homosalate, Octocrylene, Octinoxate, Octisalate, and Oxybenzone are designed to work within the cells of the body.  Most manufacturers continue to use these ingredients despite higher incidents of contact irritation to the skin and known adverse effects on the body systems because they are inexpensive, invisible on the skin, and easier to formulate.

Once these chemicals have done their job, the body must expend extra energy to eliminate them and any byproducts.  This is unnecessary with natural sunscreen ingredients.  Most chemical sunscreens protect only against UVB ray damage. More alarming is the fact that many of chemical sunscreen ingredients mimic estrogens (xenoestrogens) and may cause hormone-related developmental problems in young children.

And now…a little chemistry lesson: Nanoparticles

As you increase your awareness of safety issues related to the skincare ingredients, you will probably run into warnings about nanoparticles – which some personal care product manufacturers use and can represent a potential health hazard.  Nanoparticles, particularly those of metallic ingredients, are so small that they are able to pass through the wall, or membrane, of cells in the body and into the bloodstream. Medical science does not yet fully understand the complications and risks associated with nanoparticles but it has been linked to liver damage, Alzheimer’s and other health problems.

Because mineral-based sunscreens use metals such as Zinc and Titanium as the active ingredient, it is helpful to understand that a particle of nano size is not the same thing as a nano particle.

A nano particle is any particle less than 100 nanometers in diameter (across). This can be confusing as a nano-sized material is not necessarily a nanoparticle. For example, a bulk ingredient material that has been reduced to 500 nanometers is NOT a nanoparticle because it is 5 times larger than 100 nanometers. As a point of reference, a particle must be less than 50 nanometers (a nanoparticle) to enter skin cells; less than 70 nanometers to enter the lungs.

Trying to fit a 100 nanometer particle into the skin cell membrane is like trying to force a baseball through a hole the size of a ping-pong ball. It is physically impossible. So, when choosing a chemical-free sunscreen, it is important to ensure that the manufacturer does NOT use nanoparticles of zinc or titanium.