Soaps & Shampoos

• Most babies need their hair shampooed minimally or not at all during their first year. When you decide to begin using shampoo on your baby's hair, use mild shampoos with few chemicals. Avoid products that contain the diethanolamine, or DEA, or phthalates. Products that are safe for infants are usually marketed as such. Examples include California Baby and Nurture my Body Baby Care.
  
  

Soaps

• As with shampoo, soap is not required for very young infants -- warm water will usually do the trick. When you must use soap, select a mild soap with olive oil, coconut oil or palm oil. Never use antibacterial soaps. Avoid scented soaps; these usually contain a higher concentration of potentially harmful chemicals.
  
  

Lotions & Oils

• Lotions and oils are great for soothing your baby's skin irritation and rashes. Two moisturizing ingredients that are generally considered safe for a baby's skin are chamomile and aloe. As with shampoos, avoid products that contain DEA or long lists of chemicals. Also avoid products that contain lanolin, a fatty substance that often contains pesticides.
  
  

Baby Powder

• Baby powders, which are most commonly used to treat diaper rash, usually contain talc. Talcum powder may contain asbestos, which has been linked to cancer in scientific studies. If you want to avoid using talc to treat diaper rash, consider applying zinc oxide and chamomile lotion to the affected area and allowing it to receive plenty of air.