Baby oil vs Coconut oil

kinnonam · January 2016

Hi mama anyone planning on using coconut oil vs baby oil on baby? Are there any differences between using them for baby? I plan on using coconut oil as I use it for everything.

ohbaby714 · January 2016

I never even really had the need for baby oil. I actually never bought any or got it as a shower gift and I've never felt without. DD did get some dry flakey skin on her hands from constantly having them in her mouth and I did use coconut oil on them and put those baby mittens over her hands.

Mamacat316 · January 2016

Coconut oil is FAR superior to baby oil, in my opinion. I use it for everything, but when I had my son two years ago we did a baby massage course and the instructor spoke constantly about how gross baby oil actually is - it's a byproduct of petroleum and is not really able to be absorbed by human skin, so it just kind of sits on top and clogs pores. I use olive oil a lot too since it's cheaper than coconut. almond is also great. Skin, hair, lips, nipples, all over baby after a bath...

Shortcircuit1984 · January 2016

I'm just bringing olive oil to the hospital for the meconium. I'm not planning on using oils in other instances.

Kiek · January 2016

I use coconut oil for everything with my first. Baby oil is probably fine but I never used it so I have no experience. I already use coconut oil for so many other things so I didn't feel the need to buy another kind of oil

charliegoldengirl · January 2016

Shortcircuit1984 said:
I'm just bringing olive oil to the hospital for the meconium. I'm not planning on using oils in other instances.

What do you do with it ?

VitaLuna · January 2016

You really shouldn't use baby oil on babies. Coconut oil is fine, but I never found the need to use much moisturizer on DD, except for her cheeks in winter or when she got rashy spots... In which case we used coconut oil or EMAB lotion.

We didn't bathe/soap DD very often as an infant. They don't need it and the frequent soaping really isn't good for their skin.

Shortcircuit1984 · January 2016

charliegoldengirl said:

Shortcircuit1984 said:
I'm just bringing olive oil to the hospital for the meconium. I'm not planning on using oils in other instances.
What do you do with it ?

I heard you just put a little on the baby's bottom to avoid the meconium from sticking - when you do diaper changes until it passes

MamaFroFro · January 2016

Coconut oil all the way!!!

MississippiCatfish · January 2016

I've never had good luck with coconut oil - it absorbs so quickly, at least on my kid's skin, that it doesn't form any kind of barrier to protect their skin. It basically disappears right away for us. I've never tried baby oil, though, so I can't compare the two. We've never seen a need for too much lotion or oil - partly luck and partly that we don't use a whole lot of soap on our kids bodies unless they're actually dirty (even though they take a bath every night because they love to.)

strlitemiss · January 2016

Coconut oil all the way.

Shortcircuit1984 · January 2016

I'm using olive oil for the meconium but what are you all using oil for?

VitaLuna · January 2016

We used CJs butter for diaper rash prevention. I used the mango sugar one. We it on every diaper change with DD and she rarely had any rash. If she got rashy, we switched to Honest Co diaper rash cream until it cleared up.

https://cjsbutter.us/original-cjs-butter/

g8trkim · January 2016

This is good to know! I never used any kind of oil with either child. I guess we were lucky they didn't have an issue with dry skin and such. When the were infants we really only bathed them every 3 days unless they had a blowout, which helped prevent dry skin. I never heard of using it for meconium either but it seems like a good enough idea. In the hospital you have to check their diaper so much that they never really had a chance for it to stick too badly. I feel like it wasn't that difficult to wipe off.

A&Lmommy · January 2016

I found out the hard way that my daughter had a bad reaction with coconut oil. My friend told me about how great coconut oil is for baby so I tried it when she was a couple months old. She developed dry patches all over her chest, even with bathing her twice a week. Then I tried using coconut oil on myself for healing wounds and realized it doesn't always agree with me either, just made them more irritated.

Katty422 · January 2016

I don't get it. I am a FTM. I have been told no lotions or baby powder for newborns. Even lotions I use that are scented I should not use. I should wash my clothes in the same clean free detergent I use for baby. That being said i don't think I will be using any oils on her. Babies are very sensitive I think dressing them up with baby oil, olive oil, and coconut oil is no good. If someone can tell me why they feel their baby needs oil that would be great.

g8trkim · January 2016

Katty422 said:
I don't get it. I am a FTM. I have been told no lotions or baby powder for newborns. Even lotions I use that are scented I should not use. I should wash my clothes in the same clean free detergent I use for baby. That being said i don't think I will be using any oils on her. Babies are very sensitive I think dressing them up with baby oil, olive oil, and coconut oil is no good. If someone can tell me why they feel their baby needs oil that would be great.

There's definitely a lot of argument against powder. Personally I've never used it or any oils, mostly because there wasn't a need. We've used lotion though. "Dressing them up" makes it sound like you're covering them in it. I think the other posters mean using it when/where needed, not everywhere or all the time.

Edit to add: You will learn what is best for your baby. Yes, some babies have allergies and reactions to things, but for the most part they aren't as sensitive and delicate as you think.

Shortcircuit1984 · January 2016

Katty422 said:
I don't get it. I am a FTM. I have been told no lotions or baby powder for newborns. Even lotions I use that are scented I should not use. I should wash my clothes in the same clean free detergent I use for baby. That being said i don't think I will be using any oils on her. Babies are very sensitive I think dressing them up with baby oil, olive oil, and coconut oil is no good. If someone can tell me why they feel their baby needs oil that would be great.

I'm not planning on using it either but I can see looking into coconut oil of baby gets dry because it's all natural. But, babies don't need to be washed that often so hopefully baby won't get too dry

MamaFroFro · January 2016

Katty422 said:
I don't get it. I am a FTM. I have been told no lotions or baby powder for newborns. Even lotions I use that are scented I should not use. I should wash my clothes in the same clean free detergent I use for baby. That being said i don't think I will be using any oils on her. Babies are very sensitive I think dressing them up with baby oil, olive oil, and coconut oil is no good. If someone can tell me why they feel their baby needs oil that would be great.

I live an extremely dry climate. It sucks the moisture out of your skin. I never used soap on my first, we just used a bit of breastmilk and only bathed occasionally. Still needed something for moisture though and coconut oil worked great. Also used it for diaper rash and my sore nipples. I'm making sure to get it in my diet daily to because it is absolutely great for breast milk as well. Coconut oil is a staple in our house!

VitaLuna · January 2016

Katty422 said:
I don't get it. I am a FTM. I have been told no lotions or baby powder for newborns. Even lotions I use that are scented I should not use. I should wash my clothes in the same clean free detergent I use for baby. That being said i don't think I will be using any oils on her. Babies are very sensitive I think dressing them up with baby oil, olive oil, and coconut oil is no good. If someone can tell me why they feel their baby needs oil that would be great.

Like others have said, you may have a baby with dry patches or irritated spots that need a little something, in which case something natural like coconut oil is preferred. I certainly don't think babies need regular full-body moisturizer, and I agree about not using most "baby" lotions because of the long ingredient lists, including fragrance in many of them.

Kiek · January 2016

It's not like you oil your kid up every day lol. Maybe some moms do, but I don't. My daughter has extremely sensitive skin. She always has. So just about everything gives her hives or rashes. When she gets a diaper rash it almost always clears up with a little coconut oil. Dry skin or dry scalp, I dab a little coconut oil. If I had to use more than a little bit of soap for her bath, I'll cover her with coconut oil. I also found that honest company baby lotion didn't irritate her skin if she needed a little extra moisturizer. I used coconut oil on my nipples because they'd get dried and cracked and I put it on my stretch marks which faded to hardly visible after a few months. It just worked well for us for a whole host of things and has become one of my mommy/baby essentials. Now with my toddler I will dilute lavender oil with coconut oil when she gets a fever and massage it into her scalp and feet to help soothe her and bring down the fever (say what you want about it but it's worked for my kid every time). Put a tablespoon of coconut oil in the bathtub in the winter and it helps keep my toddler's skin from drying out. Those are my main uses for it concerning my kids

blueberrymomma · January 2016

I use coconut oil myself. For cooking, smoothies, and moisturizing my skin. I use baby oil to shave my legs. I never used any oil on DD and like others have said never had a need

Mamacat316 · January 2016

Katty422 said:
I don't get it. I am a FTM. I have been told no lotions or baby powder for newborns. Even lotions I use that are scented I should not use. I should wash my clothes in the same clean free detergent I use for baby. That being said i don't think I will be using any oils on her. Babies are very sensitive I think dressing them up with baby oil, olive oil, and coconut oil is no good. If someone can tell me why they feel their baby needs oil that would be great.

Like others have said, it's not a daily thing - and I live in a very cold place that dries out everyone's skin like crazy. I probably started using baby massage to soothe and calm at around 3-4 months, and would use olive or coconut oil maybe 2-3 times a week. Is this not a thing in the US? Baby massage is crazy popular here and if you have health insurance the classes are almost always covered. Plus, moms get a year of maternity leave, so "maternity leave activities" like baby massage class that get you out of the house and meeting other new moms are always really full.

Shatzegirl · January 2016

My son's pediatrician recommended organic extra virgin olive oil. I'd definitely use that or coconut oil over baby oil.

FriendlySoutherner · January 2016

DH and I both use coconut oil and plan to with LO as well.

PaniaO · January 2016

Q: what about for baby massages? I keep hearing about baby massages before bed--with or without oil?

VitaLuna · January 2016

PaniaO said:
Q: what about for baby massages? I keep hearing about baby massages before bed--with or without oil?

They make baby oil that is good/better for baby than the traditional Johnson's junk that most people think of. One like this, for example: https://earthmamaangelbaby.com/products/angel-baby-oil

Kiek · January 2016

^^^yes, johnsons products give my little hives. Not even planning on trying it with this next baby

Life is Exciting · January 2016

Coconut oil is the best! I try to get the good quality stuff. It helps cure cradle cap, works as a lotion, and works great as a cloth-diaper-safe diaper cream. I keep a jar of it in the nursery because I use it in there so often.

Shatzegirl · January 2016

VitaLuna said:

PaniaO said:
Q: what about for baby massages? I keep hearing about baby massages before bed--with or without oil?
They make baby oil that is good/better for baby than the traditional Johnson's junk that most people think of. One like this, for example: https://earthmamaangelbaby.com/products/angel-baby-oil

I second Earth Mama's products! Great stuff. Their bottom balm is amazing for diaper rashes, too.

Life is Exciting · January 2016

coconut also works awesome as a nipple balm when they get dry and sore from breastfeeding

PaniaO · January 2016

VitaLuna said:

PaniaO said:
Q: what about for baby massages? I keep hearing about baby massages before bed--with or without oil?
They make baby oil that is good/better for baby than the traditional Johnson's junk that most people think of. One like this, for example: https://earthmamaangelbaby.com/products/angel-baby-oil

No way would I use Johnsons anything. We're definitely a coconut oil family. I'm just asking in response to those who don't think any oil is necessary.

AmandaKess · January 2016

I'm a coconut oil Mommy too! I originally started using it instead of baby oil after I came across this article when I was looking for a natural alternative to nipple cream: https://instanatural.com/blogs/news/86210630-101-uses-for-coconut-oil#pregnancy-infantcare

cognity · January 2016

I've been using coconut oil since about mid second trimester. It has worked miracles for me. A coworker of mine swore it helped her avoid any tearing during birth and helped soothe after birth.

I plan to use it as well as avocado oil for little one. My pediatrician actually advised against olive oil but I can't recall why. DH and myself have incredibly sensitive skin so I can't imagine what poor baby will have.

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