It's wintertime, so we thought we'd post Belli's Diaper Rash Prevention Tips one more time for good measure.

Belli’s Tips for Diaper Rash Remedies and Prevention
• Check your baby's diaper every hour and change it often (as soon as it's wet or soiled).
• Clean your baby's bottom at each diaper change. Use plain warm water with or without a very mild soap.
• Allow your baby's skin to dry before putting on a clean diaper.
• Apply Talc-Free Powder and Diaper Rash Ointment or Cream liberally as often as necessary with each diaper change to protect your baby's skin from moisture.

Belli Baby’s  Pamper Me Talc-Free Powder and Protect Me Diaper Rash Cream diaper rash remedies  -- they consist of the gentlest ingredients to protect your baby's bum from those icky, harsh rashes.

I learned a very interesting factoid about babies' skin that I thought I'd share to really bring the importance of today's blog entry home:  clinical research shows that an infant's skin loses moisture at a much faster rate than an adult's skin.  This means that your baby's skin can get very dry during these winter months. In addition to the drying chilly days, your baby's skin is exposed to many other elements such as the contents of their diaper (icky), which makes it more prone to irritation and rashes.

*pic courtesy of Tom Arma costumes for kids. Check his wonderful assortment of costumes here.

It's really important to look for moisturizers that are phthalate free products. This is because phthalates cause hormonal activities. What does this mean? Studies on rodents showed exposure to phthalates is associated with genital abnormalities. AND this is related to baby personal care products: research on phthalates conducted by Sheela Sathyanarayana, MD, MPH published in 2008, asserted that many products containing phthalates are a proven source of exposure for infants. The researchers "observed that reported use of infant lotion, infant powder, and infant shampoo were associated with increased infant urine concentrations of [phthalate metabolites], and this association is strongest in younger infants.” 

Therefore, as mommies we have to be really careful about what what products we're using on our baby's skin; making sure they're the safest products available.

Belli Baby’s offerings are of course all xenoestrogen- and phthalate free products.

2 products that will keep your baby's skin moisturized and protected SAFELY:

Nourish Me Enriched Body Lotion offers pure and gentle hydration for baby's delicate skin. Features the essential oil of chamomile to soften, refresh and soothe. Belli Baby Enriched Body Lotion also works well as a pampering massage cream for your baby. 

Calm Me Hair and Body Wash is a blend of ingredients that cleanse and moisturize baby's hair and skin. Features the essential oil of marigold and chamomile, which softens and refreshes. This product is a phthalate free baby shampoo; pH-balanced and for baby’s skin and tear free.

Just a note to say: don't forget to carve (pun intended) out some "Me Time" during the upcoming holidays.  Although this time of year is supposed to be fun for most, it’s usually moms that are dealing with stress from all the extra work preparing for the holiday season. Let's face it, there is a lot of energy spent in spreading holiday cheer.  From holiday travel to cooking the meals, decorating the house, choosing the right gifts for everyone and getting them all wrapped, you can get overwhelmed and stressed out quickly. As women, we tend to take care of everyone first, then ourselves last. The problem with this is that usually after we’re finished taking care of everyone else, we have no energy left to give back to ourselves.

Here is our suggested Holiday Survival Kit for this season to give yourself that much needed Me Time:

Eye Brightening Cream - During the holidays, shopping marathons, family gatherings and late night entertaining can leave moms looking overwhelmed and exhausted.  Even just one night of insufficient sleep causes puffy dark puffy circles under, around eyes making moms look more tired and stressed. Belli’s Eye Brightening Cream hydrates skin around the eyes to minimize the appearance of fine lines and cures dark circles, leaving the eyes looking bright and well rested.

Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer -  From family gatherings, holiday office parties and crowded malls, moms are constantly on-the-go; and constantly surrounded by germs.  Belli’s Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer helps to keep the whole family healthy as it features powerful antibacterial ingredients that kill 99.9% of germs on contact.   

Foot Relief Cream - During this busy time of year, from shopping to slaving in the kitchen, moms are constantly on their feet leaving them tired, achy and swollen. This holiday, revive and pamper your feet with Belli’s Foot Relief Cream which includes ingredients such as peppermint, tree oil and shea butter.

All Day Body Moisture Lotion - Moms are so busy during this time that they forget their skin is under assault from the harsh and cold weather.    Belli’s All Day Moisture Body Lotion helps to protect mom’s skin from the cold as it deeply moisturizes and soothes dry skin.  Ingredients such as the essential oil of lemon and chamomile hydrate the skin and helps keep moms comfortable all day long.

Acne Cleansing Facial Wash & Skin Smoothing Body Exfoliator - At the end of a busy and stressful day, there is nothing better than stepping into a relaxing shower to relieve built up tension.  Belli’s Acne Clearing Facial Wash and Skin Smoothing Body Exfoliator work together to wash the holiday stress away.  The Acne Clearing Facial Wash is a powerful acne treatment during pregnancy that leaves the skin refined without over-drying.  It contains lactic acid to lift away dirt and oil from the facial pores.  The Skin Smoothing Body Exfoliator is an invigorating body scrub that contains anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients to calm stressed skin.  

There's still SO MUCH BUZZ about swine flu! I personally think it's kind of overblown but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't play it safe as moms.  I just read a WebMD article by Daniel J. DeNoon that says the #1 way you can contract it, is when someone coughs in your face (hopefully people aren't coughing in your face much).  The #2 way is "touching something contaminated with flu virus and then touching your nose, mouth, or eyes with your unwashed hand", which gives you a "31% chance at getting sick."

Now that school is back in full swing, so is the likelihood of kids spreading sniffle and cough causing germs amongst their classmates. A hand sanitizer is more effective than soap in reducing the germs on your hands. There are a lot of choices out there in sanitizer products, so here are Belli's tips for getting the most out of your hand sanitization:

1. Most hand sanitizers use ethyl alcohol as the active ingredient, which is very drying and also tends to leave behind a sticky residue with a potent medical odor. So look for a sanitizer that has a fresh scent (who wants to smell like a hospital?)

2. Look for products that use benzalkonium chloride

3. Should not require water

4. Should not stain your clothing

5. If you're pregnant or a mom, it should be a teratology screened product

(Here's our plug:) Belli’s Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer helps eliminate 99.9 percent of germs on contact. It features the powerful antibacterial ingredient, benzalkonium chloride and leaves hands feeling soft, smooth and comfortable with a delicious, light citrus scent.   Also, at 2.0 oz, it’s the perfect travel size to throw into your purse, gym or diaper bag!  

Most of all - be careful this flu season!

I was laughing tonight because I was brainstorming with my 11-year-old stepdaughter on what she was going to be for Halloween this year.  Well, I happened to wonder if there are some clever costume ideas out there for pregnant women and I came upon this article in Parents Magazine that features clever ideas to dress up your bump.

There are a lot of humorous ones but here's one that made me "LOL":

I have to give this participant a lot of credit. The idea is great and she has the physique to really pull it off! Kudos.  If anyone has costume ideas, let us know by posting comments below!  

Also, we should mention that the say no to stretchmarks skincare set is a great way to get your bump ready before dressing it up.  Elasticity Belly Oil is a great way to prevent pregnancy stretchmarks but also gets your skin feeling nice and smooth.