*** update on 4/6/05: I read an article yesterday in the Boston Globe health section that Sodium Borate should not be used on infant skin. I noticed that Sodium Borate is an ingredient in this product.***

ORIGINAL REVIEW

Our baby just had her second stomach bug which brought with it lots of pooping and a nasty diaper rash. I have tried lots of diaper rash cremes on our three kids and I always return to Balmex which is tried and true.

OUR EXPERIENCE

The first thing that made me try Balmex was actually the mild odor. Some diaper cremes have a very strong smell, either medicinal or herbal. Balmex has a very light scent that doesn't come through the diaper or baby's clothes.

Balmex works well under most conditions. I put on a thick layer and at least some of the creme will stay on baby's bottom for several hours. It is thick enough to last through the night and keep baby's bottom protected. It also does a good job of healing baby's mild diaper rash. I don't use diaper creme at every diaper change. I use it if baby's bottom looks at all red or before she goes down for the night. Under these conditions, I find Balmex consistently works very, very well at preventing or healing mild diaper rash.

My tube of Balmex has a convenient flip top cover. This works especially well in the early days of child care when you are so sleep deprived, it would be easy to lose the top. The product also comes in a jar if you don't care for tubes.

Balmex wipes off very well. This is a good feature if you want to get the creme off to give baby a bath. However, I like the creme to really stick to baby since the more it coats and sticks, the better job it does of protecting baby's skin. In this regard, Balmex strikes a nice balance. It does a good job of coating baby's skin but you can get if off if you have to.

My only problem with Balmex is that it doesn't work under the harshest of conditions. In that case, I have turned to the more expensive, but thicker, diaper cremes. My favorite is Burt’s Bees Diaper Ointment. I have used Burt's Bees for the worst of the diaper rashes and found it is better than Balmex for those conditions but it is also a lot more expensive.

INGREDIENTS

Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide (11.3%)

Also contains: Aloe Barbadenis Leaf Juice, Beeswax, Benzoic Acid, Dimethicone, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Mineral Oil, Myroxylon Pereirae (Balsam Peru) Oil, Propylparaben, Sodium Borate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Water.

PRICE

Balmex is widely available and costs about the same as other brand name diaper cremes. There are lots of coupons out there if you look in Baby Magazines and Sunday Circulars. You can also occasionally find it on sale.

FINAL RECOMMENDATION

I am giving this product five stars because it is affordable and works well almost all of the time. I keep a small tube in the diaper bag and a jumbo tube at home and have used it regularly on all my kids with no ill effects.





NEW BABY? HERE ARE SOME BABY PRODUCTS I HAVE REVIEWED:

STROLLERS: Maclauren Techno Stroller; Graco MetroLite LE Stroller; Cosco Eddie Bauer Lightweight Stroller

GEAR: Skip Hop Diaper Bag; Evenflo Snugli Baby Carrier; Infantino EuroRider Baby Carrier.

SLEEPING: Pali Sabrina Crib; Sozo USA bedding.

SOOTHING: MAM pacifiers; MAM pacifier keeper.

NURSING: Bravado Nursing Bra; Lansinoh lanolin; Lansinoh nursing pads.

FEEDING: Avent Feeding Bottles; Take & Toss Infant Spoons; Nuby Sipper Gripper Cup; Dora the Exporer Insulated Straw Cups; Playtex Sipster Spill-Proof Cup.

BATHING: The First Years Bath Tub/Bath Seat Combo; California Baby Super Sensitive Shampoo & Bodywash.

BABY BOTTOMS: Burt’s Bees Diaper Ointment; Desitin Creamy; California Baby Diaper Rash Cream; Weleda Diaper Care.

BABY SKIN: Mustela Hydra-Stick for lips and cheeks; Burt’s Bees Apricot Baby Oil.

TOYS: Tiny Love Symphony In Motion Mobile; Soft Teething Beads; Sassy Teething Wing Butterfly; Lamaze Clutch Cube;
Lamaze Freddie the Firefly.

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS: Baby’s Here Birth Announcements.



Recommended: Yes