Baby powder - what's it for?

[LadyPeter]

I'm 23 weeks and my husband keeps mentioning that we need baby powder. In his mind, it seems to be more important than diapers, clothes, strollers and car seats combined. You cannot have a baby without baby powder!

I, on the other hand, don't know anyone who uses it and I'm a little mystified by the concept. I assume it absorbs moisture from the baby's nether-regions, but isn't that what a diaper is for?

Someone please explain to this clueless first-timer.

[Melaine]

It's no longer recommended actually because it can be inhaled, IIRC?

[swissair81]

Baby powder is actually a respiratory hazard for infants. Not too great for the rest of us either.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1669894/

[mommylamb]

Well, in this hot weather, I put it on myself after a shower :-) but definitely not for babies.

[elizabethkott]

I use it for making high school students' hair look grey for plays and musicals when we run out of the spray-grey!
But no, not for babies.
If your DH MUST HAVE BABY POWDER tell him he can put it in his sneakers.

[swissair81]

I use it for making high school students' hair look grey for plays and musicals when we run out of the spray-grey!

This has almost nothing to do with anything, but... In 8th grade we did group reports on Africa & one group decided to use Hershey's Cocoa as a costume prop (skin coloring). As soon as their report was over, there was an announcement over the loudspeaker that whoever trashed the bathroom better go clean it up quick.

[kam]

I'm going to differ from the other responses. We go through tons of it.

My DD has ridiculously sensitive skin, so I can't put a new diaper on an even slightly damp butt or she'll have a rash before I change her again. And I'm too lazy to wait for her to air-dry (not to mention that she'd be off and running!) So after a dirty diaper, or even a wet one, if she's still damp from being cleaned, I powder, cream if necessary, then close up.

In terms of safety -- the stuff that is bad for babies, due to respiratory problems, is TALC, not corn starch. J&J sells a corn starch baby powder which is perfectly safe. I do carefully apply, however, so it doesn't go anywhere near her face.

[swissair81]

I have a dd with ridiculously sensitive skin & I cloth diaper her. No rash problems.

Talc is a carcinogen & it's good that they took it out of baby powder, but you are wrong that corn starch is safe. Particles can get trapped in the lungs & cause pneumonia. It's a mechanical thing, not an ingredient thing.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Isn't corn starch good breeding ground for bacteria? Could that, in fact, make baby have more diaper issues?

Beth

[swissair81]

I have noticed on sites that even if it was okay, using it on a girl is a bad idea. That's probably why. Girls get UTIs so easily. No reason to help them.