10 Natural Baby-Care Items We Love - And Where To Find Them 

Let’s face it, having a baby and being pregnant is already mentally draining enough, but figuring out what items you’ll need for taking care of your baby in a new place can seem impossible. We have felt the same way. As moms at KAUST, here is a list of some of our favorite natural baby and toddler care products. (As always, we are not doctors so the comments below are not medical advice).

You may ask, why natural? It’s important to think about the ingredients we’re putting on and around our babies. If a lotion, for example, is filled with artificial fragrances and even artificial dyes it can often irritate a baby's skin and even have longer-lasting negative effects on their overall health. When buying a product for your baby, it’s important to do your research to make sure what you’re buying is the best and safest product on the market for you and your family. Sometimes the items marketed at grocery stores (even Tamimi) are more harmful than helpful. 

(We’ve linked the cheapest place we’ve found here in Saudi to buy each product, but you can find most products online at Amazon or iHerb interchangeably, some you can also find on MumzWorld)  

1. Baby Wash

   • You want to avoid fragrances, sulfates, phthalates and parabens (Petroleum based ingredients) which can all irritate baby’s skin and cause rashes or even eczema for some babies.

     • We use Pipette which can be hard to find in KSA (Here on Amazon for 107 SAR for 12fl oz), one bottle lasts years as a little drop goes a long way. 

2. Baby Lotion  

   • Coconut oil and olive oil are wonderful for newborn skin and easily available here

3. Sunscreen

   • It is hot and sunny here, even if you’re going on a short walk around the block it’s important to put sunscreen on you and your baby for protection from the sun's harmful UV rays. We usually incorporate sunscreen in our "getting dressed" routine and put it on daily in the morning. 

   • Thinkbaby 50SPF, 112.34 SAR for 6 oz

   • Babo Botanicals 50 SPF, 92.21 SAR for 3 oz

   • Mama Earth (only 20 SPF, not as strong protection) 43.50 SAR for 1.69 oz

   • We also use Pipette for sunscreen, but we’ve found it expensive and hard to find in KSA. 

4. Diaper Balm

   • Baby diaper rashes are no fun, having a small tub of diaper cream on hand is an easy fix.

     • Motherlove Diaper Balm 1oz, 52.98 SAR

     • Earth Mama Diaper Balm 2oz, 67.89 SAR 

5. Wipes

   • For baby wipes you want to look for the main ingredient to be water and minimal ingredients. 

     • Water Wipes: We love water wipes and have used them exclusively with our kids. Tamimi often carries them and you can also order them on Saudi Amazon or Mumz World in various amounts.

6. Diapers 

   • Honest Diapers - These are fragrance free and OEKO-TEX® certified (which means they are free of many harmful chemicals), you can find these on Amazon or iHerb for similar prices and in all sizes (I’ve yet to see these at Tamimi).

   • Some other clean brands you can find here which moms here have tried with mixed reviews: Naty, Bloomies, Kit and Kin, Terra,

7. Nipple Cream 

   • Breastfeeding is an adventure all on its own. If you're planning on breastfeeding, having nipple cream on hand is helpful especially in the first newborn days when baby is learning how to latch and your milk is coming in.  

     • Motherlove nipple cream, 1oz, 52.99 SAR

     • Earth Mama Nipple Balm 2oz, 66.99 SAR

8. Teething Gel:

   • There’s nothing worse than knowing your baby is in pain and not knowing how to help, especially when new teeth are peeking through. We’ve found these three products helpful:

     • Mommy’s Bliss Teething Gel (15g tubes, 2 pack, Day and Night, 67.61 SAR)

     • Orajel Teething Gel (5g tubes, 2 pack, Day and Night, 34.62 SAR)

     • Boiron Camilia Teething Drops, 60.40 SAR

     • Jack N’ Jill Teething Gel, 69 SAR for 15g 

     • Fruit Teether: We love putting frozen fruit or even frozen breastmilk in this teether to help soothe baby’s gums when teething.

9. Gripe Water 

   • Newborns are just that, new, new to the world and new to eating and digesting milk. Some babies need some help processing gas and gripe water helps soothe those tummy aches. 

     • Mommy Bliss Gripe Water, 4floz, 62.42 SAR

     • MaryRuth’s Gripe Water, 4floz, 59.94 SAR

     • ChildLife Essentials Gripe Water, 2floz, 55.27 SAR

     • Woodwords Gripe Water (can often be found at KAUST pharmacy) 130ml, 60SAR

10. Pacifiers

    • Not all babies take pacifiers, and that’s ok. Our first didn’t take one until he was 10 months. If you want to use one - look for food grade silicone or latex. 

      • FRIGG: 0-6 month 2 pack, 6-18 month, 2 pack

      • Mini koikoi, 19 SAR for 1

      • Food grade silicone 72 SAR for 4 

Brands we love: 

• Earth Mama (Wonderful teas for mama, lotions and balms for baby made with clean ingredients)

• Mommy’s Bliss (Prenatals, gripe water, teething gel, cough syrup and more)

• Boiron (homeopathy)

• Dr. Brown’s (plastic-free bottles, pacifiers, teethers and fluoride-free toothpaste)

What are some of your favorite baby care products and brands?