Kamis, 31 Mei 2012

Baby wipes are 'as safe and effective' as Government-recommended cotton wool and water

Baby wipes are 'as safe and effective' as Government-recommended cotton wool and water

  • Researchers tested one high street wipe against cotton wool and water on 280 babies over three years
  • They are now calling on National Institute of Clinical Excellence to change the advice it gives parents

By Graham Smith

PUBLISHED: 07:44 EST, 31 May 2012 | UPDATED: 08:50 EST, 31 May 2012


Baby wipes are as safe and effective as cotton wool and water and can even soothe nappy rash, according to scientists.

A wipe is as gentle on baby skin as the cotton wool and water washing technique recommended by Government health experts, it is claimed.

Researchers at Manchester University tested the wipe against cotton wool and water on 280 babies over a three-year period.

The high street wipe tested is as gentle on baby skin as the cotton wool and water washing technique recommended by Government health experts

The high street wipe tested is as gentle on baby skin as the cotton wool and water washing technique recommended by Government health experts

They discovered that wipes are ‘as effective and as safe as water - but much more convenient for parents'.

And babies cleaned with wipes suffer less nappy rash.

The findings run contrary to guidelines from the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice), which recommends that parents wash newborns with cotton wool and water to avoid skin irritation.

Babies under the age one lose more moisture through their skin than older children and are more vulnerable to irritation, meaning parents have to use gentler washing techniques.

Lead researcher Tina Lavender said 'the wipes were ‘equivalent to water and cotton wool in terms of skin hydration'.

They also revealed slightly lower levels of maternal-reported napkin dermatitis - or nappy rash - among babies washed with wipes than those who had water and cotton wool used on them.

Professor Lavender said: 'Our trial provides us with the strongest evidence available so far that we shouldn’t base our practice on tradition alone and that Nice needs to look at its current guidelines.

'For the first time, we now have a robust, adequately-powered study that can be used in practice, the results of which should be adopted by our national guidelines.

'These results should provide healthcare professionals with much needed evidence-based information, giving them the option to support the skin-care cleansing regime best suited to individual parents and their newborn babies.'

The experiment was sponsored by wipe manufacturer Johnson Johnson using their Extra Sensitive Wipes.

But Professor Lavender said the research was carried out under ‘strict, independent scientific protocols’, using blind tests and peer reviews.

She added: 'Our research, looking at one high street baby wipe, wanted to test whether the product was as safe and effective on newborn babies’ skins as water alone to see if midwives could help give parents more options than current guidelines provide.

'Parents can now be confident that using this specific baby wipe, proven in the largest randomised clinical trial conducted in newborn cleansing, is equivalent to water alone.'

The research was published in the journal BMC Paediatrics.

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

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for my children I only used the "nature babycare" range..

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When my son was born i used nothing but wool and water. When he was around 6 months i switched to wipes as it was convinient and easier to clean when he had a dirty nappy. But he then had a rash within a week of using it. I tried different types of wipes from shops and brand. Still no good I now wash the wipes with water before i use it. Have no problem at all.

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One school of thought is that because nut oil is used in the wipes this is one cause of nut allergies. The baby's immune system has not developed yet. Good for cleaning car interiors.

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Baby wipes took soot out my carpet when nothing else would. Goodness knows what they are doing to babies! Need I say more?

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I only ever used baby wipes on my kids over 20 years ago....neither of them EVER had nappy and are now happy and very healthy adults. Nothing but prase for them from me :)

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I can't wait for the study sponsored by cotton wool manufacturers and water companies. I wouldn't bet that they'll come to the same conclusion.

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I really dislike baby wipes, they drag the skin and don't leave any moisturisation behind. My granddaughter had a sore bottom when we collected her from her parents, we didn't know. When we went into the babychange she started to cry in fear, we hadn't even taken her nappy off. She knew the baby wipes were going to sting her sore bottom. I could cry even thinking about it. I used simple baby lotion and toilet paper, but always washed the nappy area after a soiled nappy. My 4 babies never got sore bottoms this way. Those wipes just leave the skin exposed and offer no barrier. A big pot of zinc and castor oil is a must too. Those wipes in my opinion should only be used on car journeys as a last resort. If you have sore skin yourself, wipe it with all the chemicals, it stings like hell!

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Yep, research sponsored by Johnson Johnson. Says it all really.

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Have moved from cotton wool and water to the DermaH20 Water Wipes purchased from Amazon which are amazing.

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But they are FULL of chemicals!!

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