Moms have long lamented the fact that newborns don’t come home from the hospital with instruction manuals. But Baby Pibu skin care for babies, founded by dermatologist mom Dr. Amy Kim, actually does come with instruction cards. Okay, so they only help with how to care for your infant’s skin, and not what the heck that cry means and how it’s different from those six other cries…but still.
The baby skin care market is flooded with products that claim to be safe for sensitive skin, but personally I feel pretty good knowing an actual dermatologist was behind the formulation. Also the fact that Baby Pibu leaves out the parabens, phthalates, sulfates, SLS, fragrance, dyes, and major allergens like dairy and soy.
So I think that nervous new parents (i.e. all of us) would be pretty psyched to get the Baby Pibu Newborn Essentials Skincare Kit at a shower gift. Especially because at $98, it’s not something they’d probably buy themselves–though it looks totally adorable and includes everything you need to clean and protect a newborn’s skin from head to toe. Including those smart instruction cards.
The eight products include things like basic diaper rash and body creams for daily care, a hair brush, plus a few items that address specific skin issues like cradle cap and eczema.I’m a fan of the Pibu Bathtime Wash, a 2-in-1 hair and body wash recommended by the National Eczema Society, the Baby Sunscreen which is free of harmful chemicals and fragrance, and the Intensive Bottom Relief that helps soothe that diaper rash that new parents will get to experience soon enough.
Sorry about that.
Baby Pibu skin care products are now available online at Baby Pibu. Check out their comprehensive ingredient list to learn all about what goes into their products. Thumbs up, Dr. Amy!
This kit should come with a warning. A big warning: THIS KIT CONTAINS STEROIDS!!!!
That’s right. Unbelievable isn’t it that a kit marketed for newborns would contain a steroid cream, even though the FDA clearly state that steroids should not be used on children under 2 years old.
So despite a long list of “nasties” that they omit from their products, they fail to mention the particularly nasty ingredient that can actually harm and thin babies skin (google topical steroid addiction).
Call me old fashioned, but this momma won’t be smearing her precious little ones with steroid creams, thank you.
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Thanks for your comment Louise. We assume you are referring to the hydrocortisone in the eczema products? It is a steroid, but is widely prescribed by dermatologists for short term use to treat extreme skin problems. We think the brand has been incredibly transparent about its usage and limitations: https://www.babypibu.com/products/treat/pibus-soothing-eczema-care-kit/
Here’s more about hydrocortisone from the website, including links to Web MD, The Mayo Clinic and Dr. Sears. Hope you and others find it helpful. https://www.babypibu.com/truth-hydrocortisone/ – Eds
Thanks for your concern Louise but Baby Pibu needs to clarify a few things.
The presence of the Rash Relief cream which contains 1% hydrocortisone in the Newborn Essentials Skincare Kit does not violate the Food, Drug and Cosmetic (FDC) Act and the implementing regulations as the labeling for the product meets the regulatory requirements. The regulations do not prohibit use of hydrocortisone cream on children under 2 years of age; they only require that the user consult a doctor before using the cream on a child under 2 years old. This is indicated under directions on the Rash Relief label. Most over the counter (OTC) drugs such as Children’s Advil and Children’s Tylenol carry a similar direction for small children (consult a doctor for children under 2 yo).
Baby Pibu’s Rash Relief label follows the FDA regulations and guidelines. In addition, Baby Pibu goes one step further and advises parents to consult a doctor before using the product and also warns that the product is not for long term use on its eczema instruction card. Furthermore, the eczema instruction card delineates details and warnings of topical corticosteroid use.
Dermatologists and pediatricians do recommend OTC as well as prescribe topical corticosteroids for baby’s skin when needed to treat the appropriate skin condition.
Baby Pibu hopes that through its education and awareness about skin conditions such as eczema, parents can learn how to prevent and protect their little one’s skin with emollients such as Hydrating ointment and limit the use of medicated creams containing hydrocortisone.
As a reminder to our customers, Baby Pibu’s products have been clinically tested to make sure that the products are safe for baby’s skin. The products are hypoallergenic and irritant-free.
Baby Pibu would suggest the following to read as well https://www.babypibu.com/truth-hydrocortisone/
– The Baby Pibu Team
Thanks for your response Baby Pibu.
From what you are saying, I understand that you advise parents to consult a doctor before using Rash Relief cream.
Can I ask then, why is it being included in a gift kit? The Rash relief is part of Newborn Essentials kit which is being promoted as an ideal baby shower gift. Surely parents receiving the kit as a gift will not think to consult a doctor before using the cream contained in the kit? An unlikely scenario.
Please understand, I have no problem with the Pibu brand per se. I just find it very confusing that a medical product would be included in a baby shower gift set.
Good questions- Why is a product such as Rash Relief included in the Newborn Essentials Skincare Kit gift set and will parents actually read the instructions?
The inspiration behind the development of Baby Pibu came with the desire to help stock parents’ medicine cabinet with the necessary baby skin care items needed during baby’s first year. Most importantly, Baby Pibu wants to help educate and inform parents how to take care of their baby’s skin by providing instruction cards that act as Cliff’s notes on what to do. There are so many products that are on the shopping aisle but without the extra information about a skin condition (eczema, diaper rash, cradle cap, basic care) and how to prevent and treat it. That is how the all-inclusive Newborn Essentials Skincare Kit was born and is now a desired baby shower gift set. Moms love this all-inclusive gift set that comes with detailed instruction cards!
During research and development, it was found that many parents purchase and use a variety of different brands of OTC hydrocortisone creams. Many parents are buying OTC hydrocortisone creams without the added advice on when to use it, where not to use it, how long to use it, and when to ask the doctor. As opposed to other brands of OTC hydrocortisone creams, Baby Pibu’s Rash Relief can only be obtained through the Newborn Essential Skincare Kit and the Soothing Eczema Kit. Both kits come with an eczema instruction card that provides information about the condition, how to prevent it and how to treat it for 2 to 3 days with Rash Relief. The card provides detailed information about topical corticosteroids including appropriate warnings such as limiting chronic use. Rash Relief is to be used only to help alleviate the inflammation and itching found in minor skin irritations including minor eczema flare, cradle cap flare, viral skin eruptions, insect bites, severe drool dermatitis, and other irritant dermatitis.
Will parents actually read the instructions and consult their doctor prior to use? Yes! Baby Pibu truly believes parents will read the instruction cards found in the Newborn Essentials Skincare Kit and the Soothing Eczema Kit. These cards along with the products are what make the gift sets so unique. Again, research and personal experience have shown that modern parents are so informed and cautious that they will be wary of anything that they put on their baby’s skin.
We appreciate your concern, and we sincerely hope that this reply helps you understand Baby Pibu’s mission. Baby Pibu would love to win you over but understand that our products may not be the choice for everyone. Thank you for trying to understand the Baby Pibu brand.
Baby Pibu’s™ Mission and Guiding Principles: To be the trusted, household resource for safe, gentle baby skin care products coupled with accurate information and easy-to-use instructions.
This means:
– Educating parents is our priority so that they can give their families the best possible care. It is a main focus in all that we do.
– Customer service is essential to our success. We are dedicated to earning long term relationships with our customers.
– Quality ingredients are the only thing we use in our products. All of our products will be clinically tested, dermatologist approved and backed by the appropriate experts.
– Continued improvement will always be an objective. We love what we do. We are thankful to hav e an opportunity to earn the respect of parents by supporting them, teaching them and providing them with the best products and service we possibly can. We will aspire to always do better.
The Baby Pibu Team
Thanks for your prompt response Baby Pibu.
You have clarified that Rash Relief is a medication and that as such, should not be used without doctors guidance.
You make a huge assumption when you presume that EVERY SINGLE PERSON receiving the Newborn kit as a baby shower gift will consult a doctor before using the cream. Let us, for a moment, consider the more likely scenario that a small percentage of users receiving the kit use the cream without consulting a doctor.
Let us then consider that a small percentage of such people experience the well-documented side effects from hydrocortisone use. The following quote is from a medical article on drugs.com about hydrocortisone:
“Pediatric patients may demonstrate greater susceptibility to topical corticosteroid-induced HPA axis suppression and Cushing’s syndrome than mature patients because of larger skin surface area to bodyweight ratio.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression, Cushing’s syndrome, and intracranial hypertension have been reported in children receiving topical corticosteroids. Manifestations of adrenal suppression in children include linear growth retardation, delayed weight gain, low plasma cortisol levels, and absence of response to ACTH stimulation. Manifestations of intracranial hypertension include bulging fontanelles, headaches, and bilateral papilledema.
Administration of topical corticosteroids to children should be limited to the least amount compatible with an effective therapeutic regimen. Chronic corticosteroid therapy may interfere with the growth and development of children.
Adverse Reactions
The following local adverse reactions are reported infrequently with topical corticosteroids, but may occur more frequently with the use of occlusive dressings. These reactions are listed in an approximate decreasing order of occurrence: burning, itching, irritation, dryness, folliculitis, hypertrichosis, acneiform eruptions, hypopigmentation, perioral dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, maceration of the skin, secondary infection, skin atrophy, striae, miliaria.”
Even if ONE BABY using Rash Relief suffered in this way, it is, in my opinion, one baby too many. In a recent study on steroid rosacea on 106 children under 13, 56% of the children experienced the condition due to the use of 1% hydrocortisone cream.
Baby Pibu, I totally understand your mission to provide trusted skincare for families and I applaud your aims. However, the inclusion of a potentially dangerous drug in a gift kit aimed for newborns seems inappropriate and undermines the good work that you are trying to do. Please be open minded to the fact that it is highly unlikely that 100% of parents receiving the kit will consult a doctor before use.
You have created a beautiful brand and you have some lovely products in your kit, but it would be so much better without the inclusion of this type of product. I sincerely hope that you will reconsider the inclusion of Rash Relief in the Newborn gift kit for the sake of your tiny consumers who have no say as to what is put on their precious skin.
Please note that I say this as a genuinely concerned parent who has seen first hand the damage caused by steroid creams.
Warm regards and best wishes.