Simple Baby

The whole idea of the Simple Baby product range is that it's simple - it's basic, pure, unremarkable, it does what it's supposed to do, with no fuss and nonsense, end of story. The problem from a reviewer's point of view is therefore that, although I've got nothing bad to say about it, I haven't got anything particularly good to say about it either ! Many other babycare ranges have their unique selling point - it's organic, or luxurious, or highly scientific, or 100% natural, or it comes from some exotic country, or it smells incredibly delicious. Well, Simple babycare is just that - it's simple, unobtrusive and unexceptional. It's neither a ludicrously expensive luxury range nor a dirt-cheap value range. It's just in the middle, a perfectly ordinary but effective baby range.


All of the products do exactly what they say on the label, no more no less. The Moisturising All-In-One Wash "gently cleanses your baby's delicate skin and hair with no tears" and the
Baby Shampoo "leaves baby's hair soft and shiny and cleanses with no tears". As Pierre hasn't got much hair, they're pretty much interchangeable for us at the moment. I even tried them out for myself and they're quite acceptable as shower gel and shampoo for adults too. I usually use a 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner so I felt the need to use a conditioner afterwards but apart from that, the baby shampoo left me with soft, clean hair. Pierre's skin and hair did feel lovely and soft and moisturised, although not as nicely scented as with some other baby products. That's logical, as they are 100% perfume and colour-free, which is great if your baby has particularly sensitive skin.

After his bath, I used the talc ("gently dries and smoothes") and the Zinc and Castor Oil Barrier Cream ("gently protects and soothes"), which are just as mild and gentle as the bath products. The talc is just like any other talc I've ever tried. The barrier cream was not quite what I was expecting - for me, barrier cream means that it stays on the surface of the skin as a fairly greasy, stodgy layer. This cream can be rubbed into the skin until it's completely absorbed, leaving wonderfully soft skin and just a slightly greasy feel which presumably acts as the protective barrier. When you open the tub, it's almost solid but is very easy to rub into the skin and doesn't feel at all lumpy or gritty like some other barrier creams I've used in the past. The website says that this "baby moisturiser" will "keep skin happy and protected day and night". I initially used it on Pierre's nappy area but quickly started using it on his face too. His cheeks are often slightly red and sore with the cold weather and his chin is sometimes dribbly and red too, and this cream is a vast improvement on the other protective barrier creams I've been using that do help but leave an unsightly white residue all over his baby face. This cream soothes and protects but is invisible.


The packaging designers really went to town on the baby wipes, giving them a nice green and pink wrapper that moves away from the plain, pure white packaging of the other products in the range ! Like the other products, they are very mild, with no perfume or colours, so are ideal for sensitive skin, particularly as they have added moisturisers and pro-vitamin B5. Most baby wipes in our house are used for cleaning up particularly pooey bottoms, but as these are "Moisturise and Care Wipes", designed to nourish and protect skin as well as cleaning it, they are also ideal for use on baby's face and hands. Great for cleaning up pureed carrots when Pierre gets as much around his mouth as in it ! They also work well for Mum removing make up at the end of the day, leaving skin feeling clean and also moisturised, so they're a real time saver. They're moist enough to do the job but not overly wet, like some other wipes.

The whole range is ideal for caring for baby's delicate and often sensitive skin. The website explains that they are all paediatrician approved, dermatologically approved and hypoallergenic, 100% perfume and colour free with no unnecessary additives. They're not the most amazingly exciting products, but they are reassuringly pure and simple, which is basically all that baby needs.

star rating : 4.5/5