As a new parent, we learn a new lesson in parenting pretty much every day. My lesson of a few weeks ago was not to mix tea tree oil, baking soda, and babies. This one didn't happen on purpose, as I'll explain, but I thought I'd let you know in case parents were using tea tree oil in the home or around children. 

I accidentally used a tea tree oil and baking soda in diaper, thinking it was corn starch.  (We been using the tea tree oil combination to sanitize our diaper pail.)  In a few hours, our baby was showing signs of discomfort.  On our next diaper change, he had a pretty severe red rash that look like low-level chemical burn.  Yikes.

I went to the pharmacy.  Unfortunately, here in the U.S.--unlike in Canada--pharmacists generally not trained to know much about homeopathics.  I thought his advice was solid, though.  He advised avoiding off-the-shelf burn sprays, instead applying a moisturizing lotion, Eucerin. After about a week, the nasty looking rash cleared up, getting better every day.

There appears to be some debate out there about the risks and benefits of tea tree oil.  In the experiencing of one baby, it's not appropriate for diapers!