Here to help

Independent health store advice on natural babycare

Looking for advice on natural health and wellbeing? Your local independent health store can offer a wealth of expertise. This month we talk to Penny Wheeler, area manager for Lansdown Health Store, which has branches in Uckfield and Lewes, East Sussex

In recent years we have found that more and more new mums are coming into our stores to ask for help and advice. I think that social media has a lot to do with it because there are young mums out there posting on Twitter or Tik Tok and that gives customers the confidence to come in and ask for help.

In terms of prenatal vitamins, we stock StrongStart from Lambert’s which is for women who are trying to conceive or are pregnant or breast feeding. There’s also Viridian’s Pregnancy Complex, which contains all the important nutrients such as folic acid, iron and vitamin C, to support a growing baby and also a pregnant mum. The supplements we stock are good quality and customers know that they can trust them. We’re always happy to offer advice on choosing the right supplement for your needs.

We’ve found that herbal teas are really popular with new mums and mums-to-be. Fennel tea can help with milk production while raspberry leaf tea can help in the later stages of pregnancy to get the uterus ready for birth. Relaxing teas such as chamomile are popular too.

Vitamins for kids

We stock vitamins for little ones such as Natures Aid Mini Drops, which are designed for newborn babies through to children aged up to five. They can be added to food and drinks to ensure that kids get the nutritional support they need. A lot of new mums are interested in probiotics both for themselves and their children to support their gut health. Studies have shown that babies born by caesarean section have less of the good gut bacteria compared to those born through the birth canal. This is where probiotics can help and we stock some great products from BioKult and Optibac.

The main things that new mums ask for advice on are things like nappy rash, teething and problems with sleeping. We can give advice on all these issues. We have homoeopathic remedies for teething and we stock some lovely natural creams to help with nappy rash as well as eczema. The range of products from MooGoo is particularly popular with our customers. It’s a natural skincare range that includes an all-in-one shampoo and body wash for children, a sensitive skin balm and an all-over moisturiser and a repair cream, which can be used at any age.

As natural as possible

We find that new mums and mums-to-be want products to be as natural as possible, especially those that are going on their baby’s skin. They also want products that are plastic-free or come with less packaging. Some of our natural creams come in little glass jars, which are very popular as they can be recycled. I think once you’ve had a baby it opens up your world to what is out there and what is not so good. I think people are prepared to spend a bit more money for good quality products that are good for our health and good for the environment too.

My advice for new mums would be to try not to get stressed. We aren’t given a guidebook when we have a baby and all babies are different. Don’t be worried to come into the shop and ask for help and advice because we will always be happy to help. If there’s a problem that needs to be solved then let’s solve it!

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