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I don't know about all the chemicals/ingredients used in Baby Powder b/c we don't use it. I tend to stay away from things not absolutely needed though & what we do use we try to keep it natural (ie. coconut oil w/ essential oils for diaper rash "cream").

We weren't told anything about it and we use powder all the time - we use cornstarch powder though, not talc (for the most part, we do occasionally use talc if we're out of the cornstarch stuff). When we made a comment about it to my SIL in the States, she raised her eyebrows and made a snide remark - but it's not frowned upon here in Australia so we use it. I don't like using nappy rash cream if she doesn't need it, and powder is great for keeping her dry, especially in the hot, humid climate we live in, so we go with it. And I can't help but think that if there was a genuine risk, it would no longer be marketed/sold for babies.

@Ree723: We still have quite a few products for babies & adults alike that have what would be deemed "dangerous ingredients" for sale & bought without question. Alot of people take the stance "Everything causes cancer these days so what's a little ____ matter?.." =/

@runsyellowlites: I agree, it's a dangerous stance to take as blanket stance on everything, but I also think there comes a point where you do your research, and make an informed decision after weighing up the pros/cons. In regards to baby powder, the links between *possible (no definite correlation) cancer and talc are only present in talc that contains traces of asbestos. No consumer products contain talc with asbestos, therefore, there is no increased risk of cancer from using talc. That being said, we don't generally use talc powder anyway, we go with cornstarch, which does not have any links with cancer. I don't agree with being reckless and adopting the attitude of "what's a little more matter anyway?", but I also think there is a point where one can cross over into being too extreme the other way.

ETA: Correction - talc with asbestos can and does cause cancer, the correlation between asbestos free talc and cancer is what is up for debate. No studies have found increased risk of cancer from using absestos free talc (which is what all commercially sold talc is), but they haven't closed the book on studying the topic yet.

We don't use it for this reason but we do use in moderation.

Like if she has a bath and I immediately need to put a diaper on. The powder helps her dry and prevent a rash.

We also love to use it when we go o the beach to softly remove sand from your skin. It works amazingly well.

@T.H.O.U.: that's a neat trick for the sand!! I'll have to remember that.

I don't use it because I haven't needed it

I don't use it because it's said to be bad for babies to inhale. The hospital didn't use it, so neither are we.

These days everything is linked to cancer... If I avoided everything I was told caused cancer then we would have to live in a cave somewhere... then again, the lack of sunlight could cause a different cancer than getting sunlight could cause, and just think of all that cancer causing dirt or stale air! (Sorry, I am a bit cynical but you get my point.)