Newborn Parenting Hacks: Lisa Bronner’s Guide to Safe, Natural Baby Care with Dr. Bronner’s

April 23, 2025

LONDON, UK – Dr. Bronner’s, family-owned maker of the top-selling natural brand of soap in North America, is proud to offer a cost-effective, gentle, and eco-friendly solution for new parents looking to simplify their routine without compromising on quality or safety for baby care. Dr. Bronner’s Baby-Mild All-One Magic Soap offers a versatile and gentle solution that can be diluted and adapted for multiple purposes. Navigating life with a newborn can feel overwhelming, especially with so much conflicting advice on baby care products. Parents want solutions that are effective and affordable, but most of all, safe for the new addition to their family. Lisa Bronner, family blogger and consumer educator for Dr. Bronner’s, has put together a simple guide of parenting hacks to help new parents streamline their routine.

 “There are three requirements that are crucial for the cleaners we use around our kids and on their stuff,” Lisa Bronner, Dr. Bronner’s Consumer Educator explains on her Going Green website. “First, it’s got to be effective. It’s got to cut through all that grime and stains. Second, because all these surfaces will be seen, touched, and tasted again, cleaners must be residue-free. Any residue on these surfaces will end up on our children. Third, these cleaners must be fume-free. They must not emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) into the air which our children breathe. VOCs, which can come from fragrances as well as the cleaning compounds, are proving to be endocrine disruptors, asthmagens, allergens, and more. These enter the body through the lungs.” 

At a quick glance, here are Lisa’s quick ‘skip’ and ‘chooses’ when it comes to baby care products:

  • Skip artificial “fragrance” – choose unscented or scented lightly with essential oils.
  • Skip Powder – choose a simple balm to prevent chafing.
  • Skip Parabens, Urea, Quaterniums – choose products with tocopherols (vitamin E).
  • Skip the “Tear Free”- choose a mild soap, and use only pure water to clean baby’s face.

The Product

Lisa suggests Dr. Bronner’s Baby-Mild All-One Magic Soap (prices start from £9.99), made with no added fragrance and double the olive oil, making it ideal for sensitive skin & babies too (though not tear-free!). The Baby-Mild All-One Magic Soap is concentrated, readily biodegradable, versatile and effective, and comes in a range of sizes. The 240ml is perfect for a changing bag, and the 3.8 litre is a cost saving essential perfect for decanting into smaller containers within the home.

A study conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) showed that 29 of 30 everyday household cleaners can release VOCs. Of the 30 products tested only one did not release any VOCs when it was used: Dr. Bronner’s Baby-Mild All-One Magic Soap, giving it the ultimate seal of approval for parents.

The following are some of Lisa Bronner’s top suggestions on how to use Dr. Bronner’s Baby-Mild All-One Magic Soap. Content has been compiled and adapted for the UK from Lisa’s comprehensive guide of parenting hacks on her Going Green with Lisa Bronner website.

  1. Washing baby

First, I don’t use any products on my baby’s face. I use a wet wash cloth to wipe her face gently. Then, I add a couple drops of the pure castile soap to the washcloth. The washcloth helps immensely. First, you don’t use or lose as much soap. Secondly, it is easier to control where the soap goes, and you don’t have it running all over the baby. Thirdly, the soap is diluted on the wet washcloth and isn’t applied strongly to my baby’s skin. I use cup of water to rinse the soap off. It rinses very easily. To take care of her head, I tip her head back so that the water and soap run backwards off of her head.

  1. Creating your own eco and cost saving baby wipes

These wipes are not just for babies or for bottoms. Keep them on hand to wipe anybody’s sticky hands or messy faces. For a jar of wipes to keep on the changing table, simply place half a paper towel roll in a jar and pour the following solution over. After a few minutes, pull the cardboard tube out of the middle, and dispense wipes dispense from the middle. For reusable or wipes on the go, pour the solution into a small spray bottle. Spray baby’s bottom, and wipe with a soft cloth, or place soft cloths in a container or wipe warmer and pour solution over them.

Baby Wipes Solution:

  • 360 ml warm distilled or filtered water
  • 5 ml Dr. Bronner’s Baby-Mild All-One Magic Soap
  • 1 ½ Tbsp /22 ml Organic Coconut Oil, warmed to a liquid
  • 9 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
  • 4 drops Lavender Essential Oil

Add all liquid ingredients to a jar and shake well to combine.

  1. Washing baby laundry

I use the largest volume of Dr. Bronner’s Baby-Mild All-One Magic Soap on laundry; Clothing, bedding, blankets, car seat covers, carriers, diaper bags… They’ve all been either tossed in the washer or hand washed with our soap.

Machine Laundry

3 to 4 Tbsp. (45-60 ml) Dr. Bronner’s Baby-Mild All-One Magic Soap *Double all laundry amounts for non-HE washers.

Most of the time, that’s all I use. I wash on cold most of the time, unless a load is particularly grubby. Then I boost the heat. If a load is stinky or needs whitening, I’ll toss in 45 g baking soda, and 120 ml vinegar in the fabric softener compartment.

Handwashing Laundry

Add a full capful of Dr. Bronner’s Baby-Mild All-One Magic Soap to a sink of water. Scrunch the item in the water and then let sit for at least 10 minutes. Scrunch the item some more, working the water through. Drain the sink, refill with clean water, and scrunch the water through again to rinse. Press in a towel and lay flat to dry.

  1. Washing baby gear

Dishes, Bottles, and More

Nothing beats a sinkful of suds for doing a good washup. Fill the kitchen sink with warm water and add ½ tsp. of All-One Magic Soap. Wash and rinse. In addition to the dishes and bottles, I’ve used my kitchen sink for cleaning breast pump parts, shoes, lunch boxes, backpacks.

Upholstery and Fabrics

For furniture, fabric-covered toys, or any fabric covered item including strollers and car seats that shouldn’t be immersed, fill a bowl with 2 litres of water and a small squirt of All-One Magic Soap. Dip in a washcloth and spot clean the fabrics. Dip a fresh cloth in clean water to rinse the fabric. Be careful not to saturate the surface. Press the area with a dry cloth to remove extra the moisture. Let air dry. Sometimes to restore the texture of the fabric, you need to lightly buff with a dry cloth after the surface is dry.

  1. Flooring

While the floor is not technically a baby or kid item, let’s face it, kids spend a LOT of time on the floor. Crawling, learning to walk, creating block towers and racetracks, and building puzzles. Regardless of whether you use a mop and bucket, flathead mop, or spray mop, they need to get clean without leaving residue behind. Castile Soap is safe and effective on wood, laminate, vinyl, all manner of stone, or some engineered material.

After vacuuming or sweeping, mix the following:

  • 4 litres water
  • 2 ½ Tbsp /37.5 ml All-One Magic Soap
  • Optional: 20 drops of tea tree pure essential oil for some extra antibacterial power

Put the water in the bucket first so that when you add the soap, you don’t get an overflow of bubbles. Submerge the mophead, whether it’s a string or flathead, and wring out until damp. Mop.

With Lisa Bronner’s expert tips, families can embrace a more natural approach to baby care while saving time, money, and reducing unnecessary chemicals in their home. Parenthood may come with its challenges, but choosing safe, effective, and multi-purpose products can make the journey a little easier.

For more parenting hacks and product details, visit Baby & Kid Care | Going Green with Lisa Bronner.

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About Lisa Bronner
Lisa Bronner is Dr. Bronner’s consumer educator and editor of “Going Green with Lisa Bronner.” She is granddaughter of Emanuel Bronner, founder of Dr. Bronner’s—the top-selling natural brand of soap in North America and producer of other organic body care and food products. Lisa helps many make the transition to a healthier home and lifestyle. Lisa’s “Going Green” blog, addresses diverse topics related to green living, from personal care and G.I.Y. (Green-It-Yourself) home cleaning tips, to transparency in product labeling, fair trade, organic integrity, and GMO labeling. Launched in 2008, the blog includes instructional videos as well as photography, and an active community forum for discussion of posts.

For futher information, please viist: https://www.lisabronner.com/.

About Dr. Bronner’s
Founded in the U.S. in 1948, Dr. Bronner’s is the top-selling brand of soap in the natural marketplace in North America and a leading mission-driven brand worldwide. The company is an independent, family-owned business based in California, committed to honoring the vision of founder Emanuel Bronner by making socially and environmentally responsible personal care and food products of the highest quality, and by dedicating profits to help make a better world. Dr. Bronner’s commitment to social justice, environmental sustainability, and ethical business is part of the company’s mission to put the “All-One” philosophy printed on the company’s iconic soap labels into practice and integrate these ideals into all aspects of its operations. The company caps executive salaries at 5 times its lowest paid fully vested position and donates all profits not needed for business development. In 2024, Dr. Bronner’s generated an estimated $209 million in net revenue and gave an estimated $8 million to charitable and activist causes. To-date Dr. Bronner’s has donated over $100 million since 1998, when leadership was transferred to the current generation who runs the company today. The company celebrated 75 years in business in 2023.

For further information, please visit: https://www.drbronner.co.uk.