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Hmmmph... I really don't like the sound of this, but yet J's nursery are buying some for the children to use. Am I a killjoy or should I be right to be concerned?

Apparently it's safe to use - but when I'm taking care to avoid things that will exacerbate J's eczema I'm wary of stuff like this.

An innovative child’s bath time product. A two pack bath powder that when added to bath water turns it into a very thick goo. When the gel dissolver is added the goo disappears and becomes water gain. Available in four fun colours- Orange Gloop, Lava blast red, Magic Swamp green, and Blue Lagoon.

The main ingredient is a super absorbent polymer (sodium Polyacrylate) that retains water on contact just like blotting paper when it soaks up the ink. This type of product is also used to store water in the soil to retain moisture. It has been developed with the environment in mind, so no harmful ingredients or parabens are used in the product.

It has been developed by a leading beauty and spa products manufacturer Gelicity Skin Technology and Gelli Baff conforms to the cosmetic regulations act 1996 and has had a full safety assessment on each ingredient.

What do you think folks?

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My kids mentioned this too - sounds like great fun - but like you I'd be most wary - it sounds a bit like that chopped up jelly stuff that they put plants in!!

hmm
I imagine that dermato..derma... skin tests have been done? Perhaps you could trial a little on J first?

my instinct is.. unnecessary chemicals? why? don't need them

According to this site

Tips & Ingredients For Gelli Baff

Tips

For maximum fun follow the laws of gelli baff!

Don't put too much water in the bath! For maximum gooiness 5 or 6cm is plenty for an average sized bath. If you have a jumbo bath, use even less water.

Don't add the powder while the tap is running. Pour the bath water first, turn off the tap and then add the Gellibaff sachet marked 'Step 1'.

Enjoy Gelli-baff sitting down. Goo is slippy!

Don't eat Gellibaff. It's not nice. And just like regular soap, if you get Gellibaff in your eyes it could sting, so make sure to rinse it out with plenty of clear water. Don't forget to wash the goo out of your hair.

Goo ingredients : Gellibaff is a harmless powder which holds 400 times its own weight in water. A similar substance is used in disposable nappies. The dissolver sachet contains pure table salt, the same as you put on your chips!

This stuff looks like it would be fun - a little expensive, though.

This sounds like a gelling agent that we use in our products - a naturally occurring gelling agent called guar gum that is a certified food additive considred so unhazardous to man and the environment that there is no requirement to test it and on that note (i really am campaigning today) It's naturally occuring, it's considered non hazardous and can be used and discharged quite happily and I think even greenpeace would be happy with us using it BUT if there was a massive discharge of this stuff into a watercourse it would be fatal for all the organisms present int he water course I can't see a fish or a water flea surviving in jelly! so it's still got to be used with caution.

Not so sure about the colours and where they would come from. would they dye your child pretty colours too?!

I think playing with it in a bowl might be better than having abath in the stuff (it sounds quite repulsive but I must be getting old)

Personally I am against putting anything down a drain that isn't absolutely necessary. Even if the product is safe and natural there must still be a potential for blocking the drains or contaminating the water courses.

Also, just because a product is natural doesn't mean it won't cause an allergic reaction or worsen an existing skin condition.

I think a patch test is a really good idea but of course our bodies can develop a reaction over a period of time so a patch test carried out once won't give any long term reassurance.

Zoe

I can see the sense of playing with it in a bowl getting used to textures etc- but to bath in it - how on earth do you get it out of your hair or other nooks and crannies - so to speak

the most difficult thing i feel, would be telling J that (s)he will be the only one not getting a go

what a rotten position for any parent to be put in!!! I do feel for you.

how about this by way of compromise....

go with the bowl suggestion, safer for J's eczema (plain water can irritate eczema so this stuff may well do) and then, when the kids finished playing, sow a bean seed in the gel!
you should be able to watch complete root formation try sowing different seeds to see if they absorb the colours (I can't remember if it's lettuce or something else but I know some plants do)
Now J isn't left out.....but is not submerged in the stuff either, you have an educational and useful experiment and no gloop is destined for the drainpipe

You can get the dissolving sachet as well, so that it turns to water again after you've had fun playing in the jelly, so there wouldn't be any actual jelly going into the water systems.

I saw this is Hawkin's Bazaar a while ago - it is shocking colours!! I was more worried about re-dying my hair/skin/ears a strange colour using it.

Might get the blue one and try it...

Interesting ideas there Flower!! Thanks.

Fee - let us know how you get on if it colours your hair blue :P

WGA - yup I was wondering about the nooks and crannies too. I doubt that they'll be using it to bathe in though.

It's sodium polyacrylate and not guar gum - unless they are the same thing. I've looked at a few sites and it does say that it can possibly irritate eyes and skin. Weird that this can be marketed as a child's toy.

just look at the cr@p they put in foods aimed at kids.

I've reread the thread, and i kinda want to get a few different colours and grow things in it instead!!

Must find out what plants i can dye...

I know you can put cut carnations in dye and they'll take the colour...

this stuff has been advertised on TV of late, both my children went YUK! That's disgusting....

out of the mouths of babes comes common sense at times.

haha! my sister and i (19 and 25 respectively) got quite excited at the prospect! i blame it on being children of the 80s...

i'm really interested in growing things in it now though!

It irritates the hell out of me when manufacturors spell things in a stupid way...baff indeed! Shock horror that you might consider buying their product if they called it Gelli Bath or even Jelly Bath