My daughter struggled with diaper rash after diaper rash until I switched her to Coterie diapers. Diapers are on our babies’ sensitive skin 24/7 and finding a product that is high-quality, clean and safe will ensure their skin health.

This week, I welcome Jess Jacobs, the CEO of Coterie, to discuss a healthy skin care routine for your baby and how Coterie’s innovative brand challenges industry norms by consistently exceeding expectations in product safety and performance.

She joins me to discuss:

• Coterie’s commitment to offering high-quality, clean and safe products designed to alleviate worries for parents
• Her personal experiences as a mother including her kids’ sensitive skin issues
• That it is important for brands to set a high standard for their products and to empower parents with clear and straightforward education about skin health

 

To connect with Coterie on Instagram follow them at @coterie and check out their products at https://www.coterie.com/

 

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and subscribe to PedsDocTalk TV.

 

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships page of the website.

00;00;00;10 – 00;00;26;08
Jess Jacobs
I would love parents, myself included, by the way, to walk away from this feeling really confident in their understanding of skin health in regards to their children. So it’s that education piece without overwhelming. And I think that’s a real belief of of mine and coterie. Still, we don’t have a ton of different products just for all these different things.

00;00;26;08 – 00;00;51;25
Jess Jacobs
Like for us, it’s just the absolute best of the best in each category of changing. We say we’re changing everything about changing in that way, and I think it’s really important also not for parents to feel overwhelmed by, you know, decision paralysis when it comes to everything out there, to being able to cut through the clutter, cut through the fear mongering, cut through the greenwashing.

00;00;51;25 – 00;00;57;15
Jess Jacobs
It’s, it’s critical for parents to feel empowered in that way, too.

00;00;57;18 – 00;01;26;12
Dr. Mona
Welcome back to the show. This is Doctor Mona, your host, pediatrician, and mom friend. And I love getting to have the most amazing guests that I know virtually or in person. And the guest today is someone that I met and have connected with in the past. Her name is Jess Jacobs. She’s the chief executive officer for coterie. Just joined the company in 2021, just two years after launch, and rose to chief brand officer prior to her appointment to CEO in 2024.

00;01;26;12 – 00;01;48;02
Dr. Mona
Girl Power Just throughout her tenure, she has propelled Coterie into a leading position in the market, challenging the traditional dominance of established brands and reshaping the industry landscape. And she is a storytelling expert, something I know personally, having done a really empowering event with her for Coterie last year, which is still something that holds a lot of love in my heart.

00;01;48;06 – 00;02;10;26
Dr. Mona
She has 15 years of experience building premium brands and crafting inspiring content for some of the most iconic companies. Prior to Coterie, just as VP of creative for Lola and omnichannel feminine care brand with a clean, minimalist esthetic, she spent many years as the creative director for a digital agency, leading the creative and strategic marketing work for her core clients Nike, Apple and Glossier.

00;02;10;28 – 00;02;24;00
Dr. Mona
Jess lives in Brooklyn with her husband, four year old daughter Penelope, and one year old daughter Quinn, currently a size four in the diaper. Thank you so much for joining me. Just what an intro and what a legacy already.

00;02;24;03 – 00;02;46;11
Jess Jacobs
I’m blushing. That was so sweet. And, I can’t say how excited I am to be here with you, talking to you about this, that dinner that we were at together. I still get emotional thinking about it. It was so, it was so touching and meaningful. I should also say, I don’t live in Brooklyn anymore.

00;02;46;11 – 00;03;01;00
Jess Jacobs
As of. Oh, okay. As of two weeks ago, I now live in Connecticut. I’m a Connecticut resident, so, it’s been fun to do the suburbs thing, with my family, and. Yeah, but other than that, all is all is true.

00;03;01;02 – 00;03;19;07
Dr. Mona
I love that. And I that event that you said. Yes, there wasn’t a dry room in the house. I loved it. And I have to say, I don’t have a lot of brands. Come on my podcast. People may not be aware of that. You know, I very much vet the brands that I align myself with. Whether it’s on the podcast, whether it’s on social media.

00;03;19;13 – 00;03;43;21
Dr. Mona
And sometimes people will be like, oh, Doctor Mona is talking about this brand, but there was so much thought process that goes behind who I’m going to align myself with, and it’s important for me to tell a little bit of backstory on why I fell in love with coterie. Because people can understand that, and we’re going to be talking about today, but more so about brand vision and also skincare in general, because I think people forget that diapers are also related to skincare.

00;03;43;24 – 00;03;44;09
Jess Jacobs
It’s true.

00;03;44;16 – 00;04;04;09
Dr. Mona
Yeah, absolutely. It’s more of that. But my little storytelling for a little bit is that I knew about coterie when I had my son. You know, it was obviously a newer brand, but I knew about it and my son was in just a regular diaper, not coterie. He didn’t he didn’t have sensitive skin. I didn’t think twice about needing a diaper company, that I would have things shipped to me.

00;04;04;09 – 00;04;22;26
Dr. Mona
Right. With coterie. I know what things are available, in stores now, but at that time I was like, no, this is a boujee diaper brand. I don’t need that. And then and then I had a lot of families who use coterie in my office, and I was like, okay, this is amazing. They love it. They were getting a lot of diaper rashes and they would use coterie and I’d be like, okay, well, that’s awesome.

00;04;22;26 – 00;04;43;07
Dr. Mona
I’m like, I’m happy you found something. And if it’s convenient and in your price point, I think it’s wonderful. Fast forward to when I had my daughter, and from the moment she was born, the most horrific diaper rash on this girl. I also was on antibiotics from complications. So I think it impacted her, her poop and it was acidic and she just in a very sensitive, bougie butt girl.

00;04;43;07 – 00;04;57;26
Dr. Mona
And I say that with so much love. And I went through four different diaper brands I was using. The one I used for my son went through so many different things, use the ointments, everything. Right. And I reached out to you and I was like, you know, I would love to try it. Do you think I can just get a sample right?

00;04;57;27 – 00;05;13;13
Dr. Mona
I literally just ask because I work with brands and you’re like, we’re like, sure, you sent me the sample and I was blown away. Like, I mean, even just after a few days of using it, I mean, with the ointment that I used, which I had been using already, her diaper rash is gone away. And it just felt like, wow.

00;05;13;13 – 00;05;31;00
Dr. Mona
Like, sometimes people look at diaper companies and they may see your ads, or they may see things and be like, oh, here’s another diaper company, like advertising to me. But for so many of my families and now myself, I can understand why something can be convenient. I can understand why it’s nice to have the, you know, so much more than a brand.

00;05;31;00 – 00;05;49;13
Dr. Mona
It’s a community. It’s helping moms be happier and parents be happier in education. And that is why I love poetry, because it’s not just, oh, here by our diapers and by our wives. It’s how can we really holistically approach children and approach all the things that we do for our kids? And that was what the event was about, right?

00;05;49;13 – 00;06;08;09
Dr. Mona
It wasn’t about diapers. It was about postpartum bodies, and it was about how we change and how that is such a beautiful message. So really making you blush again. But thank you for being a part of a brand that sees women also dads too, but sees us for the changes that we go through, sees us for the hard work that we put into being moms.

00;06;08;12 – 00;06;25;03
Dr. Mona
And it’s so much more to me than a diaper company. It’s so much more than product. It’s about a community, and it’s about how can we change the narrative about companies that are doing good for the world? And you guys are doing that as a, you know, a brand that cares so much about people and mothers and families.

00;06;25;03 – 00;06;26;17
Dr. Mona
So thank you so much.

00;06;26;19 – 00;06;56;13
Jess Jacobs
That means the world, that means the world. And that’s really that’s really what we’re all about. And what we as a brand are trying to do for parents. And I think different from a lot of other baby care brands out there, we really are parent centric. It’s it’s about the parent for us. And as you said, making them feel seen and confident and giving them peace of mind, sleep, all of the things that they need to as people say, like put their oxygen mask on first, right?

00;06;56;13 – 00;07;23;23
Jess Jacobs
To be able to be there for their kids. And, you know, it’s it’s amazing to hear that, you know, you have had that experience. And by the way, I’m obsessed with the fact that you don’t work with a ton of brands. I think, like, that’s that’s so core to you. You know, you are this incredible doctor that is also this parent that firsthand deals with all of this.

00;07;23;26 – 00;07;35;18
Jess Jacobs
So it means the world to have your approval and, you know, just be a part of your world in this way. So, we’re all we’re all just super grateful for that. And thank.

00;07;35;18 – 00;07;52;25
Dr. Mona
You. Yeah. A beautiful relationship. You know, obviously, I love that you prioritize education, which is my platform all the time. Right? Even any brand I work with, it’s how can I educate with your brand, not just promote product? Because to me, we lift people up by educating, by empowering. And that’s what we are doing. And thank you for giving me that freedom to do so.

00;07;52;28 – 00;08;06;25
Dr. Mona
And we’re going to be talking about a little bit about coterie, but also just about, you know, skin health and diaper and all of it, how it’s related. But what would be one thing for everyone tuning in that you would hope that they take away from this episode? By the end of the conversation?

00;08;06;27 – 00;08;37;02
Jess Jacobs
I think it’s what you just said. It’s that education piece I would love for parents, myself included, by the way, to walk away from this feeling really confident in their understanding of skin health in regards to their children. So it’s that education piece without overwhelming. And I think that’s a real belief of of mine and coterie. Still, we don’t have a ton of different products just for all these different things.

00;08;37;02 – 00;09;02;20
Jess Jacobs
Like for us, it’s just the absolute best of the best in each category of changing. We say we’re changing everything about changing in that way, and I think it’s really important also not for parents to feel overwhelmed by, you know, decision paralysis when it comes to everything out there, to being able to cut through the clutter, cut through the fearmongering, cut through the greenwashing.

00;09;02;20 – 00;09;12;20
Dr. Mona
You know, obviously being part of a brand like coterie, how has that played a role in some in maybe simplifying or helping you show a better as a parent and your journey as a parent?

00;09;12;23 – 00;09;46;24
Jess Jacobs
That’s a great question. I think that what it does is takes one big thing off of the plate, right? It’s coterie or any brands or any product is not going to alleviate anxiety. What it can do and what it has done for me at least, is when it comes to my diapers. My wipes. Now my son diaper, it what it does do is it takes the worry away from those elements.

00;09;46;24 – 00;10;13;26
Jess Jacobs
Yeah. I don’t have to worry about diaper rash. I don’t have to, you know, think about at night. Are they going to wake up from leaks or being cold? I think actually one thing that a lot of people don’t know, and I certainly wasn’t aware of before being here, is that one of the major reasons why kids wake up at night is not actually because, they’re wet and that a diaper is leaking.

00;10;13;26 – 00;10;40;24
Jess Jacobs
It’s actually because their skin is cold. So with a lot of diapers, babies, you know, or young kids urinate at night and the diapers job is to wick away the liquid from their skin as quickly as possible. Ours does that up to three times faster than the leading brands. And that’s why it’s so important that wicking away from the skin so that the baby or your child can continue to sleep and not wake up from that.

00;10;40;24 – 00;11;16;15
Jess Jacobs
They wake up because the liquid is on their skin, and once it hits the air, it’s freezing. It’s freezing. So that can make babies wake up, cry, and create that perfect environment for for diaper rash and all things, you know, skin health. So I think not having to deal with that and worry about that and have the stress of knowing, you know, my the products that I’m using in that way are so safe, so clean.

00;11;16;17 – 00;11;36;26
Jess Jacobs
You know, it’s a peace of mind that every parent deserves to have. So having that has been huge. Does that change your life? No. And and know where we are we saying that it would or should. But it’s it’s a help. It’s a big help.

00;11;36;28 – 00;11;57;21
Dr. Mona
Yeah. And I think when you talk about that talk about the community resources, the education initiatives, I mean, obviously it’s just a holistic kind of approach to caring for kids. And, you know, speaking about that, that dryness, you know, so obviously it’s best to, you know, obviously change the diaper when they’re way when they’re dirty. But I found that even when my daughter’s wet, like she still is in the Coterie size three diaper.

00;11;57;22 – 00;12;25;27
Dr. Mona
So she’s, you know, she’s my little petite princess and she’s 20 months, and I love that. But, you know, even if I miss changing a wet diaper on her, it’s not. It holds it faster. And again, she’s dry like she’s not irritated by the fact that I could. The one diaper can go longer, if you will. Which I think is such a great thing that I’m not having to change as as frequently if just say we’re out and I want to come home to change the diaper and I don’t want to, like, put her down on the, on the, you know, park floor, it is nice to see that.

00;12;25;27 – 00;12;43;16
Dr. Mona
And yeah, there is a combination, obviously, that we see with the skin health and, and how that can help and night time, you know, parents are always asking, well, oh my gosh, they’re going to have diaper rashes. And I’m like, well if you have a good diaper and if you and you put the right ointment on, you don’t have to worry so much about changing the diaper, especially if they’re sleeping.

00;12;43;16 – 00;12;50;13
Dr. Mona
Right. Everyone’s like, well, no, I’m going to wake up my kid to change their diaper. I’m like, Cardinal rule, never wake up a sleeping kid. Thank you. Yes.

00;12;50;16 – 00;12;51;06
Jess Jacobs
Thank you.

00;12;51;07 – 00;13;14;11
Dr. Mona
Even if they even with this. Yes. If they’re not waking up because they’re cold or leaking all of that stuff. Yes. You’re going to have less wake ups and all of that too. Obviously. I know everyone knows that sleep with children is so much more than diapers. There’s so many other reasons kids can wake up. It is one of those components which I think you said takes away one area that we can maybe control, when obviously there’s other aspects of of getting a baby to, to quote unquote, sleep through the night.

00;13;14;11 – 00;13;22;25
Dr. Mona
The big thing that everyone hopes for. But I think that’s great. Yeah. What are you most excited for when you think of the future of poetry?

00;13;22;27 – 00;13;37;07
Jess Jacobs
Oh my. So much, so much. I love, I think that, there’s just a lot to be proud of. You know, we engineer.

00;13;37;10 – 00;14;04;06
Jess Jacobs
High quality, high performing, clean, safe products that, you know, are designed to help try to make parents lives easier. That’s what it’s all about. Skin health continues to be at the center of that. So when we think about what’s next for us, you know, everything we do is focused on skin health. We choose ultra soft materials that are comfortable against delicate, developing skin.

00;14;04;08 – 00;14;30;19
Jess Jacobs
As I said, our diaper, you know, wick away that moisture for up to four times faster than other leading brands, and keep skin up to three times drier. And that’s important for minimizing moisture in that area. For skin, you know, safety is is core to us. We, third party independent lab test everything for performance, skin health, safety.

00;14;30;21 – 00;14;59;13
Jess Jacobs
Everything’s hypoallergenic, meets the highest safety standards. Pediatrician and dermatologist tested and approved. So, you know, we hold ourselves to the highest standard, ourselves. We do that. So it takes a lot to create something new. As it should. It shouldn’t be easy, right? It shouldn’t just be. Oh, let’s just white label this and put it out there and get it going.

00;14;59;13 – 00;15;22;21
Jess Jacobs
And that’s not how we do things here. That is not how this business, was you know, first concept did by our, you know, founder and who’s now chairman of our board, Frank, you and that’s not how I carry the torch today. I see, with our, our president, Grace Lingard. That’s that’s not our philosophy.

00;15;22;21 – 00;16;02;14
Jess Jacobs
Our philosophy is really about innovation. And, the highest possible quality that that we can put out there, beyond expectations, beyond what anyone says is, is necessary. We’re taking ten extra steps in that direction to ensure that we are so above and beyond. We are, you know, will go through the lengths of creating something, and then you know, with customers and if there’s any, you know, customers listening and or watching, we we adore all of you.

00;16;02;14 – 00;16;19;28
Jess Jacobs
And thank you for any of you that have participated in focus groups, which we tend to do. And, you know, people will love it. And then our internal team, which is a team of a lot of parents, we are the toughest ones on ourselves. And we’ll say it’s not perfect. Yeah, absolutely perfect. So it takes a long time.

00;16;19;28 – 00;16;33;22
Jess Jacobs
But we have exciting, exciting things ahead. This year. And, you know, maybe that’s that’s all a giveaway at the moment, but, it’s it’s years and years of development as it should be. Right.

00;16;33;24 – 00;16;53;20
Dr. Mona
Well, listen, it’s a good thing when a CEO of a company is very excited about the future. I think that’s a good thing already. And one thing that I will say is like, you know, I think it’s parents, especially us modern parents, you know, the 2025, everyone having kids. People want transparency. People are asking questions, right? Like with all with the internet and everything out there, there’s a lot of fear mongering.

00;16;53;20 – 00;17;11;12
Dr. Mona
There’s a lot of like, okay, what about this ingredient? What about this? And I think one of the biggest things that’s so important for not just your brand, but when I speak to other brands that I work with are just looking at brands in general is science minded, obviously looking at the science, trying to look at evidence, doing the crowdsourcing, but also transparency like you guys do.

00;17;11;13 – 00;17;17;16
Dr. Mona
Right? The transparency of ingredients, the labeling of here’s what you’re going to find, here’s what you have. So that when parents are.

00;17;17;16 – 00;17;17;29
Jess Jacobs
Looking.

00;17;18;06 – 00;17;32;02
Dr. Mona
Because parents different parents that I see me have different opinions on what they want for their babies. Right? So maybe like, I don’t I don’t really care about this, I maybe care about something else. And then there’s parents who are like, no, I would love to look for a product that has X, Y, and z. I have the means to do that.

00;17;32;07 – 00;17;49;06
Dr. Mona
Let me do that. So the transparency, making it more accessible in stores, all of that stuff has been such a nice innovation to see all do and I really appreciate that from a consumer standpoint and also from my patients as well, that there is not fear mongering and there’s more of like, hey, here’s what we’re doing here.

00;17;49;10 – 00;18;04;09
Dr. Mona
Let let me talk to you about the science that we’re doing, and here’s the third party research that we’re doing so that, you know, that there’s not always vested interest in just what we’re creating. There’s obviously people that are from the outside looking in, which I think just add a lot of integrity. So, you know, I think looking out, thank you.

00;18;04;09 – 00;18;24;04
Jess Jacobs
For saying that. It’s wild that that’s even a thing. Let me just say that. Right. Like we came about, you know, over five years ago, not that long ago, as a challenger brand, let’s say, kind of questioning the status quo. One of the things we were questioning is why are some there transparency around the ingredients in our diapers?

00;18;24;11 – 00;18;52;17
Jess Jacobs
We were the first first to publish our safety reports. Why? You know, no, no, other brands weren’t required to. But why aren’t you just doing it? Why aren’t you third party testing? Why aren’t you, you know, checking off all of these incredibly important boxes, like being, you know, totally calorie free, your diapers. And, you know, we were doing that before we were asked by parents to do that.

00;18;52;17 – 00;19;23;16
Jess Jacobs
And I think that critical, because I’m, I’m a parent just like everybody else who’s like, you know, I want to know and I want to know that, you know, what I’m putting on my baby is really safe, and clean. And the reality is that babies are wearing diapers pretty much 24 seven. Unless they’re in the bath, they’re wearing a diaper that’s on their skin all day long.

00;19;23;18 – 00;19;28;27
Jess Jacobs
All night long. So it matters what it’s made of.

00;19;29;00 – 00;19;47;01
Dr. Mona
I love this, and one of the biggest things we’re going to talk about on the the for the rest of the episode is obviously we alluded to the fact that, you know, diaper a diaper brand, but also how important it is for skin. And I think we had a lot of questions submitted by your community, as well as my community about common skin care questions that will tackle together.

00;19;47;01 – 00;20;06;00
Dr. Mona
So great to see. This is like an interactive thing because some of the things I may know as a pediatrician, some of the things from, you know, a brand standpoint, I’d love to hear your perspective also as a mom. So we’ll get into those. And so, yeah, one of the one of the questions that we often get, which I can answer first, or you can let me know, is, how do I know if my baby has sensitive skin?

00;20;06;00 – 00;20;17;09
Dr. Mona
I would love to hear if your children had sensitive skin, if they did. And how did you know? Or what was your mother? Maternal perception of sensitive skin. And then I can answer from a pediatrician standpoint.

00;20;17;11 – 00;20;23;24
Jess Jacobs
So I am a skin care nerd to love it.

00;20;23;24 – 00;20;24;22
Dr. Mona
Okay.

00;20;24;24 – 00;21;05;20
Jess Jacobs
Obsessed. I had pretty intense acne, and my own sort of skin issues. It wasn’t surprising to me that I had babies with really sensitive skin. But I also think to a certain extent at least, really young children, you know, their skin is inherently sensitive, right? It’s still developing that, you know, first layer dermis. And it’s really important to sort of treat it delicately.

00;21;05;20 – 00;21;31;16
Jess Jacobs
I think there’s probably and I want to hear from you, I’m sure there’s varying degrees of what that looks like at different stages, but I think regardless it’s it’s delicate. So for my kids, it looked like a baby acne. It looked like with my first daughter, I was using another brand before I started working at Code Gray.

00;21;31;18 – 00;21;49;17
Jess Jacobs
Then when I came here and use the product, I was like, okay, this is magic. And no more diaper rash for me. Thank you. And eczema. Eczema up the wazoo. So that’s that’s what’s happening over here. But I’d love to know. Yeah.

00;21;49;20 – 00;22;05;15
Dr. Mona
I you already touched upon. So when we talk about common conditions and let’s say we’re taking it, let’s say in the first six months, okay. Obviously there’s conditions that can happen after you mentioned diaper rashes, you mentioned eczema, baby acne and then the other common ones, you know, obviously you can get some common newborn rash is like milia.

00;22;05;15 – 00;22;23;25
Dr. Mona
I don’t consider that a skin. Like that’s not something you have to do anything for. But diaper rashes, eczema, baby acne or things that you can potentially do or leave alone, depending on the severity. And then we have, which is the most common thing that I see is like the parent coming in and saying that the skin is blotchy, like, oh my God, I picked up my little newborn.

00;22;23;25 – 00;22;44;08
Dr. Mona
And why do they have my fingerprint imprints on their skin like it’s red where the parent sections. I’ll explain that. Or just dry skin. Right. So that’s not eczema. It’s just right. And to understand from a physiological standpoint baby skin. And it gets better as they get older. Baby skin is much thinner. So me and you can hold moisture in a little bit longer.

00;22;44;08 – 00;23;09;01
Dr. Mona
And it’s not as thin. And also it can lose moisture faster. So that is why we don’t want to over, you know, dry them out. We want to use the proper ingredients in products. What I mean by that is, you know, not no fragrances, things like that, you know, and also sensitive skin can react to temperature changes. You know, you take your little cute little chubby, chubby baby outside and all of a sudden their cheeks are all rosy red when ours may not be as bad in that same temperature.

00;23;09;05 – 00;23;16;14
Dr. Mona
They’re very sensitive to temperature changes, humidity, you know, wind, just the environment in general.

00;23;16;17 – 00;23;17;24
Jess Jacobs
Little things. Yeah.

00;23;17;24 – 00;23;40;16
Dr. Mona
I mean, we know that, like, they’re just more sensitive in general. So I agree with you that I think by and large, all babies are more sensitive skin than adults. Right. Like, I remember touching my little boy who I would not say he has sensitive skin now, he doesn’t really break out in anything. But literally when he was a baby, you you’re the oils on your hand, the lotions that you’re wearing on your hand, anything, perfumes, anything on you.

00;23;40;16 – 00;23;59;12
Dr. Mona
And you touch your baby, even if it’s just the natural oils can cause them to get a little red skin and doesn’t mean it’s a allergic reaction or anything like that. But it is something that’s very common that we see. And of course, there’s management about, you know, the diaper rashes and the eczema and things like that. But, you know, that is why it’s such a case by case basis for me.

00;23;59;12 – 00;24;26;02
Dr. Mona
But looking at products is so important. Because, you know, obviously if things have fragrance, dyes, harsh chemicals in lotions, wipes, detergents, all of that is going to have more of a problem for babies with ultra sensitive skin because there is a spectrum, right? We have children who okay, not so bad. They get a little sensitive. But but then you have people like myself and my daughter who have got the sensitive skin gene that I’ll be sitting there and all of a sudden I’m breaking out into hives and I’m like, what is this, mom?

00;24;26;09 – 00;24;42;03
Dr. Mona
Like, what is going on here? And a lot of it, you know, there’s so many reasons that these can happen. But yeah, there is such a thing as I have more sensitive skin than you. My, you know, I react more to bug bites than my my son and my husband and my daughter reacts more is a genetic. Yeah.

00;24;42;04 – 00;25;00;25
Dr. Mona
I think there is some genetic component. But I think it’s important for listeners to understand and consumers that just because something works for another child doesn’t mean that it’s going to work for your child and vice versa. And so it’s important to understand what’s out there, what brands are out there, what is best. And that’s why I love having this conversation of I never thought I’d use code.

00;25;00;28 – 00;25;14;03
Dr. Mona
Truly, I never thought I would need a brand like coterie. And then it’s the only thing I use now and I’m like, I need my fix. I’m running low and I’m like, no, no, no, I can’t, mom, I need to ship. Can you go to Whole Foods and go grab me another one? Because, you know, I’m like, I was traveling there.

00;25;14;03 – 00;25;28;11
Dr. Mona
I’m like, I can’t just use anything else because like you said, it provided reassurance for me and some sense of control that I know my daughter’s. My daughter’s little bum is so happy in these things, you know? So. Yeah. Yeah, that is kind of like looking at that sensitive skin.

00;25;28;11 – 00;25;59;27
Jess Jacobs
Answer I love that. And I think that because we know baby skin is already sensitive and prone in that way. I think when you’re thinking about the products you’re using on them. And to your point, the products, you use it on yourself, the standard has to the bar has to go up. Right. Like looking for things like hypoallergenic dermatologist tested, cruelty free, as you said, no fragrance, no parabens, phthalates, dyes, rubbers.

00;26;00;02 – 00;26;12;08
Jess Jacobs
You know, any of that? Becomes it used to feel like kind of this luxury thing. And now it’s actually it’s it’s kind of critical, right.

00;26;12;10 – 00;26;30;23
Dr. Mona
And, you know, my hope is that this becomes more accessible. You know, there’s so much right now talk about like, you know, extreme and like, you know, obviously with administration and things like that, like moving towards this and that. And again, I want everything to be not fear mongering, but there is some understanding that we should have the transparency, we should have some understanding of science.

00;26;30;23 – 00;26;50;12
Dr. Mona
And, you know, holding people accountable to present that research and, you know, talk about what they’re doing to make products better. And that’s across everything, right? I mean, diapers, skincare, the supplements in this world, I mean, that’s a whole other conversation. But like, it’s so important that anything we put into our body or on our body, we understand what’s going into it.

00;26;50;12 – 00;27;06;27
Dr. Mona
And I think that’s a valid concern for any parent, to have. And I, I love that you’re saying that this should be the rule and not the exception, like the should be the standard. And I do think that we’re moving towards it. And I’m sure you see that from the brand side. And being a CEO in this, in this industry as well.

00;27;06;29 – 00;27;51;11
Jess Jacobs
I, I am seeing that and it is encouraging. It’s encouraging to, even see, you know, what some may say are competitors of ours doing not too because, you know, what I actually care about is just all babies having the best quality that they possibly can. And and that’s really that’s really what it’s all about. I, I would love for coterie to be, you know, the rising tide that that lifts all boats and gets everybody there and to your point about the fear mongering, that is something that I feel really strongly about as being such a negative force for parents, that are already quite anxious.

00;27;51;11 – 00;28;10;13
Jess Jacobs
Yeah. And. You know, I think that, that. World can sort of push things too far the other way. There has to be a balance, right? Like you need to be, educated and informed.

00;28;10;15 – 00;28;16;03
Dr. Mona
But not living in fear that everything is going to kill me. Like, literally.

00;28;16;06 – 00;28;17;23
Jess Jacobs
Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

00;28;17;23 – 00;28;21;27
Dr. Mona
And that’s my platform, you know? And you know that about me. And, you know, I talked about that like.

00;28;21;27 – 00;28;22;19
Jess Jacobs
I like that.

00;28;22;19 – 00;28;39;01
Dr. Mona
About you. You know, when I talk about things, it’s so important for me to say there is like evidence and I, I mean, there is an understanding that I’m not so much like, I can’t do it all, but what are we thinking about? And, you know, speaking about plastics and micro, you know, endocrine disruptors, I mean, people are talking about that.

00;28;39;01 – 00;29;07;23
Dr. Mona
And I made a video about that, like, yeah, like, let’s talk about this. Let’s talk about what we know and how we don’t know everything. But the the way to be an effective consumer is to know, okay, this is something that’s important to me. I feel like I want to cut my disruptors in this aspect and maybe balance it with other things, because that’s how we live a non anxious life, because we can’t live in fear that everything is going to harm us, but we can make smart choices that are in our financial capacity, in our resources, you know, and say, this is important to me.

00;29;07;23 – 00;29;19;16
Dr. Mona
I think this is something important. And maybe looking at another family and you’re like, they don’t find that important, that’s fine. But I find it important. And not judging and just be more compassionate and educated, informed. I think it’s so beautiful.

00;29;19;18 – 00;29;31;26
Jess Jacobs
You hit the nail on the head. That’s what it’s all about. That’s it. And I think balance is that word, right. And like that was it. That was it.

00;29;32;02 – 00;29;46;26
Dr. Mona
Love fest, love fest 2025 I mean I get it. And that’s again I spoke to that. I appreciate you all doing this. You know, I appreciate when I, when I talk to you all and I say, hey look I, you know, I’m very open. I’ve partnered with you all. I’ve made social posts with you, all I’ve done I’ve done stuff.

00;29;46;26 – 00;30;02;10
Dr. Mona
And I even when I talk to you all about, hey, I want to say this or I want to talk about this, I will not talk about this. You know, like there’s certain things that I want to be very clear about because I want to stay true to my integrity of my platform. And never once has any of your team said, sorry, doctor Mona, you must see this.

00;30;02;10 – 00;30;20;10
Dr. Mona
And I want to be very clear about that, because that is a sign of a good brand that I work with. Like that sometimes doesn’t happen, and I end partnerships because I’m like, you’re not giving me my freedom to hold true to my integrity of not fear mongering and all of that. I’m not going to sit there and say, all of these things are bad, but ours is good and I love that.

00;30;20;10 – 00;30;42;27
Dr. Mona
So thank you. Because not a lot of people have ever had me talk to a brand that I’ve worked with, or they haven’t heard me talk to, a brand I work with on podcast, and to hear my integrity that goes behind and why I pair and partner with people like yourself and teams like yours is important for my my listeners and community to understand because it is the future that I love having my resources and having my my knowledge.

00;30;42;27 – 00;30;46;07
Dr. Mona
But using it for good is what I want in this role. And you do too.

00;30;46;11 – 00;30;51;12
Jess Jacobs
And I love that. Love fest. Yeah. Love fest.

00;30;51;14 – 00;31;06;02
Dr. Mona
So one I have time. We have time for a couple more things. So yeah, I’ll throw it out and you can say if you want me to go first or you want to go first, we’ll do it. That okay. Okay. So, are there skincare basics that new parents should keep in mind? A simple ways to take care of baby skin.

00;31;06;02 – 00;31;14;06
Dr. Mona
Like, maybe when you are a mom. Like things that you’re like, okay, I must do this to make sure that I protect my skin, to help my baby skin health or anything like that.

00;31;14;09 – 00;31;16;09
Jess Jacobs
I want the doctor to answer, I like that.

00;31;16;09 – 00;31;38;03
Dr. Mona
Oh. Thank you. I really have a podcast. I love this because normally I’m asking all the questions, but this is a communal team approach. So I will say that for me, foundational things for skin care when you’re thinking newborn and then you’re not talking about that early stages, thinking about the products that you use, sticking to those things, whether it’s diapering supplies because everything you put on your skin matters.

00;31;38;03 – 00;32;05;03
Dr. Mona
So, diapers, wipes, detergents, ointments, lotions, diaper creams, all of that stuff is coming into. Okay. What is something that I think is useful? And, you know, we can do another episode in the future about the ingredients of skincare products and diaper products. I don’t want to go into so much detail, but figuring out, okay, what makes sense for my family using those products, and then the next thing I often, parents ask or I’m not sure about is the bathing frequency.

00;32;05;03 – 00;32;21;09
Dr. Mona
Right? Well, when do I bathe them? How do I bathe them? Remember I’ve said this before. When your umbilical cord falls off, that is when you can start to do baths. In that early stages. They don’t need a lot of baths. They don’t get dirty. Besides, diaper changes need. So you don’t have to give them a bath every day.

00;32;21;11 – 00;32;41;03
Dr. Mona
I personally loved baths around the one month mark for a bedtime routine, so I was the type that did a bath every single evening to prime my kid for sleep. And I say that because my daughter and son, even to this day, my daughter, who’s 20 months. She will rub her eyes immediately after the bath that is priming.

00;32;41;03 – 00;32;59;10
Dr. Mona
That is an example of priming, meaning she could be running amok. But the moment she gets in that bath, I start to get tired and it’s such a routine. So that is why I do every night that some parents are like, it’s not needed. But the key here is after the bath, you must pat dry and not scrub and rub.

00;32;59;16 – 00;33;23;11
Dr. Mona
Use the right products. You know, we talked about finding hypoallergenic, fragrance free things and then also moisturizing after it because they do lose moisture in that bath. You want to keep the water lukewarm, and then you’re going to add a moisturizer or an ointment, something that’s going to lock in that moisture. And it also is a social emotional activity because you can give them a little massage, you can talk to them, get their body all greased up however you like it.

00;33;23;18 – 00;33;40;11
Dr. Mona
Something I still do for my my toddler, my five year old. Now I give him autonomy to decide does he want lotion or not? And I think that’s something that is useful when the child is like over four, but under, you know, three. It’s nice to, you know, do that routine. And if they scream at you don’t want it, you don’t have to, like, pin them down.

00;33;40;17 – 00;33;58;14
Dr. Mona
But it’s an enjoyable experience from the beginning. And why I like this is that when you start to incorporate routine early, right, that we’re going to take baths, we’re going to, you know, it’s going to be a positive experience. We’re going to moisturize after brush your teeth, blah, blah, blah. You create health autonomy. You create hygiene, habits.

00;33;58;14 – 00;34;18;12
Dr. Mona
That is the foundation for the rest of their of their life that we got to take baths. You were outside running. I’m sorry. There’s no option here today. We take a bath, you know, and it’s hygiene. And this is stuff that some people just don’t have good hygiene. I’m sorry. And it’s part of this foundational understanding in a non-threatening way in a non like, well you got to do it I’m going to pin you down.

00;34;18;12 – 00;34;32;28
Dr. Mona
It’s hey you don’t want to go in the bath. You can choose this toy. Which toy do you want to use. We’re going to do that so you can decide if you want to stand up. Sit down. You can decide if you do a shower or bath. Give them choices. But it’s part of routine. It’s a part of understanding that cleanliness is important.

00;34;32;28 – 00;34;50;02
Dr. Mona
Washing your hands, taking a bath. It’s all about personal hygiene and I think it’s a nice foundation. And so for me, the skincare basics is finding the right products, making sure that you are moisturizing. If your skin is sensitive or you have eczema, obviously you need to make sure you’re moisturizing a little bit more with the right products.

00;34;50;05 – 00;35;11;13
Dr. Mona
And just making it a fun routine, I think is great. And then diapering, getting them in the diaper, talking to them, narrating so that they’re not wiggling. And I think parents often forget that toddlers especially and over nine months, they are listening. They’re not stupid. They can listen to you if you talk in a calm way there.

00;35;11;15 – 00;35;27;17
Dr. Mona
Diaper time. I got to put your diaper on. Yes, yes, yes, I know you want to roll. Mommy needs to put on your diaper diaper time. And they may wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. But the more you do that, the more you’re not making it a fight and you’re making it routine. Everything in parenting make it a part of the routine.

00;35;27;17 – 00;35;44;28
Dr. Mona
Make it fun. You know they can have a little fidget toy that they play with. My daughter has this little squiggly pop toy that she plays with the diaper changes. It’s all about exposure, routine, and controlling your demeanor so that skincare, diaper care, health bath is fun and not a chore.

00;35;45;00 – 00;35;46;10
Jess Jacobs
Wow.

00;35;46;12 – 00;35;52;10
Dr. Mona
What do you like? I, I love that on my own podcast. When I get when I get those pearls, it’s like, what?

00;35;52;12 – 00;36;17;00
Jess Jacobs
I love it. I mean, here’s, here’s what I’m taking from that. It’s choices within boundaries, right? It’s not a free for all. But there’s still autonomy in there. They’re still independent in there. Yeah, I absolutely love that. And I agree I agree with everything that you said. And I think I think about my own self and my routine.

00;36;17;02 – 00;36;26;28
Jess Jacobs
My skincare routine is I won’t even tell you how many steps, Oh.

00;36;27;00 – 00;36;51;18
Jess Jacobs
So this is work, right? But but it’s enjoyable work, right? It is, and it’s an investment of time. It’s a muslim. Financially, it’s it’s everything, but it’s it’s a part of my own routine. And I think that it is beautiful to give our kids a routine as well. But I think what’s also important is mine may be 12 oops steps.

00;36;51;25 – 00;37;08;27
Jess Jacobs
But, you know, I think it’s important for. Parents to not feel like for their kid there has to be so many steps. So I would love the medical acknowledgment of this, but I believe that.

00;37;09;00 – 00;37;15;25
Jess Jacobs
It can be a big bang. Boom. Yes. Like bath you’re patting dry. You’re putting on a lotion. You’re done.

00;37;15;27 – 00;37;30;26
Dr. Mona
Oh, just this was such an awesome conversation. I, I want to ask just, like, kind of a wrap up. Obviously you wanted people to, you know, start this episode with that message at the beginning. But what would be your final message? Maybe a few take homes or one that you want people to take home from our conversation? To wrap it all up.

00;37;30;29 – 00;37;59;20
Jess Jacobs
Great question. First, I’m just taken by you. I feel grateful to get to be close with you, be connected to you, and be here having this conversation. You’re just you’re a gift and a gem. And, it’s been so wonderful. And I thank you so much for graciously having me here. I think just knowing that.

00;37;59;23 – 00;38;35;03
Jess Jacobs
Your baby’s skin is probably sensitive. Can take the pressure off, right? It’s like, is my baby? Does my baby, in a sense, is going to, you know, I think in the early, early days. Just assume yes and act accordingly. I think, you know, the goal is not perfection with it. And, you know, problem solution, the goal is just, I think, routine and maintained and yes, always, you know, go to your doctor, you know, if if there’s any concern or confusion.

00;38;35;05 – 00;39;01;19
Jess Jacobs
Always but I think staying with a healthy and, you know, often minimal routine that you trust can, can really work wonders. And when you are choosing those products, just making sure they’re not harsh, they’re proven safe, they’re gentle, hypoallergenic, fragrance free. All the things that we talked about, the world of baby products can be so overwhelming.

00;39;01;19 – 00;39;39;27
Jess Jacobs
And I, you know, it’s best to just not overthink it sometimes and just go with, you know, you know what you trust. I love that. And I think lastly, trust your gut, right? Trust your instincts. You’re a parent and that comes with. This intuition. And you’re not always going to obviously have the right answers, but you’re going to know when something feels good or not good and just trust that.

00;39;39;29 – 00;39;49;13
Dr. Mona
I love that. And listen, when people come on my show and talk about me, it’s a little bit awkward because I’m like, oh, like, I mean, I really appreciate what you said about me. That’s how I.

00;39;49;13 – 00;39;50;00
Jess Jacobs
Feel.

00;39;50;00 – 00;40;05;02
Dr. Mona
You did this. So to me though, no, but like, it’s my show. Like, you know, I’m saying like it’s my show and like, people come on. And then it feels like, oh, but I, I really appreciate that. You know, I, I admit the love is mutual here, and I, I really value your time and I value your expertise and the journey.

00;40;05;02 – 00;40;19;20
Dr. Mona
You’ve had to join this, you know, this brand and obviously build it and continue to see it forward. And you, you hit the nail on the head on all the take home points that I would say to summarize. And I think one of my biggest thing that I alluded to a little bit is remembering that everyone’s unique in their skin.

00;40;19;20 – 00;40;40;09
Dr. Mona
You know, I think, you know, sometimes, like using my toolkit as an example, you may need to know what’s out there because something may not work for you. And just knowing where to get those resources right. Maybe it’s my platform, maybe it’s Coders Council, right? You guys have educators that come. Maybe it’s, somewhere else, that you have a trusted friend that gives you that uplifting advice.

00;40;40;09 – 00;40;58;04
Dr. Mona
It’s not shameful. I want you to continue to find the right community that’s going to help you help your child, whether it’s and it should include, hopefully, a pediatrician or clinician that you love, maybe a social media account. Like myself, I love you all. And then, you know, any sort of educational platform or brand that you really align yourself.

00;40;58;04 – 00;41;14;24
Dr. Mona
And I know you all do great work with your community and your newsletter, and I’m part of your newsletter, you know, like, obviously sharing education. And I respect and appreciate you taking an evidence based pediatrician who, you know, hopefully is well respected in this world and listening to what I have to say so that we can create that balance, right.

00;41;14;24 – 00;41;29;29
Dr. Mona
That balance that I so crave, that it’s not fear mongering, it’s here’s what we know and here’s why you can here’s what you can do. And I want everyone to leave all of my episodes feeling more empowered and more confident than they did when they started, right. That they’re not leaving, like feeling more anxious with whatever we talk about.

00;41;29;29 – 00;41;32;21
Dr. Mona
And I think we do that today. So thank you, Jess, for joining us.

00;41;32;21 – 00;41;34;01
Jess Jacobs
I certainly do.

00;41;34;06 – 00;41;44;29
Dr. Mona
I love it. Yeah. I mean, it worked out for me where it hit. So where can people go to stay connected, whether it’s, you know, for the coterie channels or whatever? Just a way to stay connected with you or the brand.

00;41;45;01 – 00;41;48;10
Jess Jacobs
Well, I am like the worst influencer, non.

00;41;48;10 – 00;41;49;05
Dr. Mona
Influencer, but.

00;41;49;07 – 00;41;50;22
Jess Jacobs
I don’t have to have enough and I’m not.

00;41;50;22 – 00;41;54;15
Dr. Mona
Going to blast your account. Then you do like you post once a year. No, we don’t need that.

00;41;54;16 – 00;42;21;07
Jess Jacobs
Yeah, it’s just pics of my kids I love it I love it. Yeah. My husband follow coterie on all channels. Instagram is a great one. At coterie. And you know, if you are signed up for emails or you have a subscription, you’ll, you’ll certainly hear from us. But I would also suggest, and I think it’s important, like not to overwhelm yourself with, with brands.

00;42;21;07 – 00;42;37;11
Jess Jacobs
I think, you know, listen to, the people in your life that you trust, listen to doctors, you know, thank you for that. That’s what I would suggest. And that. And that’s what I do, and that’s just.

00;42;37;13 – 00;42;57;05
Dr. Mona
Thank you. I know this is obviously not just this is not the last time we’ll connect. I really appreciate all the love that you show me, and vice versa. I really love this relationship. And, thank you. And for everyone tuning in today. If you love this conversation, please share this episode. Whether you’re from the coder community, my community, or just found this episode, it really helps.

00;42;57;05 – 00;43;15;26
Dr. Mona
When you share this episode. Tag us. You can tag coterie, tag Pete’s doc talk on social leave reviews. You know if if what you heard makes sense, follow coterie to see what they’re up to. Make sure you follow me so that you can continue getting that evidence based and balanced perspective on parenting. And I cannot wait to have another guest next time on the show.