Here are several clean ingredient swaps for kids you can make this week! I share what brands to look for, my favorite places to get cleaner ingredient products, and how to save money!
It’s been about one year since I started paying attention to the ingredients in the products I buy for my family and we’ve made so many changes in that time!
Making the decision to start picking cleaner ingredient options for your family is a big deal and it can feel completely overwhelming.
If you start small and just work on replacing one item or not buying products that contain one harmful ingredient, it can feel more do-able!
Below I’m sharing the swaps we’ve made for our kids over the past year so you can get an idea of what brands to look for and what items you might want to switch out. I’ll also share my favorite places to get cleaner ingredient products and how to save money!

Why I Decided To “Clean Up” Our Home
The decision to get cleaner ingredient products for our family came about for several reasons.
I wanted to cut out red dye 40 after seeing a picture on social media with celery in a glasses of water that were colored blue, green, and red. The celery in the red water was completely wilted and looked dead! I couldn’t believe it! I had considered cutting out the dye in the past, but once I saw that picture, I knew I had to make better choices for my family.
I also really wanted to heal my body. I have struggled with acne since I was a teenager and I started seeing more and posts about how cleaning up the ingredients you put in and on your body can heal so many issues and can give you a better quality of life.
I’ve been so lucky to have 2 best friends (and business partners!) who were already living a cleaner ingredient lifestyle when I wasn’t. Once I made the choice to do it, I realized how many benefits they were seeing in their own lives and how I wanted that for me and my family.
We all have our own reasons for wanting to live a healthier life, so whatever they may be, I’m here to help! Below you’ll find the most common product swaps I made for my kids.
Clean Ingredient Breakfast Swaps

Cutting out red dye 40 was the first ingredient I eliminated in our home. And it was tough because we had a lot of cereal with artificial colors and other harmful ingredients in them. It took some trial and error to figure out which cereals were good for my kids, but I finally found them!
Another identifier to look for on labels is the phrase “contains a bioengineered ingredient.” This indicates that one of the ingredients is genetically modified. Bioengineered foods are highly refined and processed, meaning they are low in nutrients but may be high in calories. So basically not what we want to be putting in our bodies!
The last ingredient in this food group to look out for is nitrites. Sodium nitrates and nitrites have been linked to the development of heart disease and diabetes. It’s just an unnecessary additive that we don’t need in our food!
- Cereal options – We love Cascadian Farm, Kashi, Nature’s Path, and Mom’s Best cereal. Just note that Mom’s Best cereal has added folic acid which may cause health problems so that’s something to be aware of.
- Breakfast pastry options – Nature’s Path Organic Toaster Pastries are organic and made without artificial flavors or colors.
- Waffle options – You can get pre-made frozen waffles like Kodiak Cakes or Annie’s but we just use the waffle mix and make our own to have during the week!
- Syrup options – Any 100% organic pure maple syrup is a great option. I buy mine from Sam’s Club or Costco in bulk to save money.
- Bacon options – Look for bacon without nitrites or nitrates. I love to buy turkey bacon in bulk from Sam’s Club and Costco to save money.
- Sausage options – We love Applegate Naturals Chicken and Maple sausages with no antibiotics, nitrates, or nitrites.
- Egg options – Switch to an organic cage-free or pasture-raised egg brand to get a cleaner product.
Clean Ingredient Lunch Swaps

With typical lunch foods, you’ll want to look for picking food without artificial ingredients, enriched flour, antibiotics, bioengineered ingredients, and inflammatory oils.
- Peanut butter options – Look for natural, organic peanut butter that only contains peanuts and salt! You can find these in bulk at Costco or Sam’s Club
- Honey options – Any brands that sell raw, organic honey.
- Jam options – Look for organic, non-GMO jam without high fructose corn syrup or make your own homemade jam!
- Bread options – We like Dave’s Killer Bread because it contains non-GMO ingredients like whole wheat, seeds and nuts. Look for bread made without enriched wheat.
- Chicken nugget options – We love Applegate Naturals, Yummy Dino Buddies, or Perdue Simply Smart Organic.
- Chip options – Look for organic options made without inflammatory oils.
- Lunch meat – We buy organic deli meat without nitrites or nitrates in bulk from Costco or Sam’s Club
- Mac and cheese – My kids love Annie’s Mac and Cheese which is made with organic pasta.
Clean Ingredient Snack Swaps

With snacks, we try to buy food without artificial dyes, enriched flour, bioengineered ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, and inflammatory oils.
- Fruit snack options – I’ve yet to find a “clean” fruit snack that isn’t crazy expensive so we do fruit leather or fruit bars.
- Granola bar options – I buy the Kind Kids bars. They have added sugars, so just look for whole food ingredients or make your own!
- Soft baked bar options – My kids like Z Bars or Nature’s Bakery bars. Again, not a perfect option but these ones are made with organic ingredients.
- Cracker options – Try Back to Nature or Simple Mills. Those almond flour crackers are so dang good I could eat the whole box in one sitting!
- Juice box options – We like Honest juice boxes without added sugar or Prime drink packets!
Clean Ingredient Treat Swaps

With treats, we try to buy food without artificial dyes, enriched flour, bioengineered ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, carrageenan, and inflammatory oils.
- Ice cream options – I buy Dreyer’s or Tillamook, but only the flavors that don’t contain carrageenan. You have to look at the label to double check.
- Cookie options – Try Back to Nature or Simple Mills cookies that are made with non-GMO ingredients.
- Candy options – We love Unreal, YumEarth, or Smart Sweets Candy that are made without artificial dyes.
- Sprinkle options – Watkin’s Sprinkles don’t have any artificial dyes.
- Popsicle options – Any fruit-based popsicles without dyes like Deebee’s Organics are a good option.
- Bubble gum – I buy Pur Gum or Simple Gum that are made without dyes or aspartame.
Clean Ingredient Bath and Hair Swaps

For bath and hair products, you want to look for items without petrolatum, BHT, talc, and a number of other inflammatory and endocrine disrupting ingredients.
Please note that there are lots of different clean ingredient beauty options out there. The ones I list are just the ones we’ve chosen to use. There may be different or better options out there that will work for your family!
- Bath wash options – I get the Dove Sensitive Skin Body wash. It’s made without parabens or sulfates and has a 86 rating on the Yuka app.
- Shampoo options – My girls use the Herbal Essences Argan Oil and Aloe Shampoo. It’s made without silicones or sulfates and has a 62 rating on the Yuka app.
- Hair detangler options – I use the Honest brand detangler because it’s made without harmful ingredients and has a 86 rating on the Yuka app.
- Hairspray options – I get the TRESemme unscented extra hold hairspray for my girls because it has a 93 rating on the Yuka app.
- Gel options – I get the Garnier Fructis Pure Clean gel for my son and daughters. It has a 65 rating on the Yuka app.
- Lotion options – I use La Roche Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair lotion for my kids because it’s made without fragrance and has a 79 rating on the Yuka app.
- Toothpaste options – I’ve bought Hello, Boka, and Himalaya Botanique fluoride free toothpaste for my kids.
- Lip balm options – I let my girls use the EOS organic lip balm, although I can’t use this brand because it has pore-clogging ingredients that make me break out, unfortunately.
Clean Ingredient Cold Swaps

For cold products, you want to look for products that don’t have artifical dyes, flavors, or sweeteners.
- Cold medicine options – We like the Genexa brand! Any of their products have clean ingredients and are safe for kids. And they work!
- Cough drop options – I just got Lolleez for my kids because they are organic, non-GMO and made with real ingredients.
Other cold remedies I love:
- Giving a detox bath – This involves mixing 1/2 cup epsom salt, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar in bath water and letting your sick kids soak for 15-25 minutes depending on their age and weight. After they sit in the bath, you’ll need to replenish their electrolytes with either coconut water or a premade drink.
- Using a humidifier – A humidifier, especially with essential oils added, is a great all natural way to ease cold symptoms.
- Essential oil blend – I put a few drops of an immunity essential oil blend on my kids’ feet or behind their ears when they are sick and it really does help!
I used all 3 of these remedies when my toddler was sick last and her symptoms literally cleared up in 24 hours. It was crazy!
My Favorite Places To Shop
When it comes to buying organic, non-GMO, or low-tox products I have a few go-to stores where I get my favorite products! If you’re just starting your clean ingredient journey, you can usually trust the products at this store to save grocery shopping overwhelm.
- Thrive Market – I love using Thrive! They have a rigorous process for only stocking high-quality and sustainable products. They often have products in stock that I can’t find at traditional grocery stores. And they usually send texts with free gifts every week! You can get 40% off your first order when you sign up.
- Sprout’s – They only sell natural and clean living products at their stores. Sprouts has great deals on product every week and is a great option for doing your full grocery shopping.
- Natural and organic section of grocery stores – Because my closest grocery store isn’t a natural-only store, I take full advantage of their natural aisle! Most grocery stores will still carry organic, clean-ingredient options, you just know where to look!
Once you know what brands and products to trust, you can usually find the best prices at these stores:
- Costco – I love to get Dave’s Killer Bread, organic nut butter, packaged snacks, fruit, eggs, and other organic products when they go on sale at Costco. If you have a big family like I do, Costco is the best place to buy high-quality products in bulk and save a ton of money.
- Sam’s Club – Sam’s Club also has very similar options to Costco. I love to get turkey bacon, avocado oil spray, granola bars, maple syrup, shampoo, body wash, and pancake mix at Costco.
- Amazon – Amazon is great for almost everything else! I’ve gotten my kids’ toothpaste, candy, and the humidifier there.
Want More?
One of my best tips when you are looking for clean ingredient swaps is to use the Yuka app. I’ve found it to be very helpful in decoding confusing scientific ingredients on labels and it gives great suggestions for
And the biggest takeaway from this post is this: you don’t have to be perfect! It’s almost impossible to use low-tox, clean ingredient products every minute of the day. It’s also impossible to make all of the changes you will need or want to do at once!
It’s taken me months to swap out most of our products so don’t get down on yourself if it’s taking longer than you want.
Also, please remember there there are lots of different options out there when it comes to which swap is going to be the best for your family. Just because you don’t choose to buy a certain product for your family or choose a different one than someone else doesn’t make it better or worse! It’s just what works for your family.
Your Turn
Do you still need help finding a clean ingredient swap for one of your favorite products? Or do you want to share your favorite non-toxic swap you’ve made for your family? Let us know in the comments!