Does Your Baby Need Perfume?

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In case your baby doesn't smell yummy enough all on her own (as if!), the high-end fashion label Dolce & Gabbana recently announced plans to launch a perfume designed for babies.

With notes of citrus, honey, and melon, the perfume evokes "the softness of baby skin, the freshness of baby breath, a mother's sweet hug, [and] the first smile" by "enhancing" a little one's natural smell, according to reports.

And each 50-ml bottle of perfume "designed to cuddle and pamper every little boy and girl" is expected cost around $45, says the NY Daily News.

If spraying babies with perfume sounds a little far-fetched—not to mention pricey—consider this: Dolce & Gabbana is just the latest entry in a long list of brands that offer scents for the small set. Burberry, Bulgari, L'Occitane—even Johnson & Johnson—already make cologne products for kids.

So, are you buying it? Jennifer Vargas, a mom from Cranberry, New Jersey, says no way. "When my baby is all clean after a bath, that 'new baby' smell just seems to emanate from her skin... Number one, I can't imagine any man-made product being able to duplicate that scent. And number two, why would I try to top it by spraying perfume on her? It's a case of not being able to improve on perfection. I'll just save my money, I think."

Another mom, Kate Connors, of Manassas, Virginia, questions whether it's even safe to spray perfume on babies. "I used to get horrible headaches whenever I was around a co-worker who liked to wear strong perfume. I could always open a window or go in the next room, though. What if my baby has a reaction to the scent, but can't let me know? I try to use bath products that aren't drenched in fragrance for this reason."

Still, Emily Gomez, a mom-to-be from Tampa, Florida, says she'll wait to smell it, and if she likes it, may pick up a bottle—to use for herself! "I admit it, I use baby products on my sensitive skin because they are so gentle, and I love their scent. I have a hard time finding perfume, so this may work!"

Gomez says she could see herself squirting a little on her baby from time to time—just for fun. But when it comes to using perfume to cover up her baby's not-so sweet smells? Gomez says no way.

"I think if the diaper is smelly, don't put on perfume," she says. "Just change the diaper."