What You Need To Know about Your Baby’s Skin

First rule of baby skin care, with newborn skin care, ‘less is more’. Studies reveal that a baby’s top skin is 3-5 times thinner than that of an adult’s.

Their skin doesn’t fully mature until the baby is around a year old. This means that substances that get on the baby’s skin can easily make their way through the baby’s skin layers. Also rashes, spots and other skin irritations are common in the first year because their skin is still developing.

There are four general categories for baby skin types.

Normal Skin- This type is smooth and has no visible spots or rashes.

Dry Skin -This skin type will always appear rough and more often than not flaky sometimes throughout the year. Young skin is more susceptible to getting dry thus dryness could be severe.

Sensitive Skin -Yes all babies have sensitive skin however some are super sensitive. This skin type will redden and get irritated easily.

Eczema-Prone Skin – This can be most troublesome kind and will be relatively easy to spot. Do consult a dermatologist to confirm however. It will be extremely itchy and with occasional red patches.

The best time to identify if there is any problem with your child’s skin is during bath time. This is because as you wash and bond with your baby, you can check their skin.

WebMD recommends that too-frequent bathing — more than three times per week during the first year of life — removes the natural oils that protect baby’s skin. That may leave baby’s skin vulnerable and dry. It may also aggravate eczema.

That’s why when selecting your baby’s soap, you should go for a Baby Soap that is specially formulated with added oil to cleanse and will not dry out your baby’s skin.

If you can, also avoid using wash cloths as the also increase the rate of water loss from the skin.

When done with bath time, avoid vigorous toweling, instead pat the skin gently with a soft towel.

If you use baby powder, keep it away from your baby’s face, this is because the talc in the powder has been proven to cause breathing problems in children.

Massages are a great way to wind down from bath time and a great way to help baby relax and sleep. It’s advisable to use skin Jelly that will keep your baby’s skin protected for up to 24 hours.

Wondering how you can find out about your baby’s skin type? Try this simple test.

After giving your baby a bath apply sufficient skin Jelly and give the skin some time to absorb. After a few hours or once you’re sure the skin has absorbed the oil, take some blotting paper and rub on the forehead.

Hold the blotting paper up to the light. Heavily stained paper is an indicator of oily skin. Moderately stained indicates normal skin. While lightly to absently stained paper indicates dry skin.

Remember if you notice any anomalies in your baby’s skin, its best to take your baby to see a doctor to manage it.

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