Baby beauty – Skin care

When having a newborn, it is important to give special importance to skin care. Baby’s skin can be sensitive, dry and even have some discolorations.

Newborn skin is delicate and so is the baby’s immune system. Chemicals, fragrances, and dyes in clothing, detergents, and baby products can cause skin irritation, dryness and rashes. However, there’s much you can do to protect your baby from these skin problems.

Skin care – bath

Your baby shouldn’t get a daily bath, two or three times a week is enough. Of course, you should clean the diaper area as often as necessary. Too frequent bathing (more than three times per week during the first year) remove natural oils that protect baby’s skin. That may dry out the skin and leave sking vulnerable to infections and other irritants.

You should use a special baby shampoo and soap on baby. There are a lot of products specifically formulated for every age group. These products are nontoxic because they do not contain alcohols, deodorants or other ingredients that can be dangerous for baby’s skin.  You should look at the label before buying to be sure that you choose the  one with the fewest chemicals.  You should know that baby soaps don’t provide so much lather like your usual soap does.

Avoid using baby powder because baby can inhale it into his lungs and cause damage. If you have to use it shake it into your hands away from your baby. 

If your baby’s skin is dry apply moisturizer immediately after bath and apply it as often as necessary. You can also buy a humidifier to prevent the air in baby’s room from being too dry, which can help baby’s dry skin.

Skin care – Sunscreen

Sunscreen isn’t recommended for babies under six months old. Try not to let sun directly hit baby’s skin. You can avoid it opening the stroller sun cover, using hats with brims, and covering all body parts. You may also want to get sunshades for the backseat windows of your car. When you’re hanging at the park or at the beach, chill under an umbrella or shady tree. However, in the rare situation where sun exposure is needed for an infant, most experts believe that using sunscreen is safer than not using it. 

When your baby is six-month, look for sunscreen with inorganic filters (like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide), because they won’t irritate baby’s skin and eyes.

You can read more about skin care sunscreen protection here.