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A baby’s skin is sensitive and delicate. It also feels fragile – which it is. It seems as if anything can damage it, and there are lots of irritants and risk factors. However, this doesn’t make your baby untouchable. Instead, it calls for a gentle touch and special care as your baby’s skin adjusts to its new environment.
So, how do you handle a baby’s sensitive skin without damaging it? These seven tips are inspired by medical knowledge and decades of parenting:
1. Keep It Moisturized
A baby’s soft skin loses moisture quickly, making it prone to dryness. Dryness causes a range of skin conditions, including newborn dry scalp concerns.
As such, it is recommended to keep the little one’s skin hydrated and moisturized at all times. Moisturizing the baby’s skin keeps it soft and plump. Additionally, the moisture acts as a protective barrier against many irritants. More importantly, it also supports the growth of the hydrolipidic layer, which is a natural protective layer made up of body oil and water.
It is important to use moisturizers that are recommended for babies’ skin to avoid harmful side effects. It also helps to use a humidifier to keep the baby’s immediate environment humid.
2. Keep It Clean
Contact with dirt, dust, and other harmful elements can cause skin irritation and even induce more severe skin infections in a baby’s sensitive skin. To this end, hygiene is emphasized in every setting.
Keeping the baby clean doesn’t mean bathing them repeatedly. In fact, bathing the baby too much is potentially harmful as it breaks down its natural protective barrier. To this end, it is recommendable to bathe the baby only a few times per week – every other day is reasonable. Additionally, use lukewarm water and cleansers recommended for babies’ sensitive skin.
It is also important to keep your baby in a generally safe environment. The house should be especially clean and free of dust, pet dander, and other unhygienic elements. As such, vacuum the floor, wipe the surfaces, clean the upholstery, and make sure that everything surrounding the little angel is clean.
3. Regulate Temperatures
Too much warmth or cold is bad for the baby’s skin. Extreme temperatures break down the skin’s natural protective barrier. They can also cause a range of health conditions such as colds. As such, it is important to keep your baby at the right temperatures at all times.
Keep your baby warm. Regulate the thermostat in the baby’s room and use a humidifier to maintain its humidity. Additionally, keep them covered whenever you are outdoors or in a room without HVAC.
4. Use the Right Fabrics
Style is the last thing you should worry about when picking out your newborn baby’s clothes and other fabrics. Your greatest concern should be whether the fabrics are healthy for your baby’s sensitive skin.
Your baby’s skin will be in continuous contact with fabrics, so make sure that they are safe and comfortable. The fabrics should be soft and smooth for comfort and safe – rough fabrics can damage the baby’s skin and cause irritation.
Additionally, the fabrics should provide enough warmth while still allowing room for breathing. And, while styling is irrelevant, the fabrics should not contain dyes or other elements that can cause irritation. Besides, you should also watch what you wear. When hugging your baby, the fabric of your clothes may come into contact with their skin, which can result in several allergic reactions.
Cotton is the recommended fabric for newborn babies. It is soft and smooth, guaranteeing the baby’s comfort. It is also warm but breathable and quick at absorbing moisture, making it good for maintaining safe and comfortable temperatures levels.
5. Use Simple & Safe Skincare Products
Your baby doesn’t need fancy skincare products. Their skin is naturally soft and smooth, so there is no need for smoothening products. It also has that newborn smell that is irreplaceable by even the most exotic perfumes. Using fancy skincare products is not necessary and doesn’t help, consequently. On the contrary, it poses a wide range of risk factors for the baby’s skin and overall health.
However, your baby does need a range of simple skincare products. For example, a Vaseline or A-D lotion is necessary for keeping their skin moisturized. Additionally, diaper cream is necessary for protecting the baby’s delicate back.
Keep it simple when it comes to using skincare products. Use only the necessary products as recommended by your pediatrician, and avoid products that may contain irritants.
6. Avoid Exposure to the Sun
Exposure to the sun is generally bad for the skin, and the effects are profound for newborn babies’ sensitive skin. Babies are born with low melanin counts, and their skin is continually producing more of this natural skin protection. Their low melanin content makes their skin especially sensitive to the sun’s harmful UV sun rays.
The sun poses several risks to your baby’s sensitive skin. For starters, it can cause drying, leading to conditions such as a dry scalp. It can also cause inflammation and other skin conditions associated with exposure to harmful UV sun rays.
As such, minimize your baby’s exposure to the sun – unless it is the morning and evening sun for vitamin D. Keep your baby’s skin covered in fabric and dress him/her in an all-round hat. Additionally, use a pediatrician-recommended sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 when exposure to the sun is unavoidable.
7. Report All Skin Conditions
Some common baby skin conditions will strike despite your best efforts. Common conditions to look out for include heat rash, diaper rash, contact dermatitis, eczema, and cradle cap, among others.
These skin conditions are natural, and many of them will heal on their own. However, it is also natural to be alarmed and worried, especially since they can be symptoms of more severe conditions. As such, it is important to report every symptom to your pediatrician – avoid using OTC skincare products and natural remedies without knowing what you are dealing with. The pediatrician will advise you on how to manage the condition and offer medical care where necessary.
Conclusion
Protecting your baby’s sensitive skin fosters healthy growth and keeps him/her looking and feeling like an angel. These tips have been practiced by parents for millennia, and it is your turn now to put them into practice.
