10 Best Baby Skin Care Tips For Everyday
The largest and one of the most important organs in the human body is the skin. Skin provides a vast range of functions. First and foremost it provides a protective, waterproof layer for the bodies internal organs. The skin also maintains the body’s temperature. When the skin gets too cold capillaries under the skin contract, preventing the flow of blood to the skin surface. On the flip side, if a child becomes too hot, the capillaries enlarge, allowing blood flow to the skin surface. This increases heat loss and turns the skin red.
Nerve endings in your child’s skin respond to senses like warmth, pain, cold and touch. The skin responds to these stimulation, and sends information to the brain about the external environment the child is occupying. All parents want what is best for their baby, so it’s natural to be extra cautious when it comes to baby skin care products. Babies have very sensitive, delicate skin making them prone to rashes and irritation but unfortunately the usual culprits when it comes to skin troubles are actually the parents.
The delicate skin of your baby needs utmost care and attention. A small rash can be extremely annoying for the baby and if not treated in due time, chances are it might take bigger shape in days to come. If like most new parents, you too are confused about how to maintain the proper skin care of your baby to keep him/her happy and comfortable; this section would be of immense help.
Daily Skin Care For Babies:
- Skin care for babies starts from their very first bath and parents should make sure that bath water is lukewarm in summers too and a little bit warmer in winters, so that skin doesn’t become dry or rash. Diluted soap should be applied to the skin for keeping it moisture. A mild moisturizing lotion should be applied in good quantities on the skin to make it supple and soft.
- Change diapers or nappies frequently. A protective diaper cream will protect your baby against diaper rash, by creating a barrier against wetness.
- Babies often suffer from acne problems, but most of the time it is a temporary thing and disappears on its own, the reason being there are left over hormones in the baby’s system from the mother. For the treatment part, make sure you never prick the acne, as it would result into scarring. Try some specially made natural baby skin products for acne prone skin or just make sure you often clean the acne area with damp cotton to make it dirt free.
- Mineral-based oils can be avoided as they tend to dry the skin when absorbed, rather go for organic and natural oil like coconut, lavender, chamomile, rose etc. as they soothe the skin more and impart it more moisture.
- Babies under 6 months of age should spend some time in the sun, preferably in the early morning hours, rather than the mid-day sun. You could ask your pediatrician to recommend an appropriate sun screen for your baby.
- Talcum powders for babies can contain bleach like substances that are harmful for your baby’s skin and can darken portions of baby’s body if accumulate on any area.
- Babies are always put into diapers and irritation starts to develop due to that, so make sure that you free your babies of diapers for two or three times in a day and apply some diaper rash cream on the parts in case of rashes, before fixing the diapers.
- Always use dye-free or fragrance-free detergents for washing baby clothes as usual family detergents may irritate the baby’s skin and rashes can appear due to that.
- Selection of clothes is also very important as per the season, make sure you use linen or cotton clothes in summer as these fabrics make the air pass through quickly and rashes will not develop. In winters, clothes should be warm enough and loose-fitted, as skin can get red at some parts if tightly tied.
- Babies and children over 6 months of age should wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen that provides UVA and UVB protection and has an SPF of 15 or more. Protective clothing that allows the skin to breathe, hat and sunglasses are also recommended when your baby or child is out in the sun.