Your baby's skin is very delicate and sensitive, so be careful to choose the appropriate skin care products for your baby. Many baby products contain chemicals, perfumes and dyes that can cause inflammation to the baby's skin. But do not worry, you can easily learn to avoid these items. On a brighter note, the baby's skin sensitivity also makes it feel your slightest touches, which aides its development process.
At birth, the baby's skin is covered with a layer of wrinkled skin that naturally flakes off during the first week. Do not rush this process by rubbing its skin or using moisturizing creams. If your baby was born past due date, this layer would be naturally shed inside your womb.
Here are some tips to help protect your baby against skin allergy and rash:
• Try to resist your urge to shower the baby frequently. Showering the baby more than 3 times a week during its first year removes the natural oils that protect its skin, causing skin dryness and could possibly cause eczema as well.
• Infant babies do not get themselves dirty except for some drooling and when they soil their diapers. Showering your baby twice or three times a week will therefore be more than adequate. Otherwise, you can, on non-bathing days, just clean the baby's mouth and the area underneath the diaper with little water or baby wash.
• Do not use any fragranced products during the first few months because this can cause inflammation to your baby's skin.
• Wash all baby clothes with a no-color added fragrance-free laundry detergents. Wash all of the baby's clothes and bed sheets separately from the rest of the family's clothes.
One of the most common problems affecting babies is eczema. Eczema causes red patches of dry skin making the skin rough and itchy. Eczema can appear on any part of the baby's skin, but more commonly on cheeks and around limbs' joints. Eczema often disappears before school age.
Babies may also get diaper rash, which is caused by leaving the wet or soiled diaper for a long time on your baby's skin, rubbing the skin while cleaning, or due to an allergy from the diaper's type. Sometimes the reason is bacterial or fungal infection.
Finally, caring for your baby's skin is as important as caring for its feeding and keeping it warm, because it has an impact on the baby's and keeping a smile on its face throughout the day.