A baby’s skin is very thin and extremely sensitive. This is why babies tend to have a lot more skin issues than adults do. In fact, dry skin and rashes in babies are a fact of life. It is, therefore, up to you as the parent to keep your baby comfortable and do all that you can do to protect his skin.

The thinness of your baby’s skin not only makes it easy for tears and scratches to occur, it also does nothing to hold in moisture which makes it easier for dry skin to occur. In a healthy adult, skin is kept moist by both the thickness of the skin and the presence of sebum. Sebum is an oily substance that is produced by hair follicles all over the body. This substance coats the skin blocking out the elements while holding vital moisture deep in the tissue.

Your baby has yet to develop all of these protective measures that help prevent dry skin. That means that you need to be extra careful and diligent when it comes to taking care of your baby’s skin.

Here’s how:

7 Ways to Prevent Dry Skin on Your Baby

Water temperature Hot water can contribute to dry skin. Make sure that your baby’s bath water is lukewarm or tepid. A baby’s sensitive skin cannot withstand that much heat so the proper water temperature will feel a little cooler than what you think it should.Lotion Always use lotion on your baby. Apply lotion after every bath and during every outfit change. You may also want to apply lotion throughout the day if you think that dry skin is developing.Vaseline Babies are prone to rash and dry skin. Make sure that your baby’s skin is protected against anything that it may come into contact with, such as urine, by forming a barrier with Vaseline. Vaseline will help hole moisture in while at the same time prevent things that could break down the skin from coming into contact with it. Vaseline should only be used for isolated sections of skin that are extremely dry or may become dry.Elements Protect your baby’s skin from the elements by wrapping him up in the winter and shielding him from the sun in the summer.Clothing Certain clothing may irritate your baby’s skin and cause dry skin. Stay away from clothing materials that may be rough and harsh for your baby’s skin.Laundry detergent Your baby’s skin requires a different detergent than you use. Be sure to use a gentle detergent especially made for baby clothing. Bath time Dry skin has many causes including body washes and shampoos. Make sure that the bath products that you use on your baby do not cause him any irritation. Never use products that you would use on yourself on your baby. 5 Ways to Treat Dry Skin on Your Baby

Lotion If you notice that your baby is developing dry skin, increase the amount of times that you put lotion on him throughout the day. In many cases, this in itself is enough to restore health and moisture to the affected skin.Over the counter treatments Sometimes you will need to buy something a little stronger than lotion to counter your baby’s dry skin condition. Be sure to consult with your doctor to see what he recommends.Increase fluids If your baby is older than six months of age and is experiencing dry skin, you can increase the amount of fluids that he is drinking. This will help restore moisture to the skin.Prescription creams In extreme cases of dry skin, you may need to obtain a prescription from your doctor to treat your baby’s skin. If this occurs, be sure to follow all of your doctor’s instructions for treating the affected skin.Be gentle Always be very gentle with dry skin. Pat your baby dry after bath time instead of rubbing him. Take care not to snag the skin with any rough fabrics or fingernails. Expect that your baby will feel some discomfort and itchiness in the affected area and take care to address his needs. Dress him in loose clothing and apply Vaseline to areas that are easily chaffed.Remember, if your baby’s skin condition does not improve or gets worse, contact his doctor. What appears to be dry skin may be something else altogether that requires a different type of treatment.

By: Della Franklin

There are plenty of products filling up the market these days, advertising themselves as the best baby natural skin care for your little one(s). But there are lots of shortcomings in these ads especially since many of what these products claim to do just never happen or they fall short of what they are supposed to do. Eventually this leads to your baby suffering from skin irritations, rashes and allergies because of the chemicals and other irritating ingredients found in these baby products. If you are really looking for the top-of-the-line products for your baby, make sure that the products you buy don’t contain anything which would irritate your baby’s skin. The first step for you would be to go for products with natural ingredients rather than those with chemicals.

As you turn towards natural ingredients, remember to avoid ANYTHING (no matter how good it is) which has petrochemicals. Take care when buying lotions and moisturizers because these are the ones which usually contain petrochemicals. This means that you have to take off petroleum jelly from your baby skin care products’ list too.

To keep your baby’s skin as smooth as petals, go for baby lotions made from natural oils. Many of the best baby natural skin care products contain aloe which is an important ingredient in moisturizers and looks after irritations too. Another natural ingredient that you want to be looking for is chamomile. Chamomile is known for its soothing effect on the skin. Watch out what essential oils you buy and if in doubt, consult your pediatrician about prospective products.

Just because you want the best doesn’t mean it has to go out of your budget. There’s absolutely no necessity for you to buy expensive products just because you want good quality products. There are plenty of products out there which can fit snugly within you budget AND look after your baby’s skin too. Start looking from your local health food store!

Smaller companies might actually be the best providers of baby natural skin care. This is because smaller companies are more committed towards making sure that the products you get are of high quality and packed with all the right ingredients. It’d be ideal for you to support a local company as you are more likely to know where all the ingredients came from.

If you still have little or no idea about what might be best for your baby, look for a board or guide that ranks organic and natural products. Read the labels and pick products which don’t have any artificial fragrances or colors.

The more natural the product is, the better it will look after your baby!

By: Susan Hutson