Baby’s Sensitive Skin
March 27, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Your baby’s skin is highly sensitive. Before using any baby clothes or baby linens for the very first time, make sure to wash the baby items in a hypoallergenic soap formulated for babies. In addition, use only clean and natural products designed for babies when you bathe your little one. Products for adults are usually too harsh for your baby’s delicate skin.
It is not necessary to give your newborn a bath every day. Just be sure to keep your baby clean. Wash your baby’s face, head and diaper area daily. Wipe your baby’s face and head gently with a soft, wet washcloth or use dampened cotton balls. Make sure to get into all the skin creases, especially where dribbled milk and spit up can collect. Also, wash your baby’s bottom well with each diaper change to avoid diaper rash.
When it is time to dress your baby, choose loose-fitting, soft garments. Baby’s clothes can be layered for warmth. Be sensitive to your baby’s environment and make sure to peel off or add a layer or two when in a warm or cold car, store or restaurant. If you find your baby has little pimples along skin folds, especially on the neck, back, shoulders, chest or diaper area, he or she may have prickly heat, which can be remedied by avoiding heat and humidity. Give your baby cool baths and dress him or her in light, loose-fitting baby clothes.
It is healthy and recommended to take your infant outdoors to get fresh air. Simply dress your child appropriately. You may need to protect your baby from the sun and from insect bites. While the sun is an important natural source of vitamin D, it can also do damage to your child’s skin. Shield your baby from direct sunlight by keeping the stroller hood up. Once your baby is six months old, get in the habit of using clean but effective sunscreens on your child year round, even on overcast days. Choose a hypoallergenic, PABA-free sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. When applying sunscreen, avoid your baby’s eyes and keep it off your baby’s fingers as your child might rub his or her eyes. Also, avoid or limit exposure to the sun between 10am and 4pm. To keep bugs away from your little one, use an all natural insect repellent and for insect bites.
Basics of Baby Skin Care
March 11, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
After the early months of babyhood have passed the skin of most children has a more than adequate layer of fatty ‘padding’ which gives it a beautiful smooth appearance, often described as having the quality of ‘purity’. All the functions are very active, and because the stratum corneum is functioning effectively the skin is very well hydrated. Indeed, by and large children’s skin is the healthiest we ever see.
A child’s skin shows little or no damage from sunlight. Children have more leisure time than they will ever enjoy again, however, and many of them play outside whenever they can, often spending most of the summer out of doors. There is often massive exposure to the sun during childhood, which will have long-term consequences.
The care of the skin of small children is almost entirely in the hands of parents or other carers. Nevertheless it is never too soon for them to begin to learn about skin care. The skin does not need moisturising unless there is atopy or eczema, or after prolonged exposure to sun or sea, but regular protection against the sun should begin now.
Products for babies and young children are usually highly fragranced. That sweet, recognizable aroma you could smell a mile away is nothing more than added fragrance, which we know can cause irritation. Moreover, baby products almost always have a pretty yellow or pink tint, which is contrived by coloring agents, another group of problematic skin-care ingredients for sensitive skin. If baby products were really gentler than those that adults put on their skin, they would be fragrance free and contain no coloring agents. Sadly, few of those existed just a decade ago. But now there are many clean, healthy skin care products lines to choose from.
Cosmetics and hair-care companies know that mothers have an impulsive emotional pull toward scents that trigger the image of their babies. That subconscious pull is difficult for a marketer to ignore, given the way women gravitate to the fragrance generated by other perfume-laden products. In other words, hair and skin-care companies don’t have much motivation to take these problematic ingredients out. That means you, the mother and consumer, as an advocate for your child, need to pay attention to this issue and choose fragrance-free and color-free products whenever you can!
