Winter Baby Skincare

With the low humidity in winter, not only do adults have to pay attention to skincare, but babies’ skin needs to be thoroughly protected as well. Babies have soft and tender skin. Without attentive care, their skin can be prone to skin problems due to dryness and sensitivity.

Babies have soft, tender and thin skin, which only has one-third of the thickness of adult skin. As a result, their skin is prone to dryness and the slightest irritation can cause discomfort. The sebum secretion of baby skin is also low. Since the protection of hormones that they get from their mother during the infant stage disappears gradually, their skin can easily become dry and rough. In addition, babies have a high demand for moisture. Active babies in particular have a higher water loss, hence higher water demand. If they are not rehydrated in time, their skin will become dry easily.

Moreover, baby skin has low self-regulation and protection abilities when compared to adult skin, which makes it difficult to adapt to the changes in the ambient environment. When the air becomes drier as autumn approaches, even adults experience dry skin, not to mention babies with delicate skin. Therefore, mothers should take thorough care of their baby's skin to prevent dryness. The following tips can help you protect your baby’s skin.

First, you should keep your babies hydrated and ensure they drink enough water according to their needs to relieve dry skin. When you bath your baby, do not use overly hot water and do not bath for too long as these may damage and irritate the sebum protective barrier of the skin. Moreover, you should often nourish your baby’s skin immediately after a bath, with body lotion made with mild ingredients to avoid itchiness and prevent babies from scratching their skin.

Parents should also prevent diaper rash in their babies. In winter, parents may be afraid that babies will catch a cold and change the baby’s diapers less often. When the accumulated faeces on the diaper rub against the skin for a long time, this will irritate the skin and lead to inflammation. In fact, as babies drink more water during dry winter, they may urinate more often. Parents should therefore change their diapers more frequently. When changing diapers, parents can use warm water to clean their skin and apply a thin layer of body lotion to avoid faeces from contacting the skin.

Finally, you should not overclothe your baby, otherwise, he/she may get a heat rash. When parents or caregivers overclothe babies due to the cold weather, their sweat may be trapped on the skin. Their tender skin will then develop itchiness, red rash, papules and blisters, usually on the chest, back and thighs, etc. Caregivers should remember to wipe the baby’s skin with water when he/she sweats to keep it clean and dry.

If parents pay extra attention, their babies can surely go through the dry winter with comfortable and stable skin conditions.