Why Does Your Baby Have Dry Skin?
Newborns are famous for their kissably soft, perfectly smooth, heavenly smelling skin. But, just like everyone else sometimes their skin has its ups and downs, especially when the weather gets cold.
Plenty of babies get a little bit of dryness or flakiness around the holiday season. So, if your newborn has dry skin, it could be normal. But, dry skin can also be a blanket statement that’s used for a number of different skin issues. The problem is there isn’t one blanket solve that covers all dry skin. So, if you want to find the actual long-term fix to your baby’s uncomfy skin, you’ve got to take a closer look.
Dry Skin on Babies
Dry skin shows up in a few different ways: it can be flakey, rough, dull, red or even a combo of all of them. Once you’ve figured out which one looks closest to what you’re dealing with, your pediatrician can help you treat your baby’s dry skin.
- If Baby’s Skin is Flakey or Feels Rough...
This probably means your their skin is, in fact, dry and needs moisture plus a little extra TLC. Oils do a great job of restoring the skin’s moisture balance and sealing in hydration. Try using a lotion with plant-based oils because they’re gentle, but they’ll help smooth out those problem patches. Which oils are best for baby? We love products with jojoba oil, almond oil and safflower oil for our little ones.
- If Baby’s Skin Looks Dull and Feels Tight…
This probably means your baby’s skin isn’t exactly dry, it’s dehydrated. Yes, there’s a difference, and it matters because it determines how to fix the problem. Like you already know from reading above, dry skin needs moisture. Dehydrated skin, on the other hand, needs water.
Just like the rest of our bodies, the skin can get thirsty. Even when you’re giving your baby enough drinking water, things like heat or baths can dehydrate their skin. It sounds crazy, but sitting in a warm bath too long can actually draw water out of you because when you get out of the bath all the excess liquid that soaked in starts to evaporate and takes even more H2O along with it. This can be an easy fix: Just try limiting bathtime to just 3 to 5 minutes and always use gentle, moisturizing baby shampoo and bubble bath.
- If Baby’s Skin Feels Dry and Has Redness or Looks Irritated ...
If you feel flakiness or roughness on your baby’s skin and it also looks red or puffy, this can mean that their skin is irritated. This one can be a little more complicated. Irritation usually happens when baby’s skin gets into contact with harsh ingredients or something that triggers an allergy, but it can be hard to tell exactly what that thing is. Your everyday household items might contain ingredients that your baby’s skin doesn’t like. Look for products without fragrance, dyes, phthalates or parabens and try switching your Baby Laundry Detergent. If switching products doesn’t seem to help, it’s probably good to give your pediatrician a call.
Tips for Helping Baby's Dry Skin
Your doctor is your BFF for any serious skin problems. But, here’s our checklist of things you can try at home:
- Elimination diet - Food allergies are one of the common causes of skin issues like eczema. Try eliminating foods from your baby’s diet one at a time. Then, wait a couple days to see if their skin gets better. The reason you want don’t want to cut out multiple foods at once is so you can tell which food made a difference.
- Eliminating products - Just like an elimination diet, it’s best to try taking away one product at a time. Start with any products that have fragrances in them. Then, you can start moving toward using more plant-based products.
- A moisturizing or hydrating skincare routine - This won’t solve your little one’s dry skin overnight, so it’s important to create a routine and stick with it. Try doubling the benefits by giving them a soothing, sleepy baby massage with your moisturizing lotion before bed.
The Best Lotions and Bathtime Essentials for Dry Skin
Thankfully babies don’t need a full 10-step skincare regimen like some of us around here. So, if you have these three baby skincare essentials, you should be all set:
- For Day-to-Day Care
Get a Moisturizing Baby Bathtime Routine that gets the job done by soothing head to toe. We think the best baby lotion is one that has a gentle, plant-based ingredients and long-lasting moisturization. Which is exactly why we created our Gently Nourishing Face + Body Lotion.
- For Extra Love
Try using an organic balm for problem areas like rough elbows, delicate bums (and even mom’s cuticles). Not to brag, but Our Organic All-Purpose Balm is literally award winning. We love to shout about it because it’s made without petroleum, which is huge for a balm that works like this.
- For Eczema
If your baby has been diagnosed with eczema, you know how hard it is to see your baby uncomfy and what a struggle it can be to find gentle products without steroids that actually help. There is stuff out there that works, like colloidal oatmeal, which is what we put in our Eczema Cream and Eczema Soothing Therapy Balm.
The Best for Baby
Whether your babe has eczema or just a little dry skin, it’s never fun. We all want our little ones to feel nothing but comfy, happy and be healthy. You’re an amazing mama for doing your best to make it happen.
We aim to provide you with the most honest and credible information possible. This article was reviewed for accuracy by The Honest Team and was written based on trusted sources that are linked at the bottom of the article.
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