A newborn baby’s skin is five times thinner than an adult’s, which is why it is very delicate and cannot yet defend itself well against bacteria and other aggressions from the environment. Caring for a newborn baby’s skin means helping it to become stronger day by day, creating a protective shield against sun, cold and heat.
Baby’s skin needs specific care.
The skin is the body’s largest sensory organ and provides the first and most important protection from the outside world. A few simple rules need to be followed to keep the protective mechanisms of the skin efficient, allowing it to build up its physiological protective barrier and this is particularly true for children.
The skin of infants and children has a thinner stratum corneum and epidermis and their ratio of skin surface area to body weight is three times higher than that of an adult, so applying an unsuitable product may be more likely to interfere with its natural physiological functions.
Children have a higher skin pH than adults, around 6, and a high number of sweat glands per square centimetre. Importantly, they have an immature buffering system with a low melanin content that could make them prone to sunburn. Their skin also contains fewer water-binding substances, so it dehydrates more easily.
This is why following some functional hygiene guidelines is important to preserve its natural ability to structure itself as a protective barrier to the outside world.
Simple rules for the well-being of your baby’s skin.
1.Cleanse gently during the entire paediatric age.
Dirt tends to stick less to the infant’s skin compared to an adult’s and requires less frequent cleaning. It is preferable to use a mild cleanser based on vegetable-derived surfactants, for instance from olive oil with emollient and nourishing properties, or organic chamomile extracts.
2.During the first days, try cleansing without water.
During the first months of life, prefer affinity cleansing, which is gentler than cleansing with water and which not only cleans but also nourishes and moisturises the baby’s skin. Dip a cotton pad in no-rinse Baby Cleansing Milk made with organically-farmed ingredients, such as aloe, oats, chamomile, sunflower and sweet almond oil with well-known emollient, softening, nourishing and soothing properties that are very well tolerated by your baby’s sensitive skin.
3.Choose a specific shampoo.
A baby’s scalp and hair are extremely delicate. The use of a specific hair cleanser for babies is recommended to ensure proper cleansing and nourishment of the scalp and the developing hair. A carefully formulated, gentle cleanser with foaming agents of vegetable origin, ophthalmologically tested and hypoallergenic.
4.Pay special attention to intimate hygiene.
In the paediatric age, it is essential to protect girls and boys from irritation and redness of the urogenital area that may be caused by prolonged contact with the nappy and rubbing, as well as by the use of detergents that are too aggressive and not specific for the age group or intended use. At each nappy change, we recommend using an intimate cleanser specifically for babies, formulated with skin-friendly active ingredients of natural origin, that respect the physiological structure of the intimate parts and promotes the maintenance of a protective pH.
5.Do not over-bathe.
The most important thing is not to wash babies every day because over-bathing can be harmful to a baby’s delicate skin. Once the navel wound has healed, 1 bath per week is recommended during the first 6 months of life; from 6 to 12 months, 1-2 baths per week; from 12 to 24 months, 2 baths per week; over 24 months as frequently as needed.
In the summer, your baby can have a few more baths with rice starch added to the water to cool down. The ideal temperature of the bathroom is between 21 and 22°C. The water temperature for bathing should preferably be 36/37°C, like the body temperature.
6.Moisturise the skin every time it is cleansed.
After a bath, you can moisturise the baby’s skin with oil choosing a particularly emollient and moisturising product suitable for your baby’s skin, as well as a moisturising and nourishing cream suitable for the body and face (Cosmos Natural Baby Body Face Cream). Also at each nappy change, after thorough cleansing with a specific intimate cleanser (Intimo Baby), you can moisturise your baby’s skin with a delicate nourishing product, indicated to prevent irritation or redness caused by the warm-humid environment created inside the nappy (Cosmos Natural Baby Change Cream and Sos Baby Cream).
7.Think about your skin even when doing the laundry.
When washing your baby’s clothes, prefer appropriate detergent products formulated with non-allergenic, skin-tolerant substances. Remember that excessive disinfection of laundry can even be counter-productive, especially if product residues remain on the fabric and come into contact with the baby’s skin, possibly causing irritation and dermatitis.
Advice from Linea MammaBaby®
The products you use to take care of your baby’s skin are important. Choose cosmetic products that are guaranteed, specifically formulated to meet the needs of the skin during childhood and certified for skin tolerability to reduce the possibility of skin irritation.