When holding a newborn baby, one of the most noticeable aspects of their bodies is the incredible softness of their skin. This is skin that has not had to deal with the harsh environment, nor suffered disease or damage.
Until the point of delivery, a baby’s skin has only offered resistance to amniotic fluid, and even here has had help from a coating of vernix caseosa (a substance largely formed of sebum1). So it is understandable that parents will seek the mildest possible products to care for their baby’s skin. That said, it is important to understand that baby skin care is a highly conservative area. Many new parents will be keen to use the same products that their own parents used for them, seeing them as time tested and therefore safe. Battling against this tendency towards traditional methods are the many parent groups, health professionals and online forums that new parents will encounter; each with a different viewpoint. However, parents and friends will hold the greatest influence over decisions relating to the baby’s wellbeing. The skin is a very important aspect of the connection between a mother and her child and it is now encouraged that pure skin-to-skin contact is experienced during the first few hours of the baby’s life. This allows the baby and the mother to form a bond while also encouraging the baby to start breastfeeding naturally and kickstarting the secretion of oxytocin in the mother, which helps the milk flow.
Cleansing new baby skin
The latest research indicates for that newborns, the best way to cleanse their skin is to use nothing more than water for the first 4 to 6 weeks of life.2 Newborns do not need to be fully bathed every day and parents should refrain from lotions and ointments for dry skin until the baby’s skin has had a chance to settle down. This is due to the fact that the baby’s whole body is immature and its various processes including those involved in the maintenance of healthy skin take time to start functioning fully. As a result, it can appear that the baby has dry or irritated skin, when in fact it is normal immature skin. As the baby gets older and its skin matures it is still important for parents to use mild products. Fragrance-free baby wipes can begin to be used, along with other pH neutral products.
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