Skin of newborns: how to avoid redness & Co

It is known that there is no skin smoother and softer than that of newborns. Beauty to which, however, corresponds a great delicacy. For this reason, their skin must be cared for carefully.

The sensitive skin of the baby is very easily irritated, also because it often remains in contact with sweat, regurgitated milk, urine and feces. To remain soft and healthy it therefore requires special attention, especially in some areas. Let’s see what are the areas most at risk and how to take care of them.

The face and the little hands

First of all, the baby’s hands and face must be cleansed with specific products that can maintain hydration.

For cleaning the ears it is better to use cotton buds specially designed for the newborn, which have a shape that prevents them from accidentally reaching the eardrum, with the danger of causing injuries.

If you do not have these sticks, sterile cotton gauze moistened with water is also sufficient. Also suitable for cleaning the eyelids, where tear secretions often accumulate.

To avoid irritation and swelling, just pass them gently from the nose to the outside and, in case of redness, a simple remedy is to instill a few drops of saline in the inner corner of the eye.

Since the baby touches everything and brings his hands continuously to his mouth, finally, the little hands should be washed often during the day. This leads to their greater dehydration which, especially in winter, can be fought with pediatric moisturizing creams.

Finally, remember to keep your fingernails regularly cut (better to use rounded scissors) to prevent the baby from scratching.

Folds of the neck, armpits and groin

It is essential to always keep armpits, neck and groin as dry as possible to avoid redness in these delicate areas. Especially after bathing, care must be taken to dry them carefully before applying a moisturizing product.

A stratagem to dry the neck well when the child does not want to know, is to position himself on the side of the changing table where the child has his head and take him to turn a little backwards distracting him with a game or a song.

At the sea or in periods of great heat the baby’s skin can redden or fill with dots that would almost suggest an infectious disease; It is often the effect of sweat that affects especially the neck area. You can then give the baby daily baths based on rice starch.

With proper protection it is also important to expose children to the sun (not during the hottest hours) to fix vitamins and strengthen bones, but also to leave their skin in an open and natural environment.

Under the diaper

The areas of the groin, genitals and bottom are certainly those most exposed to irritation and erythema. In fact, urine develops ammonia that alters the state of acidity of the skin and causes, in the milder forms, small red dots. Even contact with feces, especially if acidic, produces the same irritation.

In these cases, it is enough to apply soothing and protective creams such as, for example, those based on panthenol that creates a protective barrier against irritants and, at the same time, promotes skin regeneration, and can be used at every diaper change.

In severe cases, the skin can become inflamed and even ulcerate and become infected. This event certainly requires the attention of the pediatrician, who can also prescribe other products and provide all the indications to promote the healing of the lesions.

However, there are some simple rules to follow to prevent the baby’s skin from becoming so strongly irritated:

• change diaper often
• wash the bottom with warm water, perhaps enriched with rose water
• dry the baby thoroughly and leave him bare for a few minutes between changes to let the skin “breathe” a little
• use protective creams

The right clothing

Baby’s clothing also has a great importance in maintaining his skin healthy. It is better to choose natural fabrics such as cotton or silk and avoid synthetic ones, especially for those garments that are in direct contact with the skin.

For outerwear, terrycloth, chenille and cotton sweatshirt are to be preferred; Compared to wool they have the advantage of letting the leather breathe better in addition to the fact that they are often washed in the washing machine without felting.

Care must also be taken not to overdo it to cover the child; The little ones suffer more from the heat than the cold. It is therefore better to dress them in layers.

A healthy environment and diet

For the health of the skin and the general health of the child, it is good to make them live in healthy environments, without smoke or an excessive presence of dust and propose a diet as natural as possible.

According to scholars, in fact, the increase in atopic dermatitis in children, which tend to depend on 70% also on genetic predisposition, is also due to negative environmental conditions, such as air pollution, too closed environments, low exposure to light, a high temperature in the house (above 19 degrees).

The most suitable products for children’s skin