Which is better, cream or body oil? Why does it peel so much? Can I cut your nails or is it soon? How often do I cut them? Do I have to wash your clothes separately? Even when? These are some of the questions that parents ask when they have the newborn baby in their arms, during the first days and the first weeks. They are normal, because we all want the best for our children, and they are habitual, because we all doubt when we see ourselves with something so small and fragile that it depends on us.
Therefore, because many parents ask these and other questions, today we will explain what is recommended for baby's skin and nail care, so you don't look like many parents, with doubts, asking questions, receiving conflicting messages and not knowing very well what is better and what to do.
"The baby is peeling"
This is one of the most common consultations to nurses and pediatricians during the first days visit. The baby has flaky skin, especially in the folds, giving the feeling that it has tremendously dry. The reality is that yes, the baby strips. Well, not him, his skin. Something like if at birth he made a skin change to keep the final skin that comes out later. There are babies in which it is very evident and others in which it is not so noticeable. The solution is to wait for it to stop and, meanwhile, put some moisturizer so that the skin in general is well hydrated and not so "broken".
Of detergents and softeners
The baby's skin is relatively fragile and can be irritated with the chemicals in new clothes or with soap or fabric softener in washed clothes. To avoid problems in this regard it is recommended wash new clothes before putting on baby with soap for sensitive skin (if you want it can be baby soap) and without softener, and rinse it twice. This must also be done with the sheets and blankets where it will be.
Once washed for the first time, the ideal is to continue washing your clothes separately from that of adults. If we see that skin reactions appear (irritations, pimples, redness, etc.) we can repeat the double rinse in each wash and make sure that we do not put in sheets washed with softener or more aggressive detergents. I comment this because there are parents who put the baby to sleep in his bed, either the nap, or at night, having washed the sheets without such precautions. Then, when you sweat the baby, when these substances come into contact with your skin they can irritate it.
Once a few months have passed the baby's clothes can be washed next to that of the parents. If you ask me how many months, I usually recommend doing so after the baby is already traveling on the floor, crawling or crawling, staining what you want and more and touching everything. Come on, that the boy is there staining all day on the floors, putting everything he catches in his mouth and we are washing his clothes as if it were still a fragile flower ... If your skin is still well after the first wash, ready. If not, we can always go back.
The creampie after the bath
It is very common to cream babies after bathing and even cream of the ass so that they do not sting, in a preventive way. The reality is that, after the first few days, when the skin is dry and peeled, a baby does not usually need creams or oils or prevention of ass. Come on, we do it all, it is recommended on TV and magazine advertisements, but according to the AAP (American Pediatric Association) "a baby does not usually need creams, oils or talc".
This does not mean that it is bad, but only a practical and economic issue. If the baby's skin is fine, it is not necessary to put anything. If it is a bit dry in some areas, then you put baby cream (It has to be a baby because adult creams can contain perfumes and irritating substances) in those areas, or if you want to in the whole body until there are no dry areas (so that one feels spider putting only where the skin is affected).
The same with the baby's ass. If you are not irritated, you do not need to put anything. If it is irritated, we put paste in the water in the diaper changes, until the perianal area is again pink and sanita and we also follow the advice that I told you when talking about diaper rash.
In reference to baby oil, it is not recommended, it does not penetrate or moisturize as well as creams. If we still see that the skin is still dry, we should assess the possibility that we are bathing it too often, that is, every day. A baby does not need so much water because they just get stained. Yes it is recommended wash the culete and the genital area with water daily, because it is more hygienic than wipes, but the rest of the body can survive without water for several days.
We can bathe you day yes, day or no, or every three days, and see if the skin dries less. If this does not make it better we can discuss it with the pediatrician, in case our son had atopic dermatitis or some kind of reaction or allergy to something.
Nail care
In the nails there is nothing special to do beyond cut them when necessary. Many parents believe that they cannot be cut until babies have a month, or a specific age. The truth is that there is no minimum age to cut a baby's nails. It is more a matter of logic. If the baby has long fingernails and at night is dedicated to doing the harakiri, dawning with the face full of scars to Eduardo Manostijeras, as you cut them, be as old as you are.
It can be done with a file or it can be done with round-pointed scissors, lest it be moved and we hurt it. The only thing to keep in mind is that you have to do it when you are relaxed or asleep, so that a hand movement does not lead us to cut what we should not.
During the first weeks babies' nails grow a lot, so be scared if you realize that you are cutting them up to twice a week. I speak obviously of the fingernails. Those of the feet tend to grow much more slowly and at the beginning they are even buried between little flesh of the fingers, so that we can come to think that they are embodied. The reality is that they are not, not usually, and you just have to do something if the surrounding skin becomes inflamed and turns red. If not, it is not usually, just wait for the finger to grow, the nail begins to appear towards the surface and we can finally cut it.
Photos | Lisa Rosario, Eselsmann ™ on Flickr On Babies and more | Newborn care: how to cut the baby's nails, Newborn care: the skin, Tips for caring for the baby's sensitive skin
