Soft as a baby’s skin! Newborns have the reputation of having flawless skin but in reality, new babies often suffer with dry, overly sensitive, and flaky skin, which needs extra special attention.

It’s important to know how to care for your baby’s skin right from the start. We look at the do’s and don’ts of looking after your little ones’ skin.

Caring For Your Your Baby’s Skin: The DO’s

Go Gentle And Natural

Your baby’s skin is really delicate so you want to make sure that any cleaning products you use are as natural as possible. Anything with added chemicals, fragrances or dyes can cause irritation, rashes and dry, flaking skin.

We recommend using WaterWipes to clean your baby’s skin. WaterWipes are made with only two ingredients – 99.9% water and a drop of fruit extract. WaterWipes are purer than cotton wool and water and are suitable for sensitive, newborn and premature baby’s skin. 95% of healthcare professionals said they recommend WaterWipes* and they are the only wipes approved by Allergy UK and the USA Eczema Association.

While many parents would think that cleaning their baby’s skin with water and cotton wool would be the purest option. But in reality, water and cotton wool contain particles, impurities, and other minerals, which could irritate your baby’s skin. Which is why, we only use WaterWipes – the world’s purest baby wipes and even purer than cotton wool and water.

Find out where to get WaterWipes near you.

*source: A survey of 403 healthcare professionals at AWHONN 2019

Important To Moisturise

Your baby’s skin tends to get dry, especially in those first few weeks. We love gently moisturising our baby’s skin with a made-for-baby lotion, especially after the bath. Our baby enjoys getting a baby massage so we usually apply moisturiser to her skin and then give her a gentle massage to relax before bed.

Clean those hidden spots

Babies tend to have a few hidden spots that we often miss when cleaning our bub. Skin folds, under the chin, the elbow creases, behind the ears are all areas that frequently get ignored. Moisture and grime can build up in these spots, which may in turn lead to irritation and rashes.

We use our trusty WaterWipes to clean those ‘forgotten’ nooks and crannies and also wipe our baby’s mouth regularly to prevent chafing and redness.

Get help with rashes

It’s very normal for your baby to get rashes, but these mostly clear up quickly on their own. The most common skin irritations in the early days are acne-type spots on your baby’s body as well as dry, red and flaky skin.

WaterWipes are recommended by midwives for babies with skin allergies so you can confidently use these wipes to clean and soothe your baby’s skin, without exacerbating the rash.

It’s worthwhile speaking to your health practitioner if you are at all concerned about your baby’s rash or if it lasts longer than a few days. If you notice any signs of infection (boils, sores or raw, bleeding skin) or if your baby develops a fever, it is important to contact your doctor.

Extra treatment for eczema

Some babies develop a dry, itchy, scaly skin rash that often appears on their face, arms and legs. This is most likely eczema and it’s important to see your doctor to look into causes, prevention and treatment of the eczema.

If your baby does suffer from overly dry skin, it’s even more important to use natural, cleaning products made for sensitive skin.

WaterWipes are the only wipes approved by the USA Eczema Association and is also a proud sponsor of the Eczema Association of Australasia. WaterWipes are the only wipes I would ever consider using for my baby’s skin when she has an eczema flare-up.

Caring For Your Baby’s Skin: The DON’TS

Don’t go overboard with baths

We may start to get smelly if we don’t shower every day. But it’s not necessary for your baby to bath on a daily basis. Three times a week is more than enough for a newborn. Too many baths may dry out your baby’s skin.

On non-bath days, I like to thoroughly clean my baby’s skin with WaterWipes to get rid of any grime.

Forget the Powder

Baby powder was traditionally part of any ‘baby essentials’ kit. However, experts now say that we should not use powder on baby’s skin as your little one could breathe the powder into their lungs, which could cause damage.

Stay out of the sun

We all know the danger of our harsh Australian sun, so it’s a good idea to avoid direct skin exposure for your bub. Most sunscreens are only suitable for babies six months and older as babies have very sensitive skin which may be more likely to suffer a reaction. So it’s recommended to keep your baby in the shade when outdoors, make sure she wears a protective hat and clothing and use a sun cover when you’re out and about in the pram.

Don’t ignore nappy rash

With babies in nappies or nappy pants constantly, rashes are almost impossible to avoid. Most babies tend to get redness and irritation around the nappy area at one time or another. Most nappy rashes can be treated by cleaning the affected area with a pure wipe such as WaterWipes and then applying nappy rash cream or moisturiser. WaterWipes are recommended by midwives for babies with nappy rash so this is always our go-to wipe to help soothe the irritation. Be sure to seek help from your doctor if the nappy rash doesn’t clear up after a few days or becomes red, raw and bleeding.

Check out our top tips on how to manage nappy rash by Midwife Kath.

What are your top tips to care for your baby’s skin? Tell us in the comments below.