By: Ashmar Mandou
There is a myriad of ways mothers are excepted to care for their newborn, especially how to care for newborn skin. Mothers receive information from online sources, friends, and family, which can be quite overwhelming. Baby Dove Pediatric Dermatologist Dr. Mercedes Gonzalez carved out time in her busy schedule to talk with Lawndale Bilingual Newspaper about how mothers can care for their newborns and tips to ensure healthy newborn skincare.
Lawndale Bilingual News: New mothers receive an overwhelming amount of information on how to care for their newborn that it becomes increasingly difficult to apply what works best for them. What tips can you share with new mothers about how to stay on top of their child’s skincare?
Dr. Mercedes Gonzalez: Parents should always build good skin care practices into their daily routines. For example, keep your baths short, less than five minutes, using warm water. Gentle products are always best, like Baby Dove Rich Moisture Tip to Toe Wash, or Baby Dove Sensitive Moisture Tip to Toe Wash for babies with sensitive or eczema-prone skin. You should always wash gently with soft wash clothes or your fingertips. Afterwards, within three minutes of coming out of the bath, pat the skin dry and apply Baby Dove Rich or Sensitive Moisture Baby Lotion to trap and replenish moisture on babies’ skin.
In young newborns, it is important to protect the skin under the diaper and the skin of the body folds such as the axillae and the neck. All these areas are constantly moist and occluded, which makes the skin more sensitive and prone to breakdown. For the axillae and the neck, be sure to regularly soak up any excess moisture such as bath water, sweat, drool or milk that may get trapped in these body folds. To keep the skin under the diaper protected, change the diaper frequently, and use a barrier ointment each time the diaper is changed. Avoid aggressive use of baby wipes – use gentle patting motion when using wipes in the diaper area and use baby friendly wipes.
A newborn’s skin is constantly changing, are there signs that mothers should be cognizant of as they check their child?
There are many skin changes that are normal in the first few weeks of life. For example, most babies’ skin will peel lightly in the first couple of weeks, especially if they were born past 40 weeks gestation. If the skin becomes pink or red and stays this way for more than a day, or if blisters or pus bumps develop, you should check with your pediatrician or pediatric dermatologist to assure that no further testing or treatment is needed. Roughness of the skin could indicate that the skin is excessively dry making it prone to eczema breakouts and possibly infection.
What are the best products to use and what products, or ingredients, should parents stay away from for newborns?
The best products for baby skin are those that are designed specifically for babies. I recommend Baby Dove products because of the strong science behind the baby specific line made for both sensitive and normal skin. Baby Dove’s Tip to Toe Wash uses the gentlest surfactants at low levels and have the brand’s ¼ moisturizer that not only gently cleanses the skin, but also replenishes the moisture that is often stripped away when bathing. Liquid cleansers that are appropriately formulated for babies and that are neutral pH, such as the Baby Dove cleansers, do not alter the natural process of the maturing skin barrier function in healthy full‐term newborns.
