How to Help you Baby Overcome Dry Skin

Treating dry skin in a baby can be a challenge, but if you are informed on steps to prevent making it worse it will be easier.

Cut back on bath time
Bathing dries a baby’s skin because it removes the skin’s natural oils along with the dirt. Following a few bathing tips will be a great first step.

First, try cutting down the time in the bath (for example if your baby is bathing 30 minutes now try 10 minutes). Use warm water — not hot — and soap up sparingly. Use a fragrance-free, soap-free cleanser, which is much less harsh than regular soap.

Let your baby have his playtime in the tub before you wash him, so he won’t be sitting in soapy water. And don’t leave the cleansing bar floating in the tub. You’ll probably want to cut bubble baths out of your baby’s routine — or at least limit them to special occasions.

While bath oils may seem like a good idea, they can make the tub dangerously slippery, and most of the oil slides down the drain anyway. Applying an emollient after bathing is a better route.

Slather on the moisturizer
Once you take your baby out of the bath, quickly and lightly dry him with a towel, then apply moisturizer immediately. Applying the moisturizer within minutes of taking your baby out of the tub will seal in the water that’s still in his skin from the bath.

As far as moisturizers go, the general rule is the thicker the better. If your baby’s skin is still dry even with daily moisturizing, try switching from a lotion to a thicker cream or ointment. You might also want to consider moisturizing twice a day — once after bathing and once during the day.

Don’t let salt or chlorine dry on his skin
Chlorine and salt water can both be very drying. After a swim in the pool or ocean, rinse off your baby with tap water, and then apply moisturizer while his skin’s still damp.

Run a humidifier
If the air in your home is dry, use a cool mist humidifier in your baby’s room.

Protect your baby from the elements
Make sure your baby wears mittens in cold weather to keep his hands from becoming dry and chapped from the cold and the wind. In summer, take steps to protect him from sunburn.