Baby's dry skin

roadsidetree

i guess this question is for all mums - how to look after baby's skin?

i had my first child on march 2 and she is now almost two and half months old.

i have two gohnson's baby oils - one the normal one which i massage all over her bod approx half an hour before bath. After bath generally i apply the second one (bedtime oil) except her face.

i feed her both my milk and formula. also i make sure to give plenty of liquid. but still her skin is wee dry

any tips please. many thanks in advance!

BernadetteN

My 9 month old's skin went dry only from the age of 6 months when I started to wean her. She was having a bath 5 nights a week. The easiest solution to restore her skin to pre-weaning state was to reduce her baths to 1 or 2 times a week and use a moisturiser every day. It took 2 weeks for her skin to become silky again. Babies only need a bath every now and then.

roadsidetree

BernadetteN - thanks for the reply.

Any suggestions on some good but cheap moisturiser please?

filigree_2

Aqueous cream is cheap, you can buy it in Boots or other chemists. You'll probably have to ask at the pharmacy counter because they don't always have it out on display.

Since your daughter is so young it might be better to go to your GP, I did that when my son had dry skin. We got a huge bottle of bath oil and a moisturising cream that lasted for ages - and children's prescriptions are free:D

ac

cheapest way is to go to your GP's and get a perscription..

maybe aqueous cream or E45

x

Jay-Jay_4

Babies don't really need oils, creams or lotions. Their skin produces enough natural oils to moisturise their skin but when creams or oils are applied all the time the balance is upset and their skin becomes dry unless oils or lotions are applied.

Baths wash away oils too and upset the balance like when we wash our hair too much and it becomes either greasy or dry, skin needs time to balance itself out. Soap strips oils out and just as the oils are coming back to help moisturise the skin another bath strips those oils out again.

How many people have cradle cap and try to cure it my washing their baby's hair over and over again, stripping out the oil and kick starting the system into producing too much.... which becomes hard and forms cradle cap so they wash it again.......etc....

We can't 'not' bath little ones but soaps, bubble baths and shampoos all strip their skin and upset the balance. It's better to use plain water to wash and temporarily apply a simple aqueous cream on areas that have already become dry to encourage the skin to regulate itself again.

galaxyone

Hi

I would stop using Johnsons products apart from the shampoo. Only bath 2 or 3 times a week. Buy some Oilatum bath oil (the one for babies) and aqueous cream is the best moisturiser (very cheap for a big tub at chemist). However Oilatum is expensive, so try going to doctors and hopefully you will get an equivalent product and aqueous cream on repeat prescription as I did! My son's skin was very dry at around 3 months, it began to go red and he developed small patches of eczema. When I stopped using Johnson's and used Oilatum and aqueous cream his skin was fine after about 2 weeks. Put the aqeuous cream on twice a day, not only after a bath.

Hope this helps

roadsidetree

Thanks to all for this wealth of info

it was my MIL who advised us to use johnson's. in addition to the oils, we use johnson's shampoo twice/thrice a week.

i will speak to gp about aqueous cream and also i will stop using the oils.

Again thanks to all for the info :beer:

Dora_the_Explorer_5

Taking your baby to see the GP will ensure that the cause of the dry skin, which is a symptom, is correctly identified and suitable treatment prescribed.

bonnie_2

i wouldnt advise using anything other than organics on babys skin, or bathing them every night. they really dont need it.
cheap toiletries are full of nasty chemicals which strip the skin of oils and irritate it.
since using organics, mine and my dds skin is completely different.
its more expensive but you dont need to use so much, i oly bath the kids twice a week.

Mrs_Optimist

I agree with the above - babies have naturally self-cleansing skin and provided their bottom region is kept clean and dry, they should not need to be bathed more than twice per week. I used the oilatum mixture in the bath water for my son when he developed dry skin on his upper body and it worked a treat.