What Should You Consider When Taking Care Of Baby's Sensitive Skin?

Baby Skin Is Sensitive

You might worry about the chemicals in your baby shampoos, soaps, and lotions although you want to keep your new baby clean and her skin healthy and soft. Is there any need for them? Could those additives and preservatives like parabens and phthalates then be harmful to her? 

Here is Tanya Remer Altmann, MD, the author of the book Mommy Calls: Dr. Tanya Answers Parents' Top 101 Questions About Babies and Toddler; and also Harvey Karp MD, creator of the books and DVDs on The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block, are the two early childhood experts were consulted to get some guidance. 

What's In Baby Skin And Hair Care Products?

It is not necessarily the case although you might hope that products designed for babies are risk-free. 

Altmann says there are many with additives that come to be potential irritants or allergens. Whereas it doesn’t come to be a problem for most babies. From exposure to ingredients in these products, some can develop skin irritation like eczema. 

Is there any more serious risk? This comes to be an unanswered question. As Karp says, concerning some experts are additives like parabens and phthalates like dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), and diethyl phthalate (DEP). 

To alter hormone levels in the body, some laboratory studies have found evidence that phthalates and parabens have the potential. As Karp explains, they could interfere with normal development theoretically.

Studies have found that they can show up in a child’s urine as both can be absorbed through the skin. 

There’s a lot we still don’t know, however. Limited are studies showing health effects. On animals were most of them conducted. With no clear evidence that they don’t, there is no clear evidence that they have an effect on people. 

Baby Skin And Hair Care: Making Better Choices

There’s good news if you are concerned and want to reduce your baby’s exposure to these chemicals. Whereas Karp says it doesn’t come to be hard. 

He further says, to make soap you don’t have to go boil your own beef tallow. To find better products, you can go to just about any supermarket or pharmacy in the country. 

Here's some guidance.

Less is more. 

With the most important basic fact, let's start: 

There is no need for a lot of special soaps and baby shampoos for your baby. With young babies, for washing, plain soap and water are just about all you need. Not much bathing is even needed. As Altmann suggests, bathing two to three days a week is probably enough with young babies. As they are sure not to get that dirty. Drying out your baby’s skin is excessive bathing. 

Consider natural ingredients. 

Look for natural ingredients that you recognise when you are shopping for soaps, baby shampoos, and lotions. Using products that are based on vegetable oils like castile soap made with olive oil is what Karp recommends. Instead of creams with lots of chemical ingredients, you could use almond oil or hot cocoa butter for your baby’s bottom. As a leaf will help soothe diaper rash, he also recommends keeping an aloe vera plant in the house. While the question here is are natural always better? The answer comes to be no. As Altmann further notes, also containing substances that are allergens or irritants for some kids are plenty of natural products. About a product that’s advertised as natural really is that you can never be sure of. At least a step in the right direction according to Karp is going natural. 

Look for simplicity.

Karp comments, you might want to choose something else if a shampoo contains 20 ingredients and you can’t pronounce any of them. Whereas minute is the amount of a chemical substance like a paraben or phthalate in baby shampoo or soap. As we are not only using one product as Karp points out. He then tells that in 10-20 different products each day, the kids might be getting these additives. What happens when we use these products in combination is still not studied. You are reducing your child’s overall exposure by looking for simpler products. 

Skip the antibacterial soap. 

Experts say you really don’t need antibacterial soap although you might be especially anxious about germs when you have a young baby. As antibacterial soap does, the fact is that regular soap works just as well at getting rid of germs. That which your bay doesn’t really need, antibacterial soap just includes extra chemicals like triclosan. 

Avoid fragrances. 

The fragrance is likely the result of many chemicals as that bottle of baby shampoo might smell fresh or clean. The leading cause of skin reactions and they can dry out a baby’s skin are allergens and irritants in fragrances. As it is a catchall term for any of the chemicals used in making the aroma, watch out for the word fragrance when listed as an ingredient on a body care product. Moving on Altmann then points out that actually in fragrances are a lot of the phthalates that people worry about. You cut out some of those additives by cutting out fragrance. 

So Then About Baby Care Products: Making Small Steps

Researching the implications of every ingredient in every single baby shampoo, soap, and skincare product not to mention detergent, toy, teether, food, sunscreen, and piece of clothing thinking about what’s in your baby’s skin and hair care products makes sense whereas you don’t need to become obsessive. 

Karp now says you are definitely not a biochemist. Getting confused by this stuff are even doctors. Figuring this all out on your own is quite impossible. 

Not a medical necessity is also that avoiding products with chemical additives. What health these effects may be, as we don’t really know if they have health effects. In case they are it is just that some parents choose to take extra precautions. 

The Final Words 

It doesn’t require massive changes to your life as Karp stresses that preventing exposure to chemicals is. 

Now Karp is recommending, to reduce their child’s exposure to these substances, no one can do everything. Whereas there is something everyone can do. Little changes might make a difference added up and over time.