5 Tips For Protecting Baby's Skin This Winter
Hey There,
As the mercury drops and the air becomes cold and dry, it’s important to take precautions when caring for your baby’s delicate skin. Just as our skin requires a little extra TLC in the winter, your little one can benefit from some additional attention to keep it soft and supple. Here are a few tips to help protect your baby’s skin this winter:
Avoid Over-Bathing Your Baby
Unlike adults, babies do not need to bathe every day. They don’t get as sweaty or smelly as adults and don’t require a bath as often as we do. In fact, giving your baby a bath too often, especially in the winter, can lead to dry, chapped, and irritated skin. To keep your baby’s skin healthy, consider bathing her every other or every third night. In the interim, use moisturized wipes to keep her clean.
Use Baby Moisturizers
When you do bathe your little one, be sure you finish bath time with plenty of moisturizer to keep his skin properly hydrated. While it's always important to apply baby lotion before heading outside into the cold, applying it immediately after a bath can help lock in moisture to baby’s precious skin. Additionally, after bath time be mindful that you gently pat dry your baby’s skin with an extra soft baby towel (avoid using an adult towel). Do not rub the towel over your baby’s skin as are likely to irritate it. While your baby’s skin is still damp, gentle massage lotion or baby oil over their skin. For extra dry skin, consider using coconut oil for an all-natural moisturizer for your baby’s gentle skin. Not to mention, it smells great!
Manage Diaper Rash
Speaking of coconut oil, it works wonders on diaper rash, too and is a natural way to moisturize. After all, diaper rash knows no season. It can happen any time of the year, but the extra issue of dry, chapped skin can mean it is more likely to happen in the winter. Be sure to keep your changing table, bathroom, baby’s room, and diaper bag stocked with diaper rash creams to keep diaper rash at bay. You could even apply a layer of cream even if there is no rash, just to be on the safe side.
Prevent Chapped Lips
Even babies can get chapped lips. It prevent and protect your little one’s lips simply apply a thin layer of lip balm or petroleum jelly onto her lips. This protective barrier will decrease the chances of chapped lips when you head outside – especially if you are planning on being outside for a while (going for a walk, running errands, etc.).
Avoid Frostbite
Beyond chapped lips, frostbite and frostnip are very real. Frostnip is a milder version of frostbite that can occur on exposed areas of the skin when the temperature drops. Be sure to protect your little one’s toes, fingers, ears, and nose, by covering them well when you go out. Hats, mittens, socks, and shoes are extremely important. A good tip if your little one won’t keep mitten on his hands is to use socks. The elastic will help them stay in place much better. Since it isn’t a good idea to keep your baby in a coat while he is in the car seat, consider using warm blankets or car seat covers to add an extra layer against the cold.
Making it a habit to protect and hydrate your baby’s skin during the winter months means a happier, more comfortable little one all season long. Not to mention, even more reason to snuggle up to that precious, soft, sweet-smelling skin!
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About The Author
Amanda Caswell is a fulltime freelance advertising copywriter and writer for a variety of parenting sites. She lives just outside of NYC with her loving husband, two kids, and two cats who still like to think they are her only babies. When she has time to herself she likes to use that 12 seconds of freedom to take a sip of coffee.