Baby's skin care tips

Baby's skin care tips Do's and Dont's

I commonly see many wrong information circulating in internet and you tube

So this video will is aimed to give a reliable professional information.

Baby's skin care tips

We will see guidelines regarding Oil, Powder Soap, shampoo, cream etc and their proper usage in children

in detail.

I have given link in the description about the following videos "baby's complexion"

and 'common skin conditions in newborn' and children.

If you want similar contents subscribe to the channel so that my videos reaches you properly.

Lets jump into today's topic.

Newborn baby's skin will be very thin and delicate immediately after birth.

There will be a white cheesy material around the baby called "Vernix caseosa"

It protects baby's skin and helps maintain baby's body temperature If you search in Internet it says don't remove this initially and they are right.

Initial few days it will be of great help to protect the baby.

But what happens after that? Since this vernix is sticky, what I usually see is dirt gets accumulated over it. 

Especially over neck region

which may result in skin rash.

So if dirt accumulates then

nothing wrong in cleaning this vernix during the first bath.

Next topic, Oil

If you do google search, the results will vary according to geographical location

and most articles are western population recommendations.

Practically this may not be completely applicable to our country.

Few things which I say is adapted to tropical climatic conditions.

Can we apply oil to babies? Definitely YES. Its very good for baby.

Our ancestors were doing that properly.

In Tamil newborn baby are called "Ennai Kolandhai" which means "Oily baby"

So what oil to use? how to use?

Everyone would have heard about Olive oil.

People say its good for babies. But it may not be right all the time.

Olive oil is produced from 'Olive' obtained from Olive tree.

This doesn't grow in Indian sub-continent. Only outside India naturally

According to me locally available products are well suited for babies

Our bodies are evolved to the locally available products.

Though marketing and advertisement had given olive Oil its current popularity,

there are evidences that Olive oil can cause skin damage

It is said to contain, Oleic acid in Olive oil can damage baby's skin

So if babies with dry skin use this oil, it may further worsen the condition.

But still there are controversies regarding this.

So what oil to use? Regards to babies, use COCONUT OIL It is best for people in and around India.

Because it is also easily available here.

It contains lots of saturated fatty acid in it.

It helps to protect baby's skin

skin may directly absorb the fat in this oil which is good for babies.

So according to me if you are using coconut oil, use home made coconut oil if possible so that we can avoid preservatives.

Can apply oil over scalp (head), whole body skin but avoid contact with eyes, nose, mouth.

Problem is after you apply it, within 2 to 3 hours it will go off you need to apply it again, so you need to apply it 5 to even 10 times per day. (Though its lot of work)

Doctor what about Oil massage?

This practice was also practiced by our ancestors forever.

Few decades back there was little evidence

regarding the usefulness of baby oil massage

Even Doctors themselves didn't know what to recommend.

But in last few decades, there are evidence that oil massage

is good for baby's health. In fact most pediatricians

now recommend oil massage as a standard of care especially for preterm babies.

Which oil for massage? Answer: Same Coconut oil

New mothers will be afraid of Oil massaging their babies,

But I would recommend baby's moms to do this.

Because they will be very gentle

and gradually they will become an expert in it.

While using coconut one caution needed.

If you are in village or making your baby lie on ground,

ants can be attracted to the oil.

So please be careful. Apart from this, coconut oil doesn't have any side-effects

So is only coconut oil the only oil that can be used? ---- Not like that

You can use any locally available natural oil but IAP (Indian academy of pediatrics)

recommends coconut oil as a safe alternative.

My personal opinion --- Strongly recommend coconut oil

One important information related to oil,

Many parents have misconception that babies

will get dark if they use coconut oil.

This is not correct.

People in Kerala use coconut oil for their babies and

and babies there have fair complexion.

So though there is a chance for mild tanning,

permanent change in color will not occur with coconut oil.

Next topic, 'POWDER'

Can we use powder in babies? Answer is NO

The reason is, the tiny powder particles can

enter baby's lungs and can cause breathing problems.

Also talc and other substances in powder

can potentially be harmful for baby's skin

But countries like India are warm/Hot

So limited usage of powder can be done

over groin, armpit, neck folds if needed.

But this is needed only during summer.

Avoid powder during winter/cold climate

If I ask parents why they use powder babies,mostly their reply will be, baby

seems fresh and good smelling only after powder application.

But ironically, powder with aroma is strictly to be avoided in babies.

So if this is the reason for using powder then please stop using it now.

Last information regarding powder,

Please avoid using powder over umblicus after cord falls off

Also strictly no powder over diaper rash areas,

I am sure that diaper rash will worsen if you use powder over it I have made detailed "diaper care" video, link in description.