Healthy skin saves a child from many hassles, which can seriously worsen his well-being and general condition. At the same time, baby skin is delicate and very vulnerable. It can be attacked by bacteria, fungi, and viral infections. It is the skin that the baby most often reacts to allergens.
But more often than not, oddly enough it sounds, his own parents are to blame for the child's skin problems, who did not provide proper hygienic care for her. In this article we will tell you what the proper care of baby skin is all about.
Age features
The skin of a newly born baby and the skin of an adult are two completely different skins. For the long months that the baby spent in the mother's womb, his skin practically did not accumulate subcutaneous fatty tissue, which is why newborns delight those around them with such a variety of skin tones - from pink to deep red. The fact is that due to insufficient fatty layer under the skin, the blood vessels are located too close to the outer skin layer.
This means that babies freeze and overheat more easily than adults, sweat faster. The baby's delicate skin has such a high permeability that any insignificant effect on it can cause microtrauma, scratches, cracks, wounds. For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that such scratches heal much faster than in adults, again due to the proximity to the surface of the mesh of blood vessels.
The immunity of babies in the first six months of life is provided by innate antibodies, which the mother generously "shared" with the baby. However, by six months, such immune defense weakens, and its own is not sufficiently developed. Local (skin) immunity also works with difficulty, and therefore after 6 months, the child becomes the most vulnerable, prone to various ailments, including dermatological.
Possible problems
The first few days after birth, the baby's skin is sufficiently hydrated due to the lipid lubricant that the baby receives at birth to facilitate adaptation to a new environment for himself - anhydrous. The work of the sebaceous glands, which are supposed to produce sebum (lipids), has not yet been established. Therefore, improper care, for example, too frequent washing with soap or foams can cause mechanical washing off of the lipid layer from the skin. The crumbs' own sebum is not enough to form new protection, the skin becomes dry.
Dryness creates the prerequisites for the development of cracks and abrasions, peeling of the epidermis.
And such damage is an excellent habitat for pathogenic bacteria - streptococci and staphylococci, fungal pathogens. So, just excessive hygiene procedures can cause staphylococcal infections, streptococcal skin lesions, mycoses, pyoderma, furunculosis and other unpleasant ailments.
Poor hygiene can also play a cruel joke, because urine and feces in a diaper, which are changed out of time, lead to the development of contact dermatitis. Sweating, which all babies are prone to, in the absence of adequate hygiene, leads to the onset and development of diaper rash, prickly heat. Aggressive substances found in washing powders, household chemicals and even chlorinated tap water can cause allergic skin reactions.
Another pressing skin problem is acne in newborns and children in the first six months of life. Maternal hormones are to blame for their appearance - estrogens, which the baby "inherits" at birth. Under their influence, the sebaceous glands can begin to produce too much sebum, the pores become clogged, and acne appears. This phenomenon is only indirectly related to hygiene issues.
If the child is washed too often with soap, then instead of the lipid layer washed away by caring parents, the glands begin to produce even more fat, which also leads to blockage and the appearance of acne.
Thus, there are only two parental mistakes when caring for the baby's skin - insufficient care and excess. That is why it is important to know where the border of the "golden mean" lies, which will keep the skin of the baby healthy, soft, velvety.
Care procedures
Newborn and baby
The first four weeks of a child's independent life in a new environment for him is a very crucial period. By and large, skin health is formed at this time.
Parents need to understand what effect on the baby's skin is good and what is harmful.
Microclimate
To avoid excessive sweating, as well as drying out of the skin and mucous membranes of the baby, the correct microclimate will help, which all parents can create, without exception. The skin will be dry and prone to infections where the air is too dry, and the hotter it is in the nursery, the drier the air in it.
It is necessary to ensure that the room thermometer does not rise above 20-21 degrees. If it seems to the parents that it is cold, then it is better to dress the child in an additional vest, but not to warm the room. The relative humidity at this temperature should be in the range of 50-70%. If these two conditions are met, then the occurrence of skin problems in the crumbs becomes unlikely.
A room thermometer will help to measure the temperature, to maintain it - special regulators-valves for the heating system and batteries. Determine the humidity of the air can be a device - a hygrometer, and maintain it at a given range - a humidifier.
Bathing
Newborns must be bathed. This can be done immediately after the umbilical wound has healed. The baby should be bathed in the evening, before bedtime. The optimum water temperature is 37 degrees Celsius.
Use baby soap to care for the baby's scalp, body and genitals no more than 1 time in 3-4 days. If the baby's skin is dry, then soap should not be used more than once a week. The use of herbal infusions and decoctions, which mothers like to add to bathing water, should be coordinated with a pediatrician, since herbal substances increase the risk of allergies.
Bathing water for newborns who do not have visible skin problems can not be boiled, but if the baby has signs of atopic dermatitis, it is prone to diaper rash, allergies, it is imperative to first boil the water to rid it of chlorine, which is used for central disinfection of water supply.
Do not use washcloths or sponges when bathing babies. If necessary, you can use a special mitten for bathing newborns. It is soft and does not injure the delicate skin of the crumbs.
Clothes and underwear
Clothes of a newborn and crumbs up to a year should be sewn from natural fabrics. It is best to give preference to classic cotton. At the same time, you should not buy bright things, whatever the temptation to do so. Any textile dyes present a potential hazard to the skin of an infant.
It is not necessary for a newborn to buy things with seams from the inside out. Tissue stitching places very much irritate and injure the skin, "rub". The places affected by such a mechanical method become vulnerable to pathogenic bacteria.
The child's bedding must meet the same requirements. Mom should wash clothes and linen only with hypoallergenic baby washing powder. If the crumb is allergic, then all clothes that come into contact with the skin must be additionally rinsed in clean, chlorine-free water (for this, it can be boiled beforehand).
Care products
Today, in any pharmacy and children's store there is a huge selection of skin care products for babies up to one year old. It is up to parents to decide which of them to choose, the main thing is that these funds are hypoallergenic. Children under one year old do not need shampoo. Also, do not buy bubble baths.
The list of really necessary funds is approximately as follows: baby soap (preferably with chamomile or aloe extract), baby powder, Bepanten cream, baby cream, massage oil (you can use common vegetable oils - apricot, peach, almond or synthetic vaseline). If desired, you can purchase "Sudokrem" (for the treatment of diaper rash), "Boro-plus" (to eliminate small rashes and pimples, as well as to treat abrasions and scratches).
It is useful to have Baneocin powder and ointment in the medicine cabinet, which can be used to treat wounds, burns and other skin problems if there is a possibility of bacterial infection.
Daily toilet
The daily toilet of a newborn baby should include morning washing with obligatory care of the mucous membranes (cleaning the nose, ears, eyes), washing without soap, wiping the skin folds with wet wipes and, if necessary, treating them with drying or emollients. You need to wash your baby during the day without using soap after each bowel movement.
When changing a diaper, if there is no feces in it, you can simply wipe the baby with wet wipes. It is important that the napkins do not contain perfumery fragrances. In the evening before going to bed, the baby is bathed according to all the rules of evening bathing.
During the day, you need to lay out the newborn naked several times so that the baby gets air baths.
Children after 1 year
Bathing
Shampoos and bath foams can already be used, but with great care, no more than once a week. It is important to ensure that the child does not sweat. If the little one returned from a walk sweating, he should definitely be taken to the shower and rinsed without soap. Evening bathing no longer needs to be carried out in boiled water, the child takes large baths with pleasure.
The use of herbal decoctions for washing and bathing is allowed for all babies, with the exception of allergic children and children with bronchial asthma. Local immunity will be strengthened if mom starts to inject contrast drenching during the evening water procedure.
Care products
Parents can choose any care products for a child over one year old. There is only one rule - adult products, even the best and most expensive ones, are not suitable for a child. Shampoo, foam, body gel, baby soap, moisturizing oil for the skin - all this remains relevant even after the baby is one year old. In the first-aid kit, you can add dry preparations of pharmacy chamomile, coniferous essential oils for bathing.
Daily toilet
Daily skin care for a child over one year old includes almost all the same procedures that adults do. This is morning washing, washing and washing of feet during the day, if necessary, and evening bathing.
General rules and recommendations
Parents should know the following:
- When rashes, blemishes, blisters appear on the skin, it is important to call a doctor at home to rule out an infection. Self-medication of any skin ailments is prohibited.
- Problem baby skin at an early age in no case cannot be lubricated with alcohol and alcohol-containing formulations and lotions. Such funds can be used in dosage only after the child reaches adolescence.
- Bactericidal soapwhich is very popular among young parents today, can be dangerous for the skin of a small child, since the antiseptics included in its composition destroy not only pathogenic microorganisms, but also beneficial bacteria that live on the skin. As a result, attempts to protect the baby lead to the development of skin infections.
- A child of any age must have two own towels... One is for facial skin care, the second is for bathing. It should have a soft texture.
After washing with towels, do not rub the skin, but slightly dab it. This will allow you to maintain sufficient moisture in the skin and avoid microtrauma to the epidermis.
- An adult caring for a child of any age must be healthy. If pustules, boils, an extensive rash, signs of a parasitic infection appear on his skin, you should not carry out hygiene procedures for the child. It is better to entrust this to another adult who is completely healthy. All manipulations with the child's skin should be carried out with clean hands, with trimmed nails, so as not to injure the baby.
- Washing of private parts should always be done under running waterto avoid the ingestion of intestinal bacteria on the skin of the external genital organs and in the urinary tract. Girls are washed in the direction from the pubis to the anus, boys - whatever you like, most importantly, without soap.
- It is better to leave all skin treatments with creams and oils for the evening to do it after bathing. The processing rule is one - everything that gets wet must be dried, and everything that is dry must be moistened. Thus, several skin care products can be applied at once. If there are diaper rash in the folds, they are "dried" with the help of a powder or Sudokrem cream. But if there are areas of dry skin, in no case should they be sprinkled with powder - only moisturizing creams (for children, "Bepanten") are permissible.
- Any crusts on the head, body of a child, can not be removed mechanically. Seborrheic (yellowish) crusts on the head are soaked in vegetable oil before evening bathing and gently combed out with a children's comb. Crusts on the body, especially those formed after a bursting blister, are the strictest contraindication to water treatment. Such crusts first need a medical examination, since they can be a sign of staphylococcal infection.
- Baby skin needs protect from aggressive sunlight. If you have a summer walk by the river, a trip to the sea, then you should definitely choose a cream with UV protection for your child, according to your age and skin type. Light-skinned guys - with a higher degree of protection, dark-skinned - with a lower level.
- The baby's skin follows protect from strong wind, from frost to avoid drying out. The baby should be protected from the effects of chemicals, household chemicals, so that the baby does not have access to substances that can injure his skin, cause burns and allergies.
Doctor Komarovsky will tell you about how to treat the skin of a child after bathing in the next video.
