Caring for your baby’s skin

There's no better touch in the world than that of your baby's skin. It's soft and precious and deserves only the very best. Whether it's laundry detergent or shampoo, lotions or baby wipes, you have to make sure you're choosing product's that are safe, formulated for babies sensitive skin and that work!

A baby’s skin is much thinner and more sensitive than adult skin, so when we are thinking about their skin care, we want to do everything we can to protect the skin’s own barrier. The right skincare routine can help protect skin function, whilst at the same time being gentle and kind.

To help you, we have outlined some simple tips on how you can manage certain moments in your child’s daily routine to ensure you protect, nourish and care for their skin.

Nappy Changing

While regular nappy changes and nappy-free time can help reduce the risk of nappy rash, most babies will still experience the redness and irritation of nappy rash now and again.

Nappy rash is fairly common in your baby’s first year. It is easy to spot the signs as the skin that touches the nappy can become red and inflamed. It mainly occurs from moisture sitting on the skin. It can be especially prevalent during teething and weaning. It is easily prevented by changing their nappy frequently and keeping the area clean and moisturised.

Make sure the area is completely dry before applying your barrier cream putting the nappy back on (if possible leave the nappy off to allow the skin to breathe.)

Next up caring for, and restoring your baby’s skin barrier. Applying a barrier cream will really help protect your baby’s bottom. A thin layer of cream which will protect the skin works wonders. La Roche Posay's answer to helping protect skin's barrier is Cicaplast Baume B5 with its 5% panthenol and zinc formula. Applying the soothing formula acts as an antibacterial layer on the skin, and restoring and nourishing it too.

Cicaplast Baume B5 is a multi-purpose repairing barrier balm which is suitable and effective for the whole family. A barrier cream leaves an invisible protective layer on the skin. This helps to restore the skin’s barrier to help protect against external aggressors, frictional irritation, immediate soothing and protecting baby’s skin.

Appropriate for babies over 3 months, it’s the perfect protection. To help reduce the occurrence of nappy rash and ease the symptoms when it does occur, apply Cicaplast Baume B5 during every nappy change.

Advice for bathing Newborn babies

Many parents worry that regular baths will dry out and irritate their child’s skin, but, regular quick baths can help soothe skin by washing off irritants and preparing skin for a fresh layer of emollient.

  • Keep baths short: Just a couple of minutes for babies and no more than 10 minutes for older children
  • Make sure water isn’t too hot: According to the HSE, about 36OC is ideal for a newborn
  • Avoid bubble baths or drying soaps: Instead, use a gentle cleanser such as La Roche-Posay Lipikar Syndet AP+, which protects your baby’s delicate skin from the drying effects of water and provides 24-hour hydration, leaving your little one’s skin feeling soft and supple
  • After each bath: Gently pat dry and apply a fragrance-free emollient, such as Lipikar Baume AP+M, which is suitable for newborns and the whole family, helping to lock in moisture and providing 24-hour hydration

According to Consultant Dermatologist  Prof Niki Ralph, “It is advisable to start your baby’s skincare routine from birth, as studies now show that transepidermal water loss begins shortly after a baby is delivered. It is important to apply an emollient daily from day one after birth, as studies have shown that children at risk of developing atopic dermatitis may still do so, but to a lesser degree than if they had no regular emollient therapy.” It is advisable to bathe one’s baby once daily for a couple of minutes as an infant and then gradually increasing to five to seven minutes as they grow, but no longer than ten minutes for a child.

3 Step Daily Skin Care Routine for Babies

 

Step 1 - Cleanse

Lipikar Syndet AP+ - a gentle bath additive to cleanse skin while avoiding damage to the skin barrier. The gel-cream formula protects the skin from the drying effects of water and provides 24h hydration leaving skin feeling soothed, soft and supple.

Step 2 - Moisturise

Lipikar Balm AP+M - Restoring triple-action Baume to immediately soothe the skin and provide up to 48h hydration & helps to rebalance the skin microbiome. suitable for the whole family, including newborns. Also suitable for use on eczema-prone skin.

Step 3 - Soothe & Protect

Cicaplast Baume B5 - A multi-purpose moistursing balm that soothes, restores and protects baby’s delicate skin. Ideal as an every day nappy change balm. It acts as a barrier after each nappy change, to help care for baby’s skin and protect it against the causes of nappy rash.

 

Brought to you by

La Roche-Posay’s Lipikar and Cicaplast range is suitable for even the most delicate skin, designed to hydrate and soothe dryness and help repair the skin barrier. Its range of emollients is 100% hypoallergenic, ultra-gentle, and is also suitable for use on dry, eczema-prone skin.

La Roche-Posay is recommended by the Dermatologists worldwide.

Available from McCabes Pharmacy

 

 

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