How to nourish your baby’s skin in winter
This time of year can be particularly damaging to your baby's delicate and sensitive skin. We adjust our our own beauty products and routines to suit the season, but it's just as important you do the same for your bub too. We spoke with Midwife Cath, who has delivered over 10,000 babies in her 42-years as a midwife (including Bec Judd's bubs), to get her top tips for nourishing your baby’s skin in winter.
RELATED: The ultimate guide to giving your newborn a bath
RELATED: How to clean bub's bottom
Choosing natural and organic products
Midwife Cath stresses that keeping your baby’s skin nourished at this time of year does not require a cabinet full of skin care products. “Their skin tends to be quite soft already and doesn’t require as many as ours does!” So what should we look out for when finding the perfect skin care routine for bub?
Her top tip is picking out a few natural, quality, staple products. She says to avoid “petrochemical cleansers, parabens and mineral oils as these can be nasty on new skin and cause irritation.” There are so many natural and organic products on the market that have been specifically designed for babies. “[These] can work a treat to aid in protecting their skin from the cooler climate and help keep a consistent skin care routine.”
Do your research and find those few staple products that bub’s skin will love during the colder months!
bh loves: Organic Care Baby Moisturiser, Grahams Natural Baby Body & Bath Oil
The bath-time routine
Despite your baby’s skin being quite smooth, it’s still developing protective layers. Midwife Cath says ensuring you layer your baby with a nourishing moisturiser to shield their skin from the cold weather is really important. For Midwife Cath, it all starts with the bath-time routine. “I often use Organic Care Baby Bubble Bath when bathing a baby as it can be an easy, fun, and hassle-free way to add moisture into your bub’s everyday routine without adding too many extra steps.”
She also stresses not to forget about the importance of the bath temperature, it should sit somewhere around the 38-degree mark as this is warm enough to keep bub cosy, but isn’t too hot!
Your post-bath drying tools and techniques are also important. “I recommend using a soft, bamboo towel from Baby Buntings as it avoids irritation and drying the skin out. Simply pat bub dry with the hood to ensure their skin locks in moisture and allows the natural newborn oils to thrive,” says Midwife Cath.
bh loves: Organic Care Baby Bubble Bath, Dermaveen Extra Gentle Baby Bath Oil, Dermaveen Extra Gentle Baby Soap Free Wash
Rehydrating the skin
Keeping your bub’s skin hydrated is really important during this time of year. Midwife Cath recommends using a daily, fragrance-free moisturiser after their bath as it will aid hydration and protect their sensitive skin. Midwife Cath says, “A key ingredient is coconut oil, a natural hydrator and a great addition at this time of year. Applying moisturiser will also help to protect their skin against nappy rash!”
A top tip from Midwife Cath on nappy rash: “Nappy rash is an all-year-round problem for babies but can be more problematic in winter. Make sure you properly clean your baby’s bottom with every nappy change. Using natural, wet wipes can help to clean your little one before applying a soothing cream.”
bh loves: Sudocrem, QV Baby Moisturising Cream
Baby Massage
Baby massage can be an effective way to nourish and soothe your baby’s skin, promoting good blood circulation, Midwife Cath also says how it can be an incredible way to bond with your bub.
“It’s best to do it when your baby is fed and relaxed and does not have to be prior to bedtime. I suggest in the morning after the baby has slept well,” says Midwife Cath.
But what's the best way to do baby massage? She says to make sure the room is warm and cosy, but not too hot. She also stresses not massaging bub for too long, as the younger they are, the less tolerant they will be.
“Always place your little one on their tummy and with gentle strokes massage their back, arms, legs and even his head - remember to be very gentle and the massage only needs to last 2-4 minutes.”
bh loves: Natrulas My Little One Relaxing Touch Massage Oil
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well having used Sudocrem and Nappy Goo both are good - talc is a no-go and massage is an idea but bubba (who is 9 months now) can't seem to sit still long enough to have a massage - tho he loves having his head rubbed!
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I've marked Peggy Rothchild's post, a couple of posts below, as SPAM!
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QV & dermaveen a great for little ones!
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I did a baby massage course at 12 weeks (easier can bee too stimulating for them) and we just used extra virgin coconut oil!
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When hubby and I did antenatal classes, we were advised not to use talcum powder on our bubs as there was evidence of talc detected on baby girls' ovaries.
I'm sure this would ring true for anything nanoparticle sized.
Quite concerning.
We purchased a little of red rosehip oil, mixed it with olive oil and applied that to bubs' bums.
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If only my bub would stay still long enough for a baby massage!
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Great tips. My cousin has a baby so I will forward her this article.
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avoid “petrochemical cleansers, parabens and mineral oils as these can be nasty on new skin and cause irritation - and so can natural products because the ingredients are too powerful and stimulating for young skin. Sometimes plain is best
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Natural and organic products would be my preferred thing to use on kids, as I do worry about some of the ingredients.
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I used sudocream when needed with my kids.
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I use a nappy cream called nappy goo on my babies nappy rash, I found it much better than sudocream. Also love Sukin baby products. And little innoscents is another natural brand for bubs.
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I love moogoo products, they're natural and gentle and I understand the ingredients
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When I had my son I stuck with my tried and trusted MooGoo on his sensitive skin when it flared up.
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I don't change anything up based on seasons. Having a child with eczema, my experience is that you just need to stick with a skincare routine every single day. Gentle soap and a not too hot bath followed by moisturiser. Some of my kids have done better with one moisturiser over another - it's really individual so if one isn't working I just try another until I find the one that works for that child. I've only had an issue with using essential oils on the one that has eczema. My other kids had tolerated them quite well.
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now, I have to disagree with many things in this article. In particular, if you go to any good dermatologist/GP they would recommend you NOT to use the so called "natural" products, which often contain essential oils - known triggers for sensitive skin.
They would ask you to stick to things like QV - which I did during the first few weeks for my bub - which helped tremendously. The ingredients of QV = all synthetic.
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I just decided to stick to plain warm water until really necessary to use something - no eczema or any other dry skin problems ever
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That is a sensible approach too!
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I wonder why people would use bubble baths for kids. They are so drying even for grown ups.
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I'm guilty of that one. But the bubbles kind of make my kid willing to stay IN the bath because she likes the bubbles...
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That makes sense. As long as it suited your Bub's skin ;) Mine loved playing in water so much it was hard to get him out...still is sometimes
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I'll need to send a link to this to a friend of mine who is about to have a baby.
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Using natural products has helped my skin heal from so much toxins. I know that if I have kids in the future, I will definately be using natural skincare products.
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