Tending to Baby’s skin care and sun protection needs

From birth throughout early childhood, children have extremely delicate, sensitive skin. In fact, their skin’s protective barrier is especially thin, making it permeable to various chemicals and ultraviolet rays.

So when it comes to our little bundles of joy, special loving care is needed for looking after their skin! 

Bathing and moisturizing

Babies and young children should only be given a full bath (hair and body) every two to three days in order to avoid irritating their skin and scalp. In addition, don’t use adult toiletries (soap, shower gel, bubble bath, etc.) and scented products on small children. These products are usually filled with chemicals, detergents and additives that can harm the base layer of young skin.There is now a wide assortment of cleansing products, such as bar soap, gels and body and hair washes, made just for children.

Here’s what to look for in products suitable for kids: 

•    Unscented
•    Paraben-free
•    No conservation agents
•    No colouring agents
•    Neutral pH 
•    Hypoallergenic

You can use the same checklist to choose the right moisturizer. 

After bath time – or as needed – moisturize your baby’s skin with any of the following: 

•    Moisturizing cream for babies
•    Moisturizing spray for babies 
•    Body milk or lotion for babies 
•    Cold cream for babies (for very dry skin)

Sun protection

What you need to know:

-    Before the age of 1, children must not be exposed to the sun. 
-    Don’t use sunscreen on a child younger than 6 months. You can start at 6 or 7 months, but make sure the product is specifically formulated for babies.