What Do I Need To Know About My Newborn’s Genitalia
- Female: A girl’s external genitalia may look swollen and red. Your baby girl may also have a clear, white, pink, or blood-colored discharge from her vagina. Hormones passed from mother to baby before birth cause this. This discharge should go away within 1 to 4 weeks.
- Male:
- The rounded end of your boy’s penis is called the glans. The foreskin is the skin that covers the glans. Right after birth, your newborn’s glans and foreskin are attached. This is normal. Do not try to pull back the foreskin. With time, the foreskin will slowly start to come apart from the glans. If your baby had a circumcision, ask his healthcare provider how to care for it.
- It is common for a baby boy to have an erection of his penis. He may have an erection during diaper changes, when breastfeeding, or when you are washing him. He may also have an erection when his diaper rubs against his penis.
Dimples Pits And Tags
A dent in the skin is a dimple, or a pit. A skin tag is a bit of floppy skin hanging off the body. Whether or not a skin dimple, pit, or tag is worth worrying about depends on where on the body it is located.
For example, dimples at the base of the spine, pits around the ears, or tags near the fingers or toes are worth mentioning to your healthcare provider. Occasionally, they can suggest that something beneath the skin did not develop properly.
What Is Vernix Caseosa
Around the 17th to 20th week of pregnancy, a white substance called vernix caseosa or vernix settles on top of the skin. This is a creamy, white matter made from water, proteins, and lipids .
The high water content and lipids of the vernix create two-way protection. The water prevents skin dryness, and the lipids block the surrounding fluids from direct contact with the skin.
In utero, the vernix also prevents the skin from shedding or peeling. This means theres a buildup of old tissue ready to peel once the vernix is gone.
During the last weeks of gestation, the vernix begins to dissolve. This is why most overdue babies usually have little, while preterm babies likely have a lot on their skin after birth.
Postpartum vernix is a good thing as the vernix also acts as a natural moisturizer. My little one looked like she was covered in frosting!
Generally, the vernix disappears after five days or when your baby has their first bath. This can trigger an avalanche of skin shedding.
The most shedding typically occurs within the first two to three weeks. This is when your babys skin adjusts to the dry air after being submerged for so long. The new outer layer of skin will be tougher, more resilient, and ready to take on the world.
Remember
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Treatment Of Flaky Skin
Whilst the appearance of flaky and dry skin signals the need for lotions and moisturisers in adults, it’s not the same for bub. The patches of skin do not cause pain, irritation or itchiness it will peel away on its own in a few weeks as your baby’s skin develops.
To help with the appearance, you can:
- Add a few drops of edible natural oils such as olive oil in their bath water.
- Avoid using soaps or cleansers during bath time.
- Use a humidifier in their room to prevent their skin from drying out further.
- Keep them in a comfortably warm room as cold temperatures can chap their skin.
How Should Eczema Be Treated
Although there is no cure for eczema, it can usually be controlled and often will go away after several months or years.
- Daily warm baths, letting your baby soak can help. After a bath, pat your babys skin dry and apply an unscented moisturizer to trap water in the skin.
- Use a gentle, unscented moisturizer instead of a lotion on your babys skin to reduce dryness. Moisturizers are usually heavier/thicker. They help retain moisture in the skin. You can use it 2 to 3 times a day. Petroleum jelly is a great moisturizer.
- Dress your baby in loose cotton fabrics. Avoid wool. Long sleeves and pants can help keep moisturizers from being rubbed off and can help prevent scratching.
- If the rash persists and your baby is not comfortable, your health care provider may consider medication.
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How To Treat Newborn Skin Peeling
Flaky and peeling newborn skin usually corrects itself in a couple of weeks, but Dr Bhuta says there are a few things you can do to help ease any discomfort bub might be feeling:
- Reduce the length of bath times and use warm water instead of hot water. Long baths tend to strip away the oils from your babys skin and may make the peeling worse.
- Apply moisturisers after bath time.
- Choose hypoallergenic cleansers and moisturisers without any harsh chemicals or scents.
- Try to shield your baby from cold air. This includes using blankets if your baby is sleeping in air-conditioning or when outside, especially during winter.
- Use a humidifier to help increase moisture levels in the air if your house is too dry.
Dr Bhuta says if the dry skin does not disappear after a few weeks, its best to seek advice from your GP.
How Much Peeling Occurs Normally
The amount of skin peelings that occurs on the baby is dependent on when the baby was born. Babies that are overdue peel a lot more than normal or than premature babies since they have a lesser quantity of vernix on them. This usually results in baby skin peeling off fingers and toes in large amounts.
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Use Lukewarm Water To Clean The Baby
Lukewarm water is ideal for washing a babys skin. Water that is too hot can dry out the skin. It can also be beneficial to apply moisturiser immediately after a lukewarm bath.
Hot water dries out skin for people of all ages including newborns. If your little one has peeling skin, you dont want to use water thats too warm.
Use lukewarm instead of hot water, and only use fragrance-free, soap-free cleansers. A water temperature of 100° F is perfect for your newborns sensitive skin. And always follow a bath with a layer of a hydrating moisturiser. Regular Soap and bubble baths are too harsh for a newborns skin.
Causes And Treatments For Peeling Skin Syndrome
As of now, researchers have identified genetic changes in several distinct genes as the cause of peeling skin syndrome. All known forms of the disease have been inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. This means the baby inherits two abnormal copies of the disease gene, one from each parent. There is usually no peak season for the peeling. However, some patients have reportedly had it worse during the summer.
Applying skin softening ointments is advisable after a bath. The skin is still moist at that point. Plain petroleum jelly or Vaseline can offer relief. Drugs derived from vitamin A, such as tretinoin and etretinate, could also be effective. Consult your doctor for more information.
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Restore Your Newborns Dry Skin
Dry skin or peeling skin is entirely normal in newborn babies. It often affects overdue babies since they had less vernix to protect them during the last few weeks before delivery. If it continues or causes irritation, it could be due to infant eczema.
Keep your baby hydrated and their skin moisturized with lotion. Use a humidifier in the room, and minimize exposure to cold air. This should help resolve the problem. Remember the red flag signs of redness, swelling, or itchiness, and call your pediatrician if these are present.
Infant Skin Peeling How To Stop It At Home
Just the other day someone asked how ca you stop infant skin peeling?
Well the skin of infants often peel off due to a number of factors notable among them being skin dryness. For newborn babies, peeling skin is a common occurrence between the age of 1 week and 3 weeks.
This will go on its own but for infants aged above that, a few adjustments to your baby washing routine and living environment may be needed. Here are a few tips:
- Use gentle soaps and laundry detergents, the ones specifically formulated for use in children
- Run a humidifier to restore moisture in your house or babys room
- Apply a babys moisturizing lotion or ointment on your babys skin
- Use warm water to bathe your little infant
- Protect your infant from sunlight
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Keep Baths Short And Warm
Although it is important to maintain moisture in the skin, the bathing times for the baby should be short. Having daily baths is absolutely necessary to get rid of the peeling skin, but keeping your baby wet for a long time can remove the natural oils that are present in the skin. This can further make the skin drier than usual, adding to the problems.
Keeping a short 5-10 minute bath is good. Make use of warm water and a mild soap without any aromas or fragrance. Use a soft cloth to gently wipe the skin instead of rubbing it. The traditional soaps and bathing gels could irritate the skin further.
What Do I Need To Know About My Newborn’s Head
- Your newborn’s head may not be perfectly round right after birth. Labor and delivery may cause your baby’s head to have an odd shape. His or her head may have molded into a narrow, long shape to go through your birth canal. It may have a bump on one side. Your baby may have bruising or swelling on his or her head because of the birth process. This is usually normal. Your baby’s head should look more round and even in 1 or 2 weeks.
- Fontanels are soft spots on the top front part and back of your newborn’s skull. They are protected by a tough tissue because the bones have not grown together yet. Your baby’s brain will grow very quickly during the first year. The purpose of the soft spots is to make room for his or her brain to grow. Soft spots are usually flat, but they may bulge when your baby cries or strains. It is normal to see and feel a pulse beating under a soft spot. You may be more likely to see the pulse if your baby has little hair and is fair-skinned. It is okay to touch and wash your newborn’s soft spots.
- Your baby may be born with a little or a lot of hair. It is common for some of your newborn’s hair to fall out. He or she should have grown more hair by 6 months of age. Your baby’s hair may change to a different color than the one he or she was born with.
- At birth, one or both of your newborn’s ears may be folded over. This is because he or she was crowded while growing in the uterus. Ears may stay folded for a short time before unfolding on their own.
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Make Baths Short And Sweet
Long baths can remove moisture and hydration from your newborns delicate skin. Make efficient use of your babys bath time! Five to seven minutes is the ideal length of time for your newborns bath. Try not to allow it to last more than 10 minutes.
When it comes to bathing babies, more is not always better. In addition to keeping baths short, make sure not to bathe your baby too frequently. Limit baths to once per day. Anything more could dry out your little ones skin.
Between bath times or when youre on the go, you can use No-Rinse Soothing Cleansing Water, which will keep your baby clean from head to toe no bathwater or rinsing needed!
After bath time is over, gently pat your babys skin dry from head to toe and make sure to pay special attention to the tricky nooks that have the potential to trap water and moisture the diaper area, chubby leg folds, and tiny armpits.
Trapped moisture could lead to skin irritation or a rash.
What Do I Need To Know About My Newborn’s Toes And Fingers
Your newborn’s fingernails are soft, and they will grow quickly. You may need to trim them with baby nail clippers 1 or 2 times each week. Be careful not to cut too closely to his or her skin because you may cut the skin and cause bleeding. It may be easier to cut the fingernails when he or she is asleep. Your newborn’s toenails may grow much slower. They may be soft and deeply set into each toe. You will not need to trim them as often.
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What Do I Need To Know About Birthmarks
It is common for a newborn’s skin to have birthmarks. Birthmarks come in different sizes, shapes, and colors. Some birthmarks shrink or fade with time. Other birthmarks may stay on your baby’s skin for his or her entire life. Ask your newborn’s healthcare provider to check birthmarks you have questions about. Your baby may have any of the following:
Is Newborn Dry Skin Peeling Dangerous
As mentioned above, we associate peeling skin with dry skin. We also think of sunburn, lack of moisture, or even certain infections. Because of these associations, it can be scary to see newborn skin peeling.
The good news is the peeling is usually a normal part of the newborn phase and is of no concern.
Babies with more vernix tend to peel less than babies with less vernix. Most newborns peel at least a little bit in the first days and weeks of their life.
If you have any concerns, reach out to your babys nurse or paediatrician, especially if youre not sure whether it falls under normal newborn skin peeling.
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Limit Bathing For First Few Months
Bathing your baby can be a wonderful part of your evening routine. It can soothe a baby who otherwise wont settle. However, bathing too frequently can dry out babys skin and increase the peeling.
If your baby needs more access to water for soothing, or messy nappies, etc., you can reduce dryness by using water only, with no soaps unless really necessary.
Most Common Causes For Newborn Dry Scalp And Skin
A newborn’s dry face, forehead or scalp is not unusual but do you know what causes it? Here are a few top causes for dry patches on baby skin around their face:
New-born dry face caused by naturally peeling skin. The most common cause for dry skin on your babyâs face in the first week or two is natural exfoliation. The amniotic fluid prevents this from happening inside the womb, so the skin is likely to peel for a short while after birth. Preterm babies will peel less than those born at term while those born late will peel more.
Dry patches on baby skin caused by lengthy baths. Are you prone to giving your baby long baths in warm water? This could increase the risk of dry skin as it strips away the bodyâs naturally produced oils in the skin. Stick to shorter baths and see if the dry skin clears up or reduces.
Very dry baby skin caused by dehydration. Just as with adults, your baby could simply be dehydrated. Make sure you keep them fed and hydrated throughout the day and night.
Dry skin on baby’s forehead, scalp or facial skin caused by a medical condition. If your babyâs skin is dry and not caused by one of the above causes then it could be ichthyosis. This is a condition which causes scaly-looking skin and is usually diagnosed by a doctor based on physical examination, family medical history, and a blood or skin sample.
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What Do I Need To Know About My Newborn’s Breasts
Your newborn boy or girl may have swollen breasts after birth for a few weeks. This is caused by hormones that are passed to your newborn before birth. Your newborn’s breasts may be swollen longer if he or she is being breastfed. This is because hormones are passed through breast milk. Your newborn’s breasts may also have a milky discharge. Do not squeeze your newborn’s breasts. This will not stop the swelling and could cause an infection.
Skip Bubble Baths And Harsh Soaps
Bubble baths and harsh soaps will rob a little ones skin of its moisture, exacerbating any skin conditions. By using organic mild baby shampoo, babies will not absorb harmful chemicals which can cause irritating any skin conditions. The same goes for baby wipes. Organic baby wipes aid in keeping a babys most sensitive areas clean and healthy.
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What Do I Need To Know About My Newborn’s Nose
- Your newborn’s nose may be pushed in or flat because of the tight squeeze during labor and delivery. It may take a week or longer before his or her nose looks more normal.
- It may seem like your baby does not breathe regularly. He or she may take short breaths and then hold his breath for a few seconds. Your baby may then take a deep breath. This irregular breathing is common during the first weeks of life. Irregular breathing is also more common in premature babies. By the end of the first month, your baby’s breathing should be more regular.
- Babies also make many different noises when breathing, such as gurgling or snorting. Most of the noises are caused by air passing through small breathing passages. These sounds are normal and will go away as your baby grows.