Eczema and Flakey Scalp in Babies: How to Manage Them

Though Nigeria is blessed with warm and dry winters, your infant can feel the effect of even a minor change in the weather. Your baby’s delicate skin is more prone to losing moisture quickly than an adult’s skin. Their skin is sensitive, soft, and still developing its own defense barrier. In winter, the cold, dry air can lead to various skin issues for babies with excessive dryness of skin being the most common. But, with the right daily skincare routine and mild and gentle baby skincare products, you can keep these winter skin issues at bay.

Here are two of the common skin issues that babies face during winters and tips on how to manage them:

Eczema: Eczema is a hereditary and chronic skin condition that appears in the form of dry rashes, bumps, scaly skin, and itchiness. Though it is not contagious, it can create quite discomfort to your little one. It might be the reason why your baby feels irritated as winters come eventually. Eczema is commonly seen in infants and children below the age of 5, and it can get worse during the winter season as cold air tends to dry and aggravate the skin further. It is also important to know that not all bumpy and red rashes are caused by eczema. It is always recommended to consult your baby’s doctor in this matter.

Tips on Managing Eczema in Infants

While there is no actual cure for this skin condition, there are ways to manage it and ease your baby’s discomfort.

  • A lot of things can trigger eczema in your baby’s skin. Some of these triggers are weather, harsh skin products, food allergies, harsh fabrics, strong detergents, and other potential skin irritants. Thus, if your baby has been diagnosed with eczema, then you should avoid any such products that aggravate eczema.
  • Use only hypoallergenic, mild, and gentle baby skincare products that are free from parabens and other harmful chemicals.
  • Don’t prolong the bathing period for your baby. Prefer to give them a short bath to make sure that their skin doesn’t dry out more. Use mild and dermatologically tested baby soap with natural ingredients such as milk and chamomile, for instance, Cussons Baby Soap, which helps retain the moisture of your baby’s skin. After a bath, don’t rub their skin dry. Just simply pat it gently with a dry towel.
  • Protect their skin by moisturizing it daily or even twice a day. Use a mild and gentle baby lotion that is packed with the goodness of skin-soothing milk. A quality baby moisturizing lotion quickly absorbs into the skin to moisturize deep layers of skin without leaving behind any sticky residue.
  • You should also use mild and gentle baby massage oil that provides extra moisture to your baby’s skin and help them feel more relaxed.

Dry and Flakey Scalp: Just like other body parts, your baby’s scalp gets drier during winter and becomes flakey and itchy. Even though it is perfectly normal in winter, it doesn’t mean you should let it be. You need to take care of your baby’s scalp too to help reduce his/her discomfort.

Tips on Managing Dry and Flakey Scalp of Infants

  • For this, use a dermatologically tested baby shampoo with mild and gentle formulation to cleanse the scalp. A gentle cleanser like Cussons Baby Hair and Body Wash enriched with honey and chamomile will help you perfectly cleanse your baby’s skin as well as sensitive scalp and hair.

Following a daily skincare routine for your baby is the key to nourish their skin, protect them from excessive dryness, and make them more comfortable throughout the day. The above tips are very helpful in taking care of your baby’s skin and scalp.

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