Caring for babies goes beyond breastfeeding and ensuring a conducive environment for them to grow. Other areas that should be prioritised include the baby’s physical care – especially the skin, as it is usually very sensitive.
Indeed, there are several aspects to take into consideration when caring for a baby’s skin, including the selection of suitable and good-quality bath products. Parents need to be careful and aware when choosing such items for their infant, as the use of inappropriate ingredients will affect the baby’s skin negatively, causing irritation and discomfort.
According to Dr Heah Sheau Szu, paediatric dermatologist at a medical centre in Sunway City, Selangor, parents should avoid buying products that contain ingredients that will cause dryness and allergies.
“Among the contents to be avoided are sodium lauryl sulphate, sodium lauryl ether sulphate, cocamide DEA, dimethylol-dimethyl, methylisothiazolinone, and parabens.
“For babies who are allergic to fragrances, avoid buying products that contain perfume, fragrance, benzyl alcohol and ethanol,” she advised.
According to Heah, many parents believe that foaming bath products are better for the baby. But this is inaccurate as the more a product foams, the more it contains active ingredients.
“These will further thin the protective layer on the baby’s body, causing their skin to become dry and rough. Therefore, avoid using products that produce a lot of foam and have a high level of alkali because these will cause the baby’s skin to become sensitive,” she said.
Symptoms of skin allergies
In addition, Heah warned of allergy symptoms that could appear if babies were exposed to products that were unsuited to their skin. Some infants, she said, might be allergic to certain products due to the concentration of sensitive ingredients they contain.
“Symptoms could include red spots and rashes, as well as skin becoming rough, dry, itchy, and peeling. If the allergy worsens, the baby will feel pain and the skin will even become red. They might also scratch until the skin peels and bleeds, which could cause more complications such as bacterial infection.”
Heah pointed out that allergy symptoms might not appear from the outset, but instead might only be visible after a few weeks or months of exposure to the offending product.
How to bathe baby
Some parents, she noted, think their baby’s skin would only be clean if they used a large amount of soap or bath cream. This, however, would only strip the protective layer of the skin even more.
“Using a large amount could also cause allergies if soap or cream remains on their skin. Therefore, it’s better to use such products only once a day in small amounts, or use clean water for bathing to avoid chemicals affecting the baby’s skin.”
To prevent irritation, parents need to know the correct way to bathe their child. “Put an appropriate amount of bath soap on the palm of your hand, add a little water, and then bathe your child. Alternatively, put bath soap in the tub and bathe your baby with the water.
“It’s important to ensure there are no traces of soap or bath cream left on your baby’s body when you’re done,” she outlined.
All in all, parents – especially new mothers – need to be aware of the condition of their child’s skin and what might cause harm to it, which is why Heah advises doing research online before purchasing bath products.
“If your child is allergic to the product, then stop using it,” she stressed. “It’s important to ensure that the bath products you buy are suitable for your baby so their skin can stay healthy.”