I learned very quickly that my baby’s skincare routine was something to take very seriously. When I brought Charlee home from the hospital, her skin was basically flawless. I mean it was clear, soft and supple to the touch and a perfect even smooth texture. That quickly went away at about 3 weeks old and she started to develop some baby acne. It was just a few bumps at first, but it gradually spread across her cheeks and then made it’s way to her forehead and chin and eventually spread to her scalp. Like any new mom, I was very concerned and even beat myself up about it on a daily basis. Somehow, I linked all of her skin issues to how I was doing as a mother and classified it as just poor parenting. I can laugh about it now, but at the time, it was taking such a toll on my mental and I was thinking a whole lot of outlandish things that I now don’t believe are true. As Charlee’s skin got worse, my obsession with wanting to hang onto that perfect baby I brought home with the perfect skin did too. Thinking back on it all, most of my behavior and thinking came from having my own skin insecurities, having dealt with severe eczema as a child and being diagnosed with Hidradentitis Suppurativa (otherwise known as HS) in my early 20’s, prompted me to work extra hard to solve the plethora of skin issues that started to crop up on Charlee (cradle cap, eczema and baby acne) all of which resulted in her loosing quite a bit of hair. I did a lot of late night research and came up with a pretty simple routine and some even simpler tips and tricks to keep her skin thriving and me less stressed. I hope the info I provide is helpful to you moms and dads out there and makes caring for your infant just a little bit easier.

86 the Fragrance

Fragrance is great, it makes things smell pleasant and for me, there are certain scents that just bring back some really great childhood memories, but fragrance can irritate a baby’s very sensitive skin. You have to remember that babies, while out of the womb now, are still developing, there skin is no exception to this. It’s sensitive and can easily break out, so getting rid of the fragrance is one way to reduce breakouts. Also, newborns have this really amazing smell about them that I certainly don’t want to mask with a bunch of harsh fragrance, just saying.

Be Thorough During Bath time

Some babies have the cutest little creases and fat rolls, but it’s also a breeding place for dirt, bacteria and anything else you can think of, so you have to be thorough when cleaning in between the creases and crevices, it’s an absolute MUST. I mean scrub scrub scrub and get up in there; in between their little toes and fingers, behind their ears, in the creases of their arms and legs and under their neck. If your baby is like mine, even with a bib on, milk always tends to seep under that neck, I call it milk neck. A good ole fashion cleaning under there will do the trick. I scrub everyday under Charlee’s neck with a light micellar cleanser, Mustela Baby Micellar Water. A warm rag will also do the trick in between baths as well.

Use an All-Over Ointment

With babies, the simpler the better. There is no need to have a baby body lotion and a different cream for their face and a different moisturizer for their scalp. Just buy something that does the trick for everything. I’m currently using Tubby Todd’s All Over Ointment. I literally use it head to toe on my baby and it has gotten rid of her cradle cap, eczema patches and baby acne. A little goes a long way and I love the results on my baby, so much I started using it myself when I got a few breakouts on my face, arms and back.

Choose the Right Laundry Detergent

What touches your babies clothes will also go on your baby’s skin, so I recommend a fragrance free, chemical free laundry detergent. There are so many detergents on the market targeted towards babies, unfortunately, many of them have lots of fragrance and other ingredients that are simply just bad for baby and you if I’m being honest. Read your labels and check for any questionable ingredients before purchasing. My family is currently using All Free and Clear.

Read Your Labels

Like I said in the tip above, all that glitters is not gold. Reading labels to see what is in the products you’re using is crucial. Companies love using words like “Natural” to trick you into thinking their product is safe to use, and honestly it may be safe to use, but many people don’t ever consider the long term effects of using products that contain harsh irritants and chemicals. Reading labels can be a bit confusing with all the big words, so I use the Think Dirty App to help me understand what each ingredient is in products and the effects they may have on the body after long term use. Using this app has really helped kickstart my clean living journey and has taught me so much about quality over quantity when it comes to what I put on and in my body.

When Charlee’s skin issues started to arise, I was buying all sorts of stuff to just fix things quickly and make it go away. What I’ve learned since then is that keeping things simple, using less products and sticking to a simple routine are what works best for Charlee’s skin. I now use a total of 3 products in her skincare routine:

For All Over Moisturizing: Tubby Todd’s All Over Ointment

For Daily Face Cleansing: Mustela Baby Micellar Water

For Body Cleansing: Honest Shampoo/Body Wash Purely Sensitive

Another brand we love that is baby friendly is Weleda. We’ve used it on Charlee in the past, but we are currently using the products above right now as they seem to really be doing the trick with maintaining her eczema breakouts and cradle cap. If you’re just looking for a skincare line for baby that’s gentle and clean, Weleda is a great option as well.

I hope this post has been helpful to all you moms and dads out there and even those who aren’t parents who are seeking to simplify their skincare routine.

Till next time

Sincerely,

Deidra Marie