How often should I bath my baby? Which is the best baby cream to use? Which is the best baby soap to use? How to care for Baby skin?

These are common questions new mums and dads often have for which there is not a lot of scientifically based sound data out there. The following are excerpts from the excellent review article on this topic published in the International Journal of Dermatology

Best Skin Cleansing regime for neonates:

• Delay the first bath for a minimum of 6 hours, and until the baby’s temperature, breathing and heart rate have settled for at least 2-4 hours.
• Immersion bathing (in water 38-40 degrees Celsius), by placing the entire body except head and neck in a tub, is the preferred method of bathing
• Limit bathing to 5-10 minutes every other day
• There is no evidence that delaying bathing until the umbilical cord falls off, prevents cord infection
• Infant cleansers and shampoo’s may contain chemicals that can be harmful to the baby and are best avoided, in the first few days. Just use simple plain water for bathing, in the first few days. After that, one may use pH neutral, mild liquid cleansers.
• Keep the cord clean and dry. No special care is required.

Preventing Diaper rash (Diaper dermatitis):

• Diaper changes should occur every 3–4 hours or as soon as soiling occurs.
• Disposable wipes may be used for routine cleansing, but injured skin should be cleansed with lukewarm water and a soft cloth and subsequently patted dry.
• A barrier paste is recommended for prophylaxis and treatment of irritant diaper dermatitis. Preservative-free 20% zinc oxide ointment and petrolatum-based ointments are safe and inexpensive options. Both powders and antibiotic ointments may cause irritant contact dermatitis and are generally unnecessary.
• From personal experience, using baby oil/ olive oil/ petroleum jelly with every nappy change, prevents diaper dermatitis.

Use of Emollient (moisturising) creams:

• Massage using various oils is commonly practiced in cultures around the world. Petroleum jelly, baby oil, olive oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil etc are all good moisturising agents. When applied at least 1-2 times a day, topical emollients protect the stratum corneum and potentially enhances skin barrier maturation and repair.

Protection from sunlight:

• This is mainly important for children of white-skinned races, prone to skin cancer. Environmental ultraviolet exposure is also a concern for neonates. For infants <6 months old, the safety of sunscreens has not been established. There is concern regarding the neonatal metabolism of p-aminobenzoic acid, present in sunscreens. In infants, the safest way to protect from ultraviolet exposure is sun avoidance, followed by the use of appropriate clothing and zinc oxide-containing sunscreens to areas not covered by clothing.