If you happen to spot a pimple on your baby’s face one day, don’t worry—your baby isn’t morphing into a teenager right before your very eyes. Your natural instinct may be to panic given that it seems very unnatural. You may, in fact, meticulously search every square inch of your baby’s skin for another pimple that may give you a clue as to what’s going on.
Fortunately, pimples, redness or irritation are nothing to fret about.
Skin is very delicate
Baby’s skin is, most importantly, thinner than ours and a lot less greasy. It also produces less melanin, a skin pigment that protects us from the sun’s UV rays. For everyone, skin is the body’s largest organ: it protects us from the sun, irritants, and infections. It also regulates our water loss to prevent dehydration.
Most newborns also have a slightly bluish tinge to their skin at birth, but it quickly becomes pinker as soon as their fetal hearts invert the current of their blood flow. Skin works extremely closely with the brain. As a matter of fact, skin-to-skin contact between newborns and their parents, such as the kangaroo method, helps baby’s brains mature. The kangaroo method is often used with premature babies.
Eczema
Eczema can pop up early on in a baby’s life, usually after just a few months, causing redness, painfully dry skin and extreme itching. Also known as “dermatitis,” eczema remains the most frequent skin disease and, more often than not, disappears at adolescence.
Atopic eczema (or atopic dermatitis) is the most frequent form and is purely an allergic reaction by the skin.
Dermatitis from physical contact is caused by any of a number of irritants (soap, sweat, saliva, ragweed, etc.).
Hives
Hives occur when the skin breaks out in what looks similar to bee stings and starts to itch. Little pink breakouts and red pimples may appear, disappear and then suddenly reappear. This can happen early in babies’ lives, especially with those who are allergic to proteins contained in milk.
To soothe the itching, add baking soda or some colloidal oat powder to your baby’s bathwater. In extreme cases, apply calamine lotion to prevent your baby from scratching him- or herself.
Milium (Baby’s acne)
The main cause of these breakouts is due to an accumulation of subcutaneous fat in the baby’s pores. These breakouts cause a great amount of stress to many parents, who go from seeing their newborns with a smooth and soft face, to one with pimples no bigger than a needles head.
However, there is no magic trick here. These pimples will disappear on their own a month or two after the first breakout. Since their skin is already greasy, don't apply any oils, creams or Vaseline.
Miliaria (Sweat rash)
These raised, red and rounded pimples generally appear on the forehead, neck or in any creases when it’s hot outside or the baby has a fever. However, they go away as soon as it cools down. Try not to overdress your baby and, if possible, lower your house’s humidity.
Intertrigo (Crease rash)
When two skin surfaces rub together (e.g. underneath the chin, neck, armpits, thighs or scrotum) or in areas often exposed to moisture (e.g. sweat, milk, urine, stool, etc.), it can cause an irritation called “intertrigo.”
Cradle Cap
What’s known as “cradle cap” is a yellowish, patchy, greasy, scaly and crusty area of dry skin that can appear on top of a baby’s head. This is actually another type of eczema that occurs when there's an excess of sebaceous secretions on the scalp. If appropriate treatment is not given, the rash can thicken. Apply some light almond oil to the irritated skin and rub gently.
Dry Skin
If your baby’s skin is flaking, peeling or even cracking, it might be a bit too dry in your house. Try not to use soap when giving the baby a bath for a little while and apply hydrating cream or lotion on the baby’s skin afterward.
Sunburns
As soon as the sun shows itself again in the early days of spring, you need to make sure your kids aren’t being exposed to too many UV rays.
Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
- Don’t use sunscreen before your child is six months to avoid allergic reactions;
- After six months, choose a cream with an SPF of at least 30 and without PABA. Apply it to his or her entire body about 30 minutes before heading outside and reapply every 2 hours;
- To protect your baby’s skin, put a hat or clothes on that cover arms and legs;
- Avoid being in the sun while it’s at peak intensity (between 10 a.m.–2 p.m.), or stay in the shade, if nothing else;
- Drink lots and lots of water to prevent dehydration.
