KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 – The birth of a baby is a joyous experience, especially for first-time parents. Hence, to care for the baby, parents will give the best of everything to them.
Caring for babies goes beyond breastfeeding and ensuring a conducive environment for them to grow.
There are other areas that need to be prioritised as well, and this includes the baby’s physical care, especially the baby’s skin, as they are usually very sensitive.
There are several aspects to take into consideration when caring for a baby’s skin so that it remains healthy and moisturised.
This includes the selection of good quality and suitable bath products for the baby.
Indeed, parents need to be more careful and aware when choosing baby bath products because the use of inappropriate products will affect the baby’s skin negatively and cause discomfort as well as irritation.
Avoid Using Products That Can Harm The Baby’s Skin
According to Dr Heah Sheau Szu, paediatric dermatologist at Sunway Medical Centre, parents should avoid buying products containing ingredients that will cause dryness and allergies to a baby’s skin.
“Among the contents to be avoided are Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS), Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulphate (SLES), Cocamide DEA, Dimethylol-dimethyl (DMDM), Methylisothiazolinone (MIT), and Parabens.
“For babies who are allergic to fragrances, avoid buying products that contain perfume, fragrance, benzyl alcohol and ethanol,” she added.
She also explained that many parents are of the opinion that foam bath products are cleaner.
However, this is inaccurate because the more foam, the more active ingredients are contained in the product.
“This will further thin the protective skin 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
Dr Heah also said that allergy symptoms would appear if babies used bath products that were not suitable for their skin.
“Among the symptoms are red spots, rashes, skin becoming rough, dry, itchy, and peeling.
“If the allergy worsens, the baby will feel pain and the skin will even become red. They will also scratch until the skin peels and bleeds, and this may even cause more complications such as bacterial infection,” she said.
Use Bath Products Correctly
Dr Heah added that usually, allergy symptoms would not appear after using a certain product once or twice. Instead, it will only be visible after a few weeks or months.
“Sometimes, the reason babies are allergic to some bath products is due to the level of concentration of sensitive ingredients used in the product.
In addition, we have to be mindful that the amount of soap or bath cream used is also one of the factors causing the allergies,” she said.
Dr Heah shared that some parents think that the baby’s skin will only be clean if they use a large amount of soap or bath cream.
However, that will only strip the protective layer of the baby’s skin even more.
“Using a large amount will cause allergies due to the soap or cream left on their skin. Therefore, it’s better to use only once a day and use clean water to bathe in order to avoid chemicals affecting the baby’s skin,” she added.
In the meantime, she said, to prevent a baby’s skin from experiencing irritation, parents need to know the correct way to bathe their child.
“Put an appropriate amount of bath soap on the palm of the hand, add a little water and then bathe the child or put the bath soap in the bathtub and bathe the baby with clean water. I
“t’s important to ensure that there are no traces of soap or bath cream left on the baby’s body because it can cause allergies to the skin and may also affect the eyes and nose,” she explained.
Know The Condition Of Your Baby’s Skin
Dr Heah also said that parents, especially mothers who have just given birth, need to know the condition of their baby’s skin.
This includes knowing the cause of skin irritation, so that the bath products used will not irritate their child’s skin.
“Parents can find suitable bathing products for their children through appropriate channels such as relevant websites.
“They also need to be aware about the products used. If the child is allergic to the product, then stop using it. It’s important to ensure that the bath products are suitable for babies so that their skin stays healthy,” she said.
