Lotion on Infant?

Hi D., When my children were little, I tried to use as few products on them as possible and now I am glad I did, as the skin care/cosmetics industry is not regulated and even major manufacturers of products specifically for babies are using some ingredients that are not safe. Please consider that anything put ON the skin is absorbed THROUGH the skin and into the body/bloodstream. For further info, visit www.findgreenhere.com (safe cosmetics page, cosmetic database link). You can enter the name of products or some of their ingredients to be sure they are not toxic in any way.

Also, you can visit http://www.xango.tv/ to learn about Glimpse, all clean and green "skin nutrition", that adjusts intuitively to all skin types and conditions. There are NO unsafe or toxic ingredients and CAN be used on babies and children, but only if needed for eczema, psoriasis, etc. If you would like any further info, feel free to contact me. Sincerely, V. G. :o)

1 mom found this helpful

Just like the old saying, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it!' You're doing the right thing. Now that the weather is cooling off & getting a chill, you might notice his cheecks will get chapped & could use a bit of lotion but otherwise, stick w/what you're doing. When my older son was a baby, he wasn't keen at all on bathes so afterwards, to calm him down, I'd massage him w/lotion which both of us enjoyed so I'd say, if you wanna use lotion, use it then. Best of luck!

I agree to not lotion your baby if you don't think he needs it. We rarely moisturized our son for his first nine months. He had a bit of ecxema that we sometimes used Aquaphor on, but that was it. However now that he's crawling and the carpet makes his little legs and feet ashy, and sometimes his tummy when he crawls shirtless, we need to lotion him up a bit.

I have eczema and one of my two kids has it also. We use lotion daily sometimes twice a day due to dryness. My other child only needs to lotion during the dry winter months or after swimming in a chlorinated pool.

My recommendation is for you to not use lotion unless your child needs it. That means when you notice any dryness of the skin. Apply the lotion only where you see and/or feel dryness. Too much lotion will only clog the pores and can cause irritation.

Skin type is hereditary. So, you are right to take your cue from your personal experience. But, infants are still developing and do need more attention and care. Just be aware of his needs and check his skin for dryness especially during the winter months. Forced air heating can be so drying on our bodies and is especially tough on our skin and nasal passages.

Do your child a favor and do not smear chemicals on his skin... if you think that he need moisturizing you have better options like extra virgin olive oil or extra virgin coconut oil... no chemicals!!!

Love, G.. :0)
http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

"I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin." ~ Jerry Newport

if your son doesn't have dry skin i would not use anything. the skin produces the oil it needs...i use on my son, if any, burts bees only because i love the smell of it..sometimes after a bath...more for my pleasure :)

Hi D.,
I have always used lotion on my daughter after her bath as soon as I dry her. I use it while I give her a massage. She has never had any skin conditions, in fact her skin is perfect! I use a bath as part of her bedtime routine and only wash hands, face, feet and diaper area daily. Daily bathing CAN dry skin on little ones so I've always used lotion.
Sincerely,
L.

I agree with everyone about not moisturizing him if he doesn't need it. I do notice, however, that when we use Aquaphor our son's skin turns out even softer than it already is. I have noticed that if we wash his bottom more frequently (we do this to avoid diaper rash) that his skin will dry out a bit more. So, we give him a massage using the Aquaphor. Also, we don't bathe our son every day. However, now that we've started feeding him solids we may have to (very messy!). I guess we'll see if we need to start putting lotion on him after every bath. Good luck!

I'm just like you, I only moisturize occasionally as needed. (I don't use soap all over when showering, just the dirty spots, likewise with my son) Also with my son, I used the gentle moisturizing baby bath.

In the winter though, I do notice needing to use lotion more (which is probably about 3x a month as opposed to maybe 3x during the entire summer) and I put it on my son after a bath, before bed.

With a baby, dont put it on their hands or things that go in their mouth. On the occasions his cheeks would get chapped, I only put ointment on at bedtime when he went to sleep or when he wasn't liable to be rubbing it off.

As an FYI, there are some rashes that will not heal if you always keep it "waterproofed" so uncomfortable as it is, especially if you've got a constant drooler, do your best to keep it clean and dry but not constantly smothered in lotion. If it were really raw I'd put neosporin on once a day, preferably at bedtime. That's just what I'd do anyway.

And one other thing I've noticed - in the wintertime after skin gets dry, then you finally put lotion on, it does not feel good! It burns and made my little guy cry and run from the lotion bottle thereafter. So I try to head it off now by putting it on before his skin has been so dry for a while. (I put lotion on him abt 1-2 wks ago, haven't since but will probably next week, just cuz *my* arms are feeling so dry and itchy. I just dont want it to let it go to the point it hurts instead of soothes.)

i would just use it for massage on the little guy and cal baby is by far the least toxic, use it before the others. my littlr guy (now 2 ) never needed lotion either, I have used it!

Dear D.,
It's a personal decision, I guess, but I always moisturized my babies. For one thing, it helps keep that perfect little baby skin so soft. And for another thing, my babies loved it! Massaging their little arms, legs, feet, and backs. It can be a wonderfully calming thing to do right after a bath and before sleep time. That touch is so important! It doesn't have to be a matter of whether their skin requires it or not every day, but while you are rubbing on lotion, you can talk about their litte hands and toes. My children found it very enjoyable, close time.

Hi D.-
If your baby is not dry, do not lotion him. Perhaps he inherited your fantastic ability to stay moisturized without lotion. As long as their is no ashy-ness and his skin seems supple and hydrated, don't worry about it. Lotion (from what I have heard) is for when their little bodies dry out and have those patches that need some extra moisture.
The thing about lotion is that it smells yummy and is nice for bonding time, rubbing their little legs and arms and their back. BUT, they also make "gel" that works for this if they don't necessarily need lotion. It's the johnson's night time massage gel. Purple tube.
-E.

I rarely used them on my son, either. On rare occasion, his legs and feet seemed a bit dry, and I used some Aveeno baby lotion. Maybe it's because many parents bathe babies more often than is necessary, and that might dry out their skin? I don't think you should use any products on your baby that don't seem necessary to you.

Hi D.,

I think it would be best to continue not using lotion on your baby. The lotions have a lot of bad ingredients that get absorbed right into the skin and into the blood stream. Even sunscreen, which is especially loaded with chemicals, can really harm your baby and even adults, since everything we put on our skin is absorbed right into our bodies.

Hope this is helpful,
M. S.

Hi D.
First congrats to you and your husband. Your baby probably does not need any lotion and if so, be really careful what you use. Even the baby safe products can have loads of frangrance and contain phtalates which are banned for use in cosmetics in Europe. If you do notice dry skin you may want to ease up the number of baths which can be drying or even use a little olive oil go easy on that - its think and makes for a super slippery baby!. That reminds me of bath time with my now 7 year old daughter.:)