What to Do with a Very Dry Skin Two Months Old?

My son is 1/2 black and his skin also has a tendency to be dry. Do NOT use Johnson and Johnson products... too many chemicals. I like Hugo products found at Whole Foods. Aveeno is also not good... stick with the natural products. Don't get his water too hot and don't feel like you have to bathe him every day. A warm wash cloth is fine on most days.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi Maria,
I have had dry,dry skin problems my whole life. I recently was given a sample of a lotion that works for me by a dermatologist. Finally,no itchy,dry,spotty skin. It's called Eucerin.It can be expensive but I have found that most drug stores carry small trial size bottles for less than a dollar. This way you can try it,see if it works for you before you have to spend alot on a full bottle.(You could also try several brands this way to find what works best for your baby) You may also want to try using Cetaphil skin cleanser. Not a soap,very mild for bathing etc. & it doesn't bother my sensitive skin. Some soaps make me break out in dry patches. I use to only use fragrance free,color free etc laundry soap but it never seemed to change anything so I went back to my favorite. Not sure if the lotion has stopped the issue so the laudry soap no longer bothers me???I don't know but I'm not going to argue since these skin problems have gone on since I was a kid.
Hope this helps you......Good Luck
P.S. I just read the previous response...she mentions flax seed oil.This stuff is the greatest!!! Flax seed is higher in Omega3 than Broccoli,helps reduce cholestrol,and bad fats. We buy flax seed & grind it in a coffee grinder & add it to smoothies & as a SECRET ingrediant in many a dinner...Try it sometime,just don't tell the kids...shhh

My son's both have fairly dry skin (they are mixed nationality as well) and my best friends children (also mixed) also had very dry skin issues as well as exzema, she turned me on to the Johnson's soothing naturals lotions (the creme is the best, but hard to find, it seems to get bought up quickly), there is little to no harsh smell and it seems to nourish the skin really well and for a long time. The bottles aren't as big as the other lotions and it's a little more pricey, but well worth it to me. You can find it at grocery stores, Target and Wal-mart in the baby sections. Target and Wal-mart are MUCH cheaper than grocery stores (as usual).

I hope it works
K.

jojoba oil! it's the best.

Hi Maria,

Try massaging him down with Eucerin lotion (the thick cream in a tub not bottle). It helped our daughter with her dry skin. Do it daily before putting pjs on. It's a nice addition to the might time routine too. Good luck

My son has very sensitive skin and if it gets dry he breaks out with eczema patches. The doctor gave me prescription hydrocortizone, and told me to bath him in Cetaphil (you don't have to use water) and use Cetaphil lotion. As for laundry detergent I use Dreft on his clothes and always rinse twice. Hope that helps.

My kids' pediatrician reccomended Eucerin Cream which is made by Aquaphor. I've always used that on the boys, and even on myself sometimes, and it works really well.

Though we never dealt with dry skin, I did take my son through an infant massage course. They suggested using any type of natural, cold-pressed oil like almond, apricot, sesame seed or grapeseed oil because they help nourish baby's skin. I would stay away from baby oil & I would only use lotions that are specifically for infant dry skin like Eucerin. Here's an article I found - hope it helps! I do agree that daily bathing a baby is not necessary & definitely helps contribute to dry skin.

http://www.helium.com/items/889751-best-lotions-and-preve...

My son has been plauged with severe dry skin and eczema since he was an infant and is now 7. What we have found that helps is laundry detergent without phosfates, perfumes or dyes we are currently using Biokleen. No fabric softenter. Only 100% cotton clothes or Organic 100% wool. For bath time we use avalon organics baby bath (still) or Cetaphil bar soap. Baths are tepid and limited to no more than 10 minutes. After which he is wrapped in a towell but not rubbed dry. He is then immeadiately coated in a fairly thick coat of Eucerin cream. We put homeopathic calendula ointment on any cracked skin. We had one doctor reccomend that we bathe him and moisturize him three times a day. Maybe doable for an infant but very impractible for a 7 year old.

Hi Maria,
I use Seventh Generation baby liquid detergent for my daughter because she showed signs of eczema. I also completely avoid any fabric softeners, they are absolutely horrible for dry and sensitive skin.
A good lotion I purchased online is called, " Gaia Natural Baby Skin Soothing Lotion." The ingredients are very mild in nature and organic. It's very thick and very effective.
Good luck,

-M.

I use Arbonne's ABC skinline on my son and and it has worked wonders.
www.arbonne.com
good luck
E. #17524441

Our pediatrician recommended we actually use Vaseline like a lotion after baths when our daughter's skin was dry. It seems strange, but it worked like a charm. Good luck!

Most soaps are designed not to dry babies out. The water is actually what can do that. I would go back to using a gentle soap and any of the lotions that the other mothers are using.

I am currently 28 weeks pregnant and have heard rave reviews about California Baby products. I even added it to my registry at Target. Go to their website and search for California Baby to see the customer reviews. I think it's only available online but it's worth a try. Hope it works out for you! (And if it doesn't, please let me know.) Thanks!

You need to address the inside not just outside of his body. Increase your fish oil supplement so he gets it from your milk. If you are giving formula then ask your pediatrician about how to get additional essential oils into your baby like flax seed oil. At his age ONLY breast milk and formula are recommended so he doesn't get allergies. Hopefully you're nursing and can just increase your oils.

For lotions I would use Cetaphil or Lubriderm. Try to avoid anything with frangrances (alot of the Baby brands have these...) One thing to consider. Dry, peeling skin (seborrhea) can be connected to baby acne or cradle cap. I've seen a couple of babies in my mother's group with dry flaky skin. It doesn't just happen on the face or scalp. I would recommend going to a pediatric dermatologist. Lillian Soohoo at the Stanford medical group is wonderful. My pediatrian kelp telling me to use Aquaphor with never really helped my daughters eczema.

KERI oil,lotion, soap etc. brands....your doc may have samples (and also of other brands.) Ask for samples, samples, samples...

Blessings...

HI Maria,
My daughter had dry skin as a baby but doesn't have it anymore, she's 3 now. I used to put hydrocortisone ointment (has to be ointment, not cream) and aquaphor and that seemed to do the trick. Hope this helps your little one.

Eucerin in the tub worked great on my daughter. She has eczema and it really keeps it in check. The lotion from the tub is about twice as thick as what comes in a bottle and works better. It is kind of pricey, but ours has lasted a really long time. My daughter is so used to getting lotion rubbed all over her that if we don't do it she asks for it.

My son who is Now 12, suffers daily from severe dry skin pretty much during the winter months. We stopped using any detegrents that had Dyes and Perfumes in them, also do not use any lotion that has water listed first on the back of the bottle....

anything natural that you can buy is the best option. cetphill lotion is the best and came highly recommended by my sons Ped and Dermoligist.... Try not to give him a bath everyday and lotion as soon as he get's out.

Good Luck

When I read your post, I really felt I wanted to contact you about the products I use. They are all natural and the lotion has been compared very favorably to Eucerin, but costs less. Check out www.switchingstores.info. All the products in the catalog are free of toxic chemicals (including lead, formaldehyde, bleach, phosphates, chlorine etc.) If you request information, I can call you and share more details with you.

Aquaphor is the best thing I have ever used

Hi Maria,

My first questions would be, are you breast feeding or are you giving the baby formula? If you are breast feeding, do you have a good amount of the good fats in your diet? - such as butter, coconut oil, and even lard...

If you are not breast feeding him, you should buy a book called, "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon where they have wonderful baby formula recipes.

A high quality coconut oil might do the trick. You can buy it at mercola.com and then rub all over his body at least twice a day.

Hope this is helpful,
M. S.

Sounds pretty normal--I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Aquaphor ointment will help any seriously dry spots, but you'll have to use it every other day or so.

Also consider applying a gentle non-scented lotion to his whole body after bathing. I prefer organic, but that's up to you. This will be a nice relaxing addition to a future bedtime routine. It will help his dry skin, but you'll really enjoy it. Many babies love to be touched and it is a lovely time to talk to them and enjoy their little facial expressions.

It has become my husband's regular job when he's home (bath time, lotion, pjs) before handing him over to me for bed time nursing. It allows them to bond and gives me a much needed break.