For the last month or so, I've noticed little red dots on the back of Adly's chunky little thighs. I had also noticed redness around her leggy cracks. I was convinced it was dry skin, so I began putting Aquaphor on it. This is a thick, petroleum jelly type of lotion for very dry skin. It seemed to work somewhat, but after a month the dots and redness were still there.
We finally had our 4 month appointment this week and from that I discovered some information I thought would be helpful to pass along for other little ones. Turns out, it was not only really dry skin, but also extremely sensitive skin. My poor babes has been living with dry, irritated skin for months now and I've only been doing multiple things to exacerbate her symptoms even more.
Per our pedi's recommendations, we switched a number of things and within a few days, I've already noticed a huge difference. Here's what I learned:
-Use a humidifier. Seems simple right? This is how mucked up your mind can get. I have a humidifier. I registered for it and a kind friend purchased it for us. It's been plugged in and filled with water (until it evaporated) for over a month now. I used it once, but in my mind I got concerned that it would be too damp in there and therefore give her a cold. Seriously. Looking back...really Kelly? Really? So I never turned it on again. According to the doc, they need the moisture in the air. Not a ton, but at least some, especially during these cold winter months. We will now be turning it on every night to help get some moisture in the air.
-If it smells good, don't use it. At one of our showers, we received some very yummy smelling, organic, "all natural" body wash for babies. It looks all fancy and I thought for sure it must be good for Adly. I mean, its organic and all natural! Turns out, if it smells good, it has smelly chemicals in it, which for very sensitive skinned babies, means irritation. Instead, you want non-smelly, sensitive skin wash. And when it comes to amounts, only a dab will do you. We have now switched to this Cetaphil Cleanser.
-Keep bath time short and cool. Adly looooves bath time. She kicks, splashes and is always very content during this time. We love it as a way to wind down for bedtime. Unfortunately, after 10 minutes in the bath, the natural oils in her little body are all but sucked out by the water and left to leave her with itchy, dry skin. Additionally, the water should not be too warm. Another, "duh" moment....
-If you can pump it, it's filled with water. For Adly, because of her sensitive skin, regular lotions just weren't cutting it. In addition to the daily applications of Aquaphor, I was also regularly rubbing her down with fancy scented organic lotions we also received. Once again with the smells. Another factor our doc pointed out was that lotions in pump bottles have to be more liquid-like in order to come out through the pump. Therefore their water content is quite high, which is never going to help with really dry skin. Ah-haaahhhh...... We have now switched to this Cetaphil Cream that is in a jar and far more thick than regular lotion.
-No dryer sheets. I'm not sure if this is common knowledge, but I had no idea you shouldn't be using dryer sheets when drying infant clothing. We made sure to purchase the purest, "free" detergents, but for whatever reason I never considered the dyer sheets. Turns out, of course those have lots of irritants as well and should not be used.
So there you have it. Torture by smelly body washes, smelly lotions, long baths, and irritating dryer sheets. If you have a newbie and notice their skin is getting dry and irritated, maybe try out some of these things. Hopefully your moment of clarity will come faster than mine did.
Thankfully, despite all of these things, she still seems like a normal, healthy and happy baby. Must be doing some things right!
Cute baby picture alert!
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