5 Tips For Cuddelicious Baby Skin!

Soft, cuddly and cherubic – these are but a small sample of adjectives that can be used to describe little babies. Holding a sweet smelling bundle of joy cosily to your chest is indeed one of the simplest pleasures of life.

I became a mom last year and like every new mom out there I too was – and continue to be – obsessed with the well-being of my child. The initial years are so very important for a new-born’s emotional as well as physical growth and it also happens to be a period when the baby is rather fragile as her immune system is still developing. Therefore, extra care and caution has to be taken if we want our child to be hale and healthy.

One of the organs in the baby’s body that can easily get affected adversely is the skin. There is simply no denying the fact, that a baby’s skin is one of the smoothest and silkiest things that one will ever get the opportunity to experience! But the skin, which happens to be the largest organ in a human body, can also easily lose its dreamy softness if not taken care of properly. Along with proper nutrition, here are 5 tips to keep baby’s skin soft and supple throughout her growing years:

1.  I have come across a lot of mothers who are very concerned about the colour of the baby’s skin. If the baby is darker complexioned, they are always hunting for ways to make them fairer and if the baby happens to be fair, the mothers are worried about retaining the fairness, lest God forbid, she turns a shade darker! It is so sad to see even educated and intelligent women worry about something as silly and as inconsequential as a baby’s skin colour. Come on! First and foremost, please get out of this fancy for fairness and be happy with the colour of your child.

The baby’s skin colour depends on its genes and it is not going to magically change because of random creams, herbal poultices or medicines! However, you can retain the natural glow of a baby’s skin by giving regular oil massages to your baby. Massaging the baby is a lovely bonding activity between the mother and child with the additional benefit of soothing and calming the baby as well. Many mothers are hesitant to massage their babies as they fear that they are not competent enough. Fret not! You don’t have to be an expert masseuse to massage your baby. It is quite simple actually. All you have to do is to take a small quantity of good quality oil of your choice (Choose from coconut, olive or almond), warm it up ever so slightly, and massage into your babies skin gently. You can move your fingers in slow, circular movements over her body. If your baby is uncomfortable or doesn’t like what you are doing, don’t worry, she will let you know! You can also move her little legs in cycling movements to help relieve any colic pains. Once you get the hang of it, I assure you, both your baby and you will thoroughly enjoy and look forward to these relaxing massage session!

2.  For the first few months, always wash your baby’s new clothes in warm water and dry them completely before putting them on your baby. I learnt this lesson the hard way, when my baby developed rashes on her skin. New clothes are an easy way to introduce germs and bacteria to your baby’s skin. Since we have no idea about who has handled the clothes and for how long it has been stored, it is always better to be on the safe side and rinse new clothes before your child wears them. Further, try to stick to natural and breathable fabrics  such as cotton instead of synthetic materials such as nylon or polyester atleast in the initial months.

3.  Always use mild detergents to wash your baby’s clothes as well as hypoallergenic and sensitive soaps and shampoos for your baby. The chemicals in soaps and detergents can create a bad impact on the natural skin barrier of your baby and strip it off its natural protective oils. Make sure that no residual detergent remains on the baby’s clothes since it can be harmful to their gentle skins. If possible, try to use natural and freshly homemade body washes.

4.  It can be quite difficult for anyone to pass up the opportunity to carry, kiss and cuddle little babies. However, be warned that this is one of the most common ways that germs are transferred from one person to another. Apart from really close family members, it is advisable to politely discourage anybody else to kiss a new baby. If you are not bothered about offending people, you could also have a small bottle of hand sanitiser handy, and request people to either use it or wash their hands well before handling the baby. If at all possible, try to limit the number of visitors in the frst few weeks. For the first few weeks it is also a good idea to place the baby in a baby sleeping bag when handing over to visitors. This will prevent the baby from being handled by too many different sets of hands and will keep him comfortable and well protected, as even people with not too much experience with babies can easily and safely carry the baby in a sleeping bag.

5. Wetness can promote the growth of bacteria and also increases the chances of fungal infections. Always dry baby completely after a bath with a soft towel, paying close attention to the many folds in their pudgy arms and legs. Some people tend to douse the baby in  generous amount of baby powder thinking that the powder will absorb the excess moisture but please avoid using powder for baby as the tiny talc particles can cause breathing difficulties for baby if inhaled. 

Speaking of wetness, I cannot stress the importance of using good quality diapers. Good diapers go a long way in helping baby stay dry and clean, thereby eliminating the occurrence of diaper rash as well as helping baby stay comfortable. I use a combination of cloth diapers and Pampers disposable diapers for my little one – and so far, touchwood, she has not been troubled by diaper rashes. I started off with the newborn range and currently we have moved onto the pant style diapers. Pampers brings you the softest ever Pampers Premium Care Pants. Its cotton-like softness is #SoftestForBabySkin and allows it to breathe, thus keeping baby’s skin soft and healthy, and your baby happy. These are really easy to use and very convenient too. 

One tip is to apply some diaper rash cream or even Vaseline on your baby before putting on the diapers as this will create a protective shield for your baby’s skin. Pampers has made going out such a breeze! I don’t have to worry about leaks or diaper disasters at all! They keep baby dry and safe for quite a long time and I have never actually felt the need to even try any other brand of disposable diapers so far; why should I, when Pampers is pampering my baby enough!

Dream Away, Little One!

One thing from my childhood that my little one could do… Hmm...

As I sit here pondering over what this “one thing” might be, I soon come to the honest conclusion that I didn’t do all that much as a child. I had a pretty normal, run of the mill kind of childhood and thanks to working parents I also had large chunks of time all to myself. To do what? Well, pretty much nothing; and by nothing I mean no summer classes, no special classes, no tuitions, coaching classes, no this class, no that class. So what did I do with all that time on my itty bitty hands? Afterall, there is only so much time that can be spent reading or playing with the neighbourhood kids. Don't worry; If I may say so myself, I did not turn out to be a total dunce just because I wasn't sent to umpteen classes. Instead of running from one class to another, my time was spent in blissful dreaming! I lent wings to my imagination and let it soar high with no restrictions whatsoever.

There were no deadlines to worry about nor any distractions to side-track me. I created a whole world of imaginary friends who kept me company when alone and a wide range of fantastical situations which kept me entertained thoroughly! Now, some might doubt if I had schizophrenia but rest assured, I was well aware of the distinction between my make-believe world and the real one. So, at times I was one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, hot on the path of solving an important mystery; at another time I was the Princess with magical powers; or I was a teacher who was beloved by all her students; or I was the mother who cooked yummy food for her children and scolded them to eat their vegetables – the scenarios were simply endless! I played all the characters in a story regardless of age or gender and one could often notice me talking to myself, pretending to be one character or the other.

Nowadays, where do children have the time to simply sit and dream? At once, they are accused of wasting time and are packed off to a music class or a dance class or a karate class or a swimming class and what not! Of course, I don’t mean to say that learning new skills is not important. Certainly, they are and one learns the most in the growing years. However, what with the all-pervading spirit of competitiveness that seems to have seeped into our system, as parents we start wanting our children not only to learn everything but also to excel in everything! It is just not enough if the child can draw and colour but she must draw more realistically and colour more perfectly and hence she must be sent to a drawing class asap. It is no longer enough that my child can work out a maths problem on her own, but she must also do it at lighting speed like my friend’s son and hence she needs to attend a brain gym. Amidst all these “serious” commitments when and where does the child have the time, leave alone the energy to dream, to imagine, to fantasize, to simply escape into a make-believe world of her own? What’s more, even if the child does manage to have some time to himself, there are a plethora of distractions right at his fingertips – ranging from the TV to the Tablet - to keep him pretty occupied! Isn’t it a pity? All said and done, only in our childhood do we really have the luxury of indulging in dreams. As the poet William Henry Davies says in his poem Leisure: 

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this is if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare. 

Yes indeed! So, let's let children free! Simply let them be, let them play with their imagination and let them revel in their dreams – I assure you, you will be pleasantly surprised at the wondrous tales that their budding minds can weave!

*This post is written for the Women’s Web #BachpanWithFlinto blogger contest.

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