Dry Skin - Portland,OR

Cetaphil!! You can get it at Costco, Target, etc. Both my boys have eczema and if I use this after their bath/shower it keeps it at bay. My husband and I even use it as a daily lotion. We love it. There is a Cetaphil soap, lotion and cream. We use the cream regularly and the soap as needed. My Dad has extreme eczema and I had him try the Cetaphil when he was in town b/c he had forgotten his prescription medication and it worked better and now that is all he uses.

I had great luck with Aveeno baby lotion for Eczema. It worked great. I have also used Eucerin and it works great too. Never tried it but Aquafor(?) was recommended to me by my SIL who is an RN.

We used Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Lotion. It worked wonders. And my son has extremely sensitive skin, he did not react to this lotion at all.

Check with your PED. Our PED said infants don't need lotions and not to use it. She wasn't worried about the dry skin.

It's pretty common for the extremely fragile skin that covers babies in the womb to dry out and peel off once removed from that continuously-saturated environment. New, healthy "dry environment" skin is growing underneath.

I would personally avoid putting ANYTHING that has any artificial ingredients on a small child. The skin is essentially a giant sponge. But any good food-grade oil, applied gently with moist, warm hands, will probably work. I find organic olive oil or pure lanolin superb for protecting super-sensitive or dry skin. Only a tiny amount is needed.

he may have eczema. baby magic is garbage. don't use johnson and johnson products either (check the back label when shopping J&J make a majority of the baby products on the market.). don't use baby oil. curel lotion is superior. get the extra hydrating type. don't use "scented" products on a baby. confuses the brain and overwhelms the nose. if the curel lotion fails, try rubbing him down with a little olive oil on the flakey parts.

Good luck!

It sounds like normal dry skin. If you're worried have your ped check it out. I simply rub a little olive oil in the dry spots each day and it goes away. That way you aren't applying tons of unknown chemicals and ingredients to the skin and creating new problems or discovering new allergies. Johnson & Johnson is terrible, so avoid them and any mainstream baby care products. They're filled with chemicals many of which are now associated with health and cancer issues. With newborns, less is more. Once your baby is older, organic and gentle products are ideal.

Lots of good things out there - if you want something really effective try coconut oil (its also the most healthy oil out there to consume) just put that on him. They make coconut oil lotions too (in case you worry about the greasiness).

Another great one (most don't know of) is kukui nut oil from Hawaii - helps with exactly that (dry skin/eczema) etc. Macadamia nut oil too.
All of these are pure and there are no added chemicals that would be bad for a baby (bad for even an adult, all the parabens, etc.)

Here are some links you should check out:

http://www.oilsofaloha.com/products.php

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/oilprofile/kukui.php

http://www.amazon.com/Coconut-Lotion-Fragrance-Free-Ounce...

http://www.amazon.com/Nutiva-Organic-Virgin-Coconut-54-Ou...

http://www.coconut-connections.com/skin_care.htm

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/0...

Ask your Ped about using "Too Shea" from Bath and Body Works. It's 100% pure shea butter and nothing else. No scents, no colors, nothing. I've been using it on a patch of atopic dermatitis on my shin (from a heating vent in my car) and it's been working very well. My problem is almost gone. Also ask if you can use Lansinoh nursing ointment on him. It's 100% pure lanolin and is very safe and moisturizing. It's even safe for them to ingest.

Just two ideas. Hope you find what works.

Gental Naturals makes a Baby Eczema Cream that works wonders. You can get it at any major department super-store in the diapering section.
This is what it looks like: http://www.diapers.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product...

Hi B.
I have very dry skin and eczema. When my youngest grandson was a month old my daughter noticed he had very dry skin which later became eczema in places.
Use ALL hypoallergenic products. Weleda is a good brand. I can use it. Yes it is expensive but we are looking at preventative health not ordinary stuff.
The skin the kidneys and the lungs are on the same system. They are all elimination organs for the body fluids. Massaging a small child does help.
Be extremely careful with the wash products for his clothing bedding and towels. Use Ecover, Planet or scent free Seventh Generation.
Ecover is good at removing baby upchuck, and whatever else gets on clothes and diapers.
Make sure he is getting enough liquid to flush out his kidneys as that seems to be the key to keeping the skin healthy.
If he does develop eczema put some of his urine on it for one minute and the skin will close back up. Rinse skin after one minute and pat dry. This is a time tested Native American remedy. If you use cloth diapers you have it right there to use. Do not apply from Huggies or Pampers as there is so much chemical trash in them.
Since I had to take such good care of my skin all my life I am unwrinkled at an age when my contemporaries have lots of creases and deep lines. That is the plus of all the extra care.

Bathe every other day and Aquaphor....great stuff! Best of luck!

Sounds like you've gotten some good information. I'd just like to reiterate that infants don't need bathing every day.... and they don't need soap, either. Nor lotion... If you really feel you want to use lotion and/or soap, check out this website: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/browse.php?maincat=skin+...

Eucerin cream is what we use. They have a moisturizer for everyday use and another gel called aquafor that is for dry or chapped skin. I rubbed a little of this on the bad areas and used the moisturizer for her whole body.

My daughter's pediatrician suggested Eucerine or Cetaphil. She also suggested not using soap unless our daughter was actually soiled, even baby soaps. She then said to use dove sensitive skin. We had great luck with this and we love Eucerine Acquaphore! If applied right after a bath it really locks in the moisture! If the dry skin becomes open sores of any kind take him to the doc to prevent any infections. ;-)

-S-

My brother and sister-in-law are dealing with the same exact problem on their newborn daughter. I gave them two suggestions and my niece's skin is now super soft and velvety. Buy Aveeno Sensitive Skin or Skin Relief baby wash and shampoo. Only use this for baths. After his bath, apply a nice coating of Aveeno Sensitive Skin lotion or you may also use Fragrance Free Curel or Eucerin Cream. In addition to his bath time, apply the moisturizing lotion of your choice on him twice a day for a few weeks until you notice improvement. Then use the whole routine once a day all the time. Your little boy will have beautifully soft skin and he will not be irritated by fragrance or smell weird. Try it. My niece looks and feels amazing now!

Cetaphil cream!!!! Same thing happened to our baby, and cetaphil cream worked wonders. You can find it at Walmart/Target ect. It's kind of pricey but well worth it. I still use it on my almost 1 year old.

We use cetaphil to help keep our kids clean and their skin healthy. A little breastmilk can do wonders for dry skin! Also, if he's brand new born, it might just be his skin adjusting to life outside the womb. My oldest started peeling a couple days after birth until about 3 weeks old or so. It started around the creases in her skin in the areas that you described. If that sounds like what is happening, the best thing to do it just wait it out and not mess with it.

Olive oil. We put this on our son all the time. He has really sensitive skin and this does wonders.

Got some great stuff that my dermatologist recommended. It's called CeraVe. You can get it at Walgreens/CVS. It comes in both a lotion and cream. We use the cream and LOVE it. Safe for everyone and can be used on the face as well. My husband has very dry and sensitive skin (He's a redhead) and use's it every day after a shower. Kind of on the pricey side but lasts a very long time since only a very small amount is needed.
Best Regards,
C.

Dry skin is not at all unusual for babies. I would recommend Aquaphor all the way - it's almost like an ointment, but it doesn't smell much and really works! It also worked great as a diaper cream. Our son had the beginnings of eczema and it completely got rid of it. You may also want to dry bathing only every second day instead of every day.

If you are breast feeding and using the lanolin on yourself, then you might as well use a little on your baby. There is bag balm (square, green can) or the lanolin that is recommended for cracked, sore nipples. Either will work well for the dry patches and will also work great for a diaper rash ointment. I found that bag balm worked better than any diaper rash cream that I tried.

My son had an exzema too and until 3 month old I used cold pressed virgin olive oil and later I was very happy with Eucerin creams and Aveeno oatmeal washing products. First of all you need to check with his ped to make sure that there is nothing medical going on. You don't need to soap the baby every night, you don't need even to give him a bath every night, less is more with the babies. Even the most natural and gentle product whashes away his natural skin biosphere. The water it-self contains quite few chemicals that makes it safe for us to drink. Hope I was helpful. Good luck!

Our daughter had the dry skin and eczema as well. We used a number of different things, many of the things suggested, tried finding lotions that were organic and/or had low environmental working group ratings. In the end, the best we found and continue to use (she is 2.5 now) aveeno baby cream - not lotion but cream, and applied generously. Target sells the big tube cheaper than other places. Avoid anything with perfume in it. Also, not bathing every day, we bathed her about every 4 or 5 days unless she was dirty/had spit up a lot. At about 6 months we took her to the doctor who told us to use hydrocortizone on the eczema spots, but sparingly. We use Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser - the added bonus of that is that it doesn't necessarily have to be washed off. Good luck. Also, we wash clothes in detergent that is free and clear of perfumes and dyes - most brands make a line like this. If you use fabric softener use one that is free and clear as well.

I would suggest backing off on the baths... babies really only need a bath once a week or so. Otherwise I like the aveeno products.

Renew by Melaleuca is the best for dry skin for babies and adults and it is safe and gentle.

Eucerin Calming Cream! I am still using it on my 3 and 5 year old.

I'd probably ask the pediatrician first to be sure you know it is just dry skin.

I can recommend a fairly natural baby lotion is that is what it is. I would also recommend natural mild babywash and shampoo. Sounds like your baby has sensitive skin.

Olive oil!

Best to avoid anything with "fragrance" in it, because at the very least in can irritate their skin, and at the worst it has been possibly linked to many bad things (cancer, hormone disruption, etc.) Also best avoid anything product with parabens in it. (If you research on line, you can find lists of ingredients to avoid.)

So, like i said- olive oil is a great moisturizer. You can use it after his bath to retain the moisture and give him a massage at the same time. But dry skin is also really normal in newborns- if I remember right, don't most newborns shed skin when they are first born?I seem to remember both of mine "peeled" for the first week or two.