Keeping Baby’s Skin Healthy

Recent studies have shed light on the differences between adult and baby skin. Baby skin is more "active" than adult skin—it's constantly continuing to develop. It's more vulnerable to irritants, changes in temperature and changes in humidity. Therefore, you need to protect your baby's skin against environmental changes and harsh cleansers.

Your baby’s skin barrier is his first line of defense from the outside world. To remain healthy, it is important for the skin to be properly hydrated. Be sure to keep his skin moisturized to help protect against dryness.

Use a Moisturizing Cleanser

As you find yourself washing his face and hands more frequently, now's a good time to transition to a cleanser that gently restores moisture while gently cleaning his skin. JOHNSON'S® baby TOP-TO-TOE wash is specially formulated to gently cleanse with gentle moisturizers. And it has that wonderful, familiar "baby clean" smell of JOHNSON'S® baby lotion. Keep an extra bottle in the diaper bag for whenever you're on the go.

Keep Your Baby’s Skin Hydrated

It’s a good idea to use a moisturizer after bathing your baby. In a clinical study, 10 percent of mothers surveyed believed that their baby's skin was dry, when in fact, more than 60 percent of these babies had clinical signs of dryness!

Your baby’s skin absorbs water faster than adult skin can, and can also lose water faster too! That's why regularly moisturizing your baby's skin is a good way to protect against dryness.JOHNSON'S® baby lotionis clinically proven to be gentle and mild as it moisturizes, keeping baby’s skin soft and smooth.

Baby Massage

A nice way to monitor the healthiness of your baby's skin is through massage. It gives you an opportunity to go over the entire surface and to check for dryness or chafing. But that's not the only benefit: as your baby grows and undergoes developmental changes, massage can help ease transitions. It provides many emotional and physiological benefits for your growing baby to help:

• Calm him when he's fretful — massage has been shown to reduce the circulation of the stress hormone cortisol in the bloodstream
• Increase his sense of well-being — massage has been shown to stimulate endorphins, which can lift your baby's mood
• Ease gas and constipation — stroking his tummy can help disperse air
• Release tension caused by, for example, teething
• Relax his arm and leg muscles
• And of course, to help him develop a close and trusting relationship with you

Learn more about massaging your baby

Your baby's skin will change rapidly throughout his growing years. It's very different from yours — it needs extra protection to keep it clean, moisturized and healthy. Remember, healthy skin is not just an aesthetic nicety. Healthy, properly moisturized skin forms a barrier against bacteria and other infections. So start now to safeguard your baby's healthy skin for a lifetime.