Baths, skin & little rashes

Bathing: less is more

• Two or three baths a week are plenty at this age. More can dry the skin out. In between, “top and tail”: face, neck folds, hands and diaper area with warm water and cotton or a soft cloth.
• Water temperature: 37 to 38 °C. Test with your elbow or a bath thermometer. It should feel neutral, not hot. Room warm, bath short (5 to 10 minutes), everything laid out before baby gets wet.
• Plain water is enough for now. If you use anything, make it a mild, fragrance-free baby wash, and skip it for the face.
• One hand on baby, always. Babies can drown in a few centimeters of water, silently and fast. If the phone rings, the phone loses.

The greatest hits of normal newborn skin

• Baby acne (small red pimples on cheeks and nose, weeks 2 to 6): hormones leaving the system. Wash with water, do nothing, resist squeezing. Gone in weeks.
• Milia (tiny white dots on the nose and chin): blocked pores. Do nothing.
• Cradle cap (yellowish greasy scales on the scalp): harmless. Soften with a little baby oil, gently brush with a soft brush, wash. Never pick.
• Erythema toxicum (blotchy red patches with tiny bumps that wander around in the first weeks): dramatic name, harmless rash. It resolves on its own.
• Peeling and dryness, especially wrists and ankles: normal after months spent in water. A fragrance-free baby moisturizer is fine if skin looks cracked.
• Diaper rash: change often, rinse with water, dry well, give air time, and use a thick zinc-oxide barrier cream at the first hint of redness. If it stays bright red with satellite spots and won’t improve in a few days, ask about a fungal rash.

The belly button

Keep the stump (and after it falls off, the healing button) clean and dry: fold the diaper below it, stick to sponge baths until it has fallen off and healed, and let air do the work. A few drops of blood when it detaches (usually in weeks 1 to 3) are normal. Redness, swelling, a bad smell or discharge are not. Check the red box below.