How To Protect Your Baby's Skin This Winter

The winter months are notorious for stressing our skin.

Just think of the painful chapped lips it can give us and the amounts of lip balm some of us are using.

And now imagine a baby in winter, with so much more delicate skin that adults, how much more would winter affect baby’s skin?

Cold weather can cause baby’s skin to become dry and even inflamed, leaving your little one with rough, red cheeks and hands, irritation and discomfort.

Now while your initial instinct may be to make them all warm and cozy, but this can actually make their dry skin worse.

Let me tell you a story. My daughter was born in Canada in the middle of November. When I started taking her outside, I would bundle her up and dress her the way I would dress myself during the Canadian winters. We would go outside and she would be SCREAMING. When I came back and I undressed her, I realized she was sweating. I look back now and obviously know it’s not that big of a deal, but at the time I was confused and terrible for making her feel so uncomfortable!

Babies overheat very easily, which is not only uncomfortable but actually makes dry skin and other baby skin conditions worse.

So, how can you protect your baby from the elements without them overheating?

Dress your baby in thin, breathable layers.

This is always a good start. Cotton is much more breathable than wool, polyester, and nylon.

This method not only allows more air to the skin, but also means you can change their outfit with ease depending on the temperature. For instance, if you head into the store you can simply strip a layer off to make sure they don’t overheat.

Follow a baby-safe skin care routine.

Keeping your baby’s skin well moisturized and hydrated is essential to avoiding skin conditions. Especially the lips because baby’s are constantly drooling, so that their lips can become chapped worse than ours do as their saliva breaks down the top layer of skin.

Use a baby-safe, water-free,100% all natural baby moisturizer and balm on them regularly. It is also important not to over bathe your baby. Not just in the winter but in general, since too much water can strip the skin of its natural oils, causing it to dry out even more.

There you have it – here’s how you can protect your baby’s skin over the winter months!