Summers are harsh not only on adults but more so on babies. Even if you try your best to protect your little one by keeping them covered and indoors, their tender skin will get affected by the weather. In fact, a lot of babies become fussy and irritated during the summer months as they are unable to bear the heat and the skincare troubles that follow.
Additionally, unlike adults, babies lack the ability to regulate their body temperature and require special care to stay cool and comfortable. But worry not, there are several ways to care for their skin and keep them feeling cool and refreshed during this hot season.
Skincare Tips For Babies: 6 Ways To Keep Them Cool And Comfortable
Bathe Them Regularly
It’s crucial to bathe your baby regularly during the summer months. This helps cool down their body temperature as well as remove sweat, dirt, and oil. Make sure to check the water temperature before bathing your baby. The water shouldn’t be too hot or too cold. Even if you skip shampoo daily, ensure to wash them with a moisturising baby body wash.
Use a baby body wash with nourishing ingredients like pumpkin seed oil, rose oil, strawberry oil, and moringa oil. All these ingredients have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that help deeply moisturise your baby’s skin, maintain pH balance, prevent dryness, and treat other skin conditions like itching and rashes. After the bath, use a soft cotton towel and pat dry all the water from their skin.
Keep Their Skin Moisturised
Your baby’s skin is prone to dryness even during the summer months. To prevent dryness and skin irritation, you should always keep your little one’s skin moisturised. You can use a nourishing baby body massage oil to enhance their overall skin health and keep it hydrated at all times.
Always look for a baby massage oil with plant-based ingredients like avocado oil, moringa oil, saffron oil, and almond oil to soothe your baby’s skin and strengthen the skin barrier. Also, all these ingredients are packed with anti-inflammatory properties and can help speed up the wound healing process and prevent rashes and dryness. You can either give your baby an oil massage before bath or after showering them to nourish their skin and put them at ease.
Never Skip Sunscreen
A baby’s skin is thin and delicate and can easily get sunburned. As you probably already know from personal experience, sunburn can hurt a lot. Sunburns can make the skin red, warm, and inflamed. To protect your little one’s skin, you should always keep them covered with hats and long-sleeved clothes when outside, and apply a natural baby sunscreen daily.
Slather the sunscreen generously on their skin, and also make sure to re-apply it every 2-3 hours when outside. Look for a formula that is non-sticky, water-resistant, and contains ingredients like organic carrot seed oil, rosehip oil, chamomile oil, zinc oxide, and titanium dioxide. These ingredients provide full protection from harmful UVA and UVB rays while keeping your little one’s skin nourished and hydrated.
Moreover, using a sunscreen with a water-resistant formula will particularly come in handy on days you want to take a dip at the pool with your baby as it doesn’t wash off easily and provides broad-spectrum coverage.
Take Steps To Prevent Heat Rash
Prickly heat or heat rash is a common skincare concern in babies during the summer season. It appears as tiny red bumps on the face, neck, upper torso, and armpits, and can make your child fussy and irritated. These rashes are usually caused by clogged sweat gland pores that trap perspiration and can be itchy and uncomfortable.
To avoid heat rashes, you should continuously monitor your baby’s body temperature to ensure they are not sweating too much. Keep your little one in well-ventilated areas with the air-conditioner or the fan switched on. Also, if you find them sweating too much, give them a quick bath in lukewarm water and use a wipe or soft towel to dry every bit of moisture from their skin. Keeping them cool at all times can help prevent these itchy and uncomfortable rashes in babies.
Dress Them Comfortably
You should always dress your munchkin in light, breathable fabrics (cotton or muslin) during summers. If the weather gets too toasty, make sure to dress your baby in such a way that their skin doesn’t feel hot or sticky. You can also keep them cloth-free and only in their diaper for a few hours a day. While putting them to sleep, dress them up in legless or sleeveless onesies or in a diaper and a singlet.
Watch Out For Insect Bites
During the summer months, you are probably going to keep your windows open to let air pass through. This can invite a lot of insects and bugs to your room and increase the risk of the baby getting bit by one. Although most insect bites are harmless, they can sometimes cause redness and irritation in your baby’s skin. While you cannot always protect your little one from an insect bite, you can always use an after-bite roll-on to soothe discomfort in their skin.
Use an after-bite roll-on infused with soothing ingredients like calendula oil, lavender oil, peppermint oil, nutmeg oil, and coconut oil to provide relief from irritated and inflamed skin. This will provide instant relief to your baby’s skin and calm any redness or itchiness.
Taking care of your baby’s skin in the summer months can be challenging, but with the right skincare tips, you will be able to keep their delicate skin healthy and comfortable. Make sure to use mild and plant-based products that provide gentle care to your baby’s skin and soothe summer skin concerns like rashes, irritation, and itchiness.