Your newborn’s skin is delicate and soft and may be sensitive to skin care products. The best rule for newborn skin care is “less is best”. Avoid using powder, oil or lotion on your baby’s skin. Your baby will not need these baby products and they may clog pores and actually increase the natural newborn rash that resembles teenage acne. This newborn acne will resolve in a few weeks and is the result of your hormones passed to the baby during pregnancy. While baby products smell wonderful, many can be harmful to your baby’s lungs if he/she should breathe it in while being powdered.

Your newborn may also have skin that is dry or peeling, especially on the feet, hands and scalp. This may be more pronounced the longer the pregnancy lasted. This dry skin will shed on its own in a few days.