Caring For Baby Skin: The Ultimate New Parents' Guide

Your little one’s tiny body is perfect — wispy hair, peeping eyes, teensy toes, and, of course, their silky-soft baby skin. If you’re wondering how to care for your baby’s delicate, sensitive skin, you’re in the right place.

In this article, we’ll go over the basics of baby skin care from bath time to diapering all the way to baby sun protection!

Soft, Delicate Baby Skin

Your baby’s skin is delicate and sensitive, but that doesn’t mean you need 100 products or special tricks to keep it healthy!

In fact, the main thing to remember when thinking about baby skin care is to keep it simple. Their skin has a natural barrier of oils that does a good job of keeping it healthy, so the goal is to make sure that barrier stays intact.

For example, you’ll want to avoid products that irritate your little one’s skin, as well as frequent baths, which could strip their skin of this natural oil barrier. But we’ll get to that soon.

The point is that baby skin care can be pretty straightforward, but there are still a few basics to learn. And the specific products you use are as important as the routine you develop.

These baby products should be gentle and free of chemicals or synthetic fragrances that could irritate your little one’s sensitive skin.

So, without further ado, let’s go over the basics of baby skincare as well as some products that are safe for their skin.

Caring For Baby Skin: The Basics

Bathtime

Obviously, your little one needs to get clean, but did you know that bathing your baby too often can do more harm than good?

Bathwater (and potentially the cleanser or shampoo you use) can dry out their skin, weakening the natural skin barrier and leaving them more susceptible to eczema flare-ups and the like.

The key with baby baths is to keep them short, sweet, and relatively infrequent. Bathe your little one around three times a week for no more than about ten minutes. More than that will dry out their skin.

Since babies don’t typically get very dirty, three baths a week is plenty. However, sometimes a dunk in the tub is unavoidable after a spit up mess or an epic blowout!

When (not if!) something like that happens, just remember to make the bath quick.

One last thing. Until your baby’s umbilical cord falls off, you’ll need to give them sponge baths. When you start bathing them in the tub, remember to do it safely, always keep a hand on your baby, and never leave them unattended.

If you need to answer the door, take a phone call, or grab something you forgot, wrap your baby up and take them with you.

Bathtime Products

Gently scrub-a-dub with a soft washcloth and a special cleanser, like Babo Botancials’s Moisturizing Baby Shampoo & Wash.

Our extra-gentle shampoo and wash cleans and nourishes your baby’s skin with oatmilk to comfort dry, irritated skin and calendula oil to help soothe cradle cap or dry patches. It’s also free of irritating ingredients, like sulfates, parabens, SLS, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances.

If your little one has extra-sensitive, dry, or eczema-prone skin, go with Babo Botanicals’s Sensitive Baby Shampoo & Wash. This plant-based formula is EWG Verified, fragrance-free, and specially made to help minimize the risk of allergic reactions.

For some bathtime fun, add bubbles to the mix. But not just any bubble bath will do for your sweet one! Babo Botanicals’s Calming Shampoo, Bubble Bath & Wash provides loads of bubbly fun without ingredients that could irritate your baby’s skin.

This three-in-one bathtime product is EWG Verified, creates sulfate-free bubbles, and contains organic meadowsweet oil, argan oil, and coconut oil to moisturize at the same time!

Plus, with the soothing scent of lavender to relax and facilitate more restful sleep, our three-in-one bubble bath is perfect if a bath is part of your bedtime routine.

After all, everyone could use more pre-bedtime calm!

Moisturizing

As we mentioned, your baby’s natural oils often keep their skin moisturized and smooth. Unfortunately, environmental factors sometimes disrupt this process.

After a bath or if your baby’s skin is a bit dry, the right baby moisturizer is just the thing to help restore their skin’s hydration.

Dipesh Navsaria, MPH, MSLIS, MD, FAAP says, “Gently pat baby dry and apply a small amount of fragrance-free moisturizing lotion right after a bath to help prevent dry skin or eczema.”

Moisturizing Products

Babo Botanicals’s Sensitive Baby Daily Hydra Baby Lotion is fragrance-free and gentle enough for sensitive and eczema-prone baby skin.

This non-greasy baby lotion is moisturizing and lightweight with two percent colloidal oatmeal and calendula, chamomile, shea butter, and jojoba oil to keep your little one’s skin hydrated, soft, and supple.

Rest assured that it’s safe for your baby, too! Our lotion is EWG Verified, clinically tested under dermatological and pediatric control, and free of gluten, soy, and dairy.

Also try our Sensitive Baby Fragrance Free Miracle Cream to soothe and comfort your little one's skin!

Sun Care

When you go for an outside adventure with your baby, you’ll need to protect their skin from the sun. Sunburn and babies don’t mix well!

The American Academy of Pediatrics says, “Babies younger than 6 months should be kept out of direct and indirect sunlight because of the risk of heatstroke. Particularly, avoid having a baby out between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when the sun’s rays are strongest.”

In general, you should keep your little one in the shade as much as possible! But when you do head into the sunshine, dress them in protective clothing (hats, long sleeves, etc.) and apply plenty of baby sunscreen.

What sort of sunscreen is best for baby skin? We’re glad you asked.

Sunscreen For Babies

There are two types of sunscreen: mineral sunscreen and chemical sunscreen.

We won’t get into all of the details of those now, but mineral sunscreen is the healthiest option for your baby’s skin.

That means you should look for a sunscreen that has titanium dioxide or zinc oxide as an active ingredient. And, just as with other products you use on your baby’s skin, you’ll want to look for a fragrance-free, gentle sunscreen.

Here’s one that fits the bill: Babo Botanicals’s Baby Skin Mineral Sunscreen. This non-whitening mineral sunscreen is vegan, fragrance-free, and made for the most sensitive of baby skin. It provides SPF 50 broad-spectrum protection and is water- and sweat-resistant for 80 minutes.

And, of course, it’s made with 100% Mineral zinc oxide instead of chemical-blockers like oxybenzone and octinoxate, making it a better option for your baby’s skin! 

Diaper Care

We couldn’t write an article about baby skin care without mentioning what you do ever so many times a day: change your baby’s diaper!

To keep the skin of their nether regions healthy, don’t let your little one sit too long in a dirty or wet diaper. This can irritate your baby’s skin and leave them susceptible to diaper rash and a host of other skin issues.

When you change their diaper, use a wipe to clean their skin of any traces of pee or poop. Also, do what you can to let your baby go diaper-free for a little while each day. This will allow their skin time to breathe and dry out.

Last but not least, prevent and care for diaper rash or redness in the area with a good diaper cream.

Diapering Products

When you change your baby’s diaper, use a soft, gentle baby wipe to get the area good and clean! Babo Botanicals’s 3-in-1 Sensitive Baby Face, Hands & Body Wipes gently cleans while leaving skin soothed, soft, and moisturized.

These plush wipes are gentle, non-drying, and made with oatmilk and organic calendula oil. Gentle enough for babies and effective enough for adults, too. Post-yoga wipe, anyone?

Plus, the natural cloth fiber is 100% plant-based. 

Once your little one is all cleaned up, apply Babo Botanicals’s Soothing Diaper Cream to help prevent redness, inflammation, and diaper rash. Our pediatrician-approved cream contains calming and nourishing calendula and colloidal oatmilk as well as 25% zinc oxide.

Just what the skin of your baby’s bum needs to stay, well, as smooth as a baby’s bottom!

Care For Your Baby’s Kissable Skin

Baby skin is delicate, but when you know the basics, caring for it isn’t hard!

Follow our tips in this article to take care of your baby’s skin during and after bathtime, when you’re outside adventuring, and every time you change their diaper.

Stick to safe, gentle products, like Babo Botanicals’s Sensitive Baby Shampoo & Wash, Daily Hydra Baby Lotion, and Soothing Diaper Cream. They’ll get the job done and then some, and you’ll rest easy knowing that these products won’t irritate your little one’s kissable skin!