Dry Facial Skin of 4 Month Old Baby

Updated on March 27, 2008
M.M. asks from Pittsburgh, PA
35 answers

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone can recommned a safe lotion to put on my baby's face. Needless to say, he puts his hands on his face a lot and puts it in his mouth so I need to use something that is safe, nontoxic. I use vaseline on his body but I do not want to put this on his face since he will of course touch his face and put his hand in his mouth. Your advice is so appreciated !! Thanks.

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C.G.

answers from Philadelphia on

We use Aveeno fragrance-free dry skin formula lotion found in the baby aisle. When my son had eczema flare up, the dermatologist said this was good to use, and we had success with it. As stated by the previous poster, Vaseline is not good to use on baby's skin. The Aveeno is great!

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C.F.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi M.. All three od my kids have eczema. I use eucerin cream or aquaphor. However, do not put anything on her face if it is baby acne.

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M.D.

answers from Scranton on

I would use A+D diaper cream (use a little)and use more around nap or sleep time. Works wonders.

Mom of 4.

More Answers

A.J.

answers from Williamsport on

Coconut oil for cooking is AWESOME. It's very good for the skin and nutritious if your baby eats it! It's like edible Vaseline! Health food stores have it, or you can get it very cheaply on www.vitacost.com Also, it is always good to change things up so the skin doesn't get immune to one thing-I would buy several of the suggestions people send and keep switching-good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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N.C.

answers from Harrisburg on

My Pediatrician recommended Cetaphil (I bought it in the skin care section at Wal-mart). It works great & is not too expensive. Good luck =O}

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J.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi There! I'm sure you've already gotten a million responses, but my entire family has eczema and we try everything! But try rubbing banana peel over dry skin, or breast milk- both edible and both work wonders!

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J.B.

answers from Harrisburg on

Johnson and johnson sells something...but I have really liked Aquaphor. Good luck

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L.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

Aquaphor is natural, safe, and hypoallergenic. It is very greasy, but we lather up my 4 month old's face every night and it has done wonders for her super dry skin. Our pediatrician also recommended Cetaphil for something less greasy. She also said Eucerin cream can burn sometimes.

M.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi M.,

I'm dealing with the exact same issue with my 4 month old son. I tried the Aveeno line, starting with the Calming Lavendar products since I bathed him at bedtime. I quickly ditched those as my son broke out in red pimply spots after using them. I talked to my pediatrician and he said to try a 1% hydrocortizone, which helped, but I had to use it every day to keep his skin clear. This problem started when he was 2 months old and I'm concerned with long term use. I also don't like using it on his cheeks - the main problem area, because his hands are in his eyes and mouth all day. When I started the hydrocort, I also switched to the Aveeno Soothing Relief products. They didn't help much either. We are now using Aquaphor at least 3 times a day on his whole body and the hydrocort just once in a while. The Aquaphor is working great (after less than a week of use), but after reading the posts below, I'm checking the ingredients more closely to see what it contains. Yep, active ingredient is Petrolatum. Shucks! Maybe it's time to check out Arbonne. I can't wait for warmer weather when this will all end!!

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S.A.

answers from Harrisburg on

try lansinoh. it is an all natural product that you may have seen for breastfeeding mothers. it also lists on the package that it can be used for dry skin.

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K.O.

answers from Philadelphia on

My son (20 mos.) has had really bad dry skin & eczema since he was a newborn. I think I've tried everything on his skin! What I've found works the best is Jason Earth's Best Calendula Cream- it's very soothing. I use it on his face & entire body. It's very moisturizing & healing but not too heavy. I'm a SAHM so depending on what we do during the day I only bathe him every other day & our doctor even said that plain water is o.k. for some baths (don't have to use soap every time). I like Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps. Their baby soap is very gentle and completely non toxic. Check out their website. It's very inexpensive & super concentrated so a little goes a LONG way. One bottle will last you forever. You can find both products at Whole Foods or most health food stores or online for Dr.Bronner's. Some Targets have Earth's Best. Good luck!

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S.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

Eucerin is what I used with my son. He still gets dry patches around his mouth from his paci.. he is now 15 months. That is also what my Doctor told me to use on him.

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S.K.

answers from Philadelphia on

I agree with Julia - the Arbonne products have truly changed my son's skin and has also put an end to eczema in adults and children that I have shared the products with. As a nurse, I have to tell you that you need to look at ingredient lists very closely - you don't want to use anything with mineral oil or animal products in them. Be sure to look for the vegan symbol on products - it's a small heart - to be sure. If you need a list of names for mineral oil, there's over 100 different names that companies hide mineral oil in the list of ingredients as and I'd be happy to provide that for you. I would take Julia up on her offer of trying her samples - you have nothing to lose and the products are 100% safe. That's why as a nurse I also have a business with Arbonne International. Best wishes!

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J.R.

answers from Philadelphia on

I use diaper rash ointment. It helps with rashes, dry patches, just about anything that is wrong with my son's skin and non-toxic - and quick - like I'll put it on at night and the problem is resolved by morning. I don't even buy the brand names. I find that the CVS brand works better than Johnson & Johnson and just as well as Balmex. Good luck!

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C.W.

answers from Reading on

I would actually avoid the Vaseline on any part of my newborn, but to each his own. We always used and still use Lanolin in place of petroleum products on our son. It acts as a barrier, just like the Vaseline would, but comes from a natural source and is OK to get in the mouth, as it is used for nursing mothers.

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi M.,
Have you tried Aveeno Baby for sensitive skin? It's pretty good. Also, just wash his face with water--no soap is needed!

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E.L.

answers from Lancaster on

Hi M.!I understand your problem. My daughter has very dry skin as well. While doing research I learned the petroleum jelly(Vaseline) can actually dry out the skin even more and it's not really that safe either. The only thing I found that was safe even if she put it in her mouth was Renew lotion it works so well and I wouldn't give it up for anything. Please send me a message or email me and we can talk.

E. L

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S.K.

answers from Philadelphia on

California Baby calendula cream has worked very well for my son, who has sensitive skin, and is nontoxic. You can buy it on Babycenter.com, and some drugstores.

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K.C.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I have eczema and care for kids who do as well. Dry skin is a difficult thing to deal with. I've tried just about everything out there and I know it's difficult to find something that works and works well over time. I finally started using something called Red Clover Salve. The version I get is from Watkins and it's ALL-NATURAL!!! I feel safe putting it on the kids, even there face. Also, unlike Eucerin it never burns even if your skin gets so dry it cracks. Good Luck!!!

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K.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

HI M. !
I use Arbonne baby care and it has worked wonders! It's a skin care company that's formulated in Switzerland so the standard of quality is very good and all their products are natural and botanically based.

After the baby's bath, I put the baby oil on first -all over face and body- and then follow up with lotion. All the products are made without mineral oil, so it soaks completely into their skin and it literally stays soft ALL day- like you just put the lotion on!

They have a whole line of baby products like the baby wash and sun lotion as well. I have had several personal friends who's children had excema and were being put on steriods. Now they used Arbonne and it's cleared up so much they don't have to take medication any more. They can keep it controlled with the baby line.

My husband has extremely dry skin and in the winter we always used vasaline on his hands... until we found Arbonne... they have something for the whole family... so we used the skin conditioning oil (made with natural oils like sunflower seed, advacaod oil) and the hand lotion and it worked immediately!!!

Let me know if you want some samples. I have some on hand that I can send you! I love all their products and think you would love it too- esp. the baby stuff! Everyone that I know that uses Arbonne raves about it!
GOOD LUCK :0)

K. ###-###-####

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A.P.

answers from Allentown on

Hi!
I plead with you to NOT put ANYTHING Petroleum-based on your baby's skin, especially the face! It is toxic & very bad for us, especially for baby's. It's actually a barrier so will prevent moisture from entering the skin & will dehydrate the skin from the inside out. Very bad for the lymph system.

If you are breastfeeding, you can actually just apply some breastmilk to the dry areas. If not, it may be caused by an allergy to the formula. Eczema (sp?) is almost always an allergic reaction to something in the diet, particuarly cow milk.

Other than that, I would suggest an all-natural product such as L'Bri Pure n' Natural. It's aloe-based & has NO petro-chemicals, drying alcohols, artificial fragrances or colors, etc.... I use it on my whole family (including my sensative-skinned 7 mo. old) & it works wonders!!!!! You can order free samples of it if you like at www.A..lbri.com

No matter what you choose, PLEASE consider NOT using artificial products & especially petro-chemical-based ones.

Hope you find something that works for your little one soon!!!

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J.J.

answers from Erie on

Love Love Love Arbonne International's baby line - it includes a lotion and body oil. My youngest uses it for dry patches on her skin throughout her body. I would SWEAR by it. In fact, I started a business with this company because of the results I saw with this and several other products. I also have samples.....contact me if interested and good luck!

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A.C.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi M.! Yes, I can definitely recommend something for your baby. We’ve found this awesome store. We started shopping there and we absolutely love it. I can recommend some products that have helped us with eczema and plain old bothersome dry skin - and yes, it's safe to use with infants too. They don't do public advertising - you can only hear about it by word of mouth. They have a lot of things you’ll find at Target & WalMart but it’s less expensive and we save time too because everything's delivered to our door and we absolutely love it. I’d be happy to share the info about it with you. Call or Email me a good time and number to reach you - ____@____.com

Talk to you soon!

A. C.
____@____.com
###-###-####

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D.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

Aquaphor or Eucerin creams do wonders. Very safe for the face.

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I.H.

answers from Boston on

HI

My son had eczema which we found out was due to a milk allergy later on. I was nursing him so whatever dairy I was having got to him through my milk. Anyway the doctor told us to us aquafor from the Eucerine line of lotions. We used it on his face and body. It worked wonders. We also use it on our chapped lips.

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A.C.

answers from Allentown on

If you just have a small area to cover you could use Lanisoh. It is used to treat dry and cracked nipples. It does not have to be removed prior to the baby nursing so using it on their face is safe. I use it for both of my sons when they have dry spots. It is super thick so you may want to warm it a bit before trying to apply it.

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B.M.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I use aquaphor on my kids. It doesn't hurt them when they put it in their mouths, and it works. My 4 year old has extremely dry skin on his face and also has PICA where he eats non-food items and puts everything in his mouth. We haven't had a problem yet!
HTH!

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A.F.

answers from Raleigh on

Since I breastfed, I had some Lanisoh lanolin on hand when my daughter developed dry, flakey, scaly skin on her face. I just put a dab on each cheek at bedtime and rub it around to cover the dry patch. Her dry skin was gone in about 5 days.

I have also used the lanolin on a burn I had on my hand. It healed that puppy really fast and there is hardly any scar.
A. F.

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D.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

I am a dermatologist. I would just apply petrolatum jelly (ie. Vaseline) or aquaphor. All these "natural" products that others are recommending are not so "natural". Lanolin is in Aquaphor, which some people can develop an allergy to. I still use it, but if you want to avoid that risk, you can just petrolatum, which is just a grease without any fragrance.

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H.A.

answers from Columbus on

My son has had dried skin since he was 2 months old. And now he is 6 months. I am going to suggest that you use Aveeno baby lotion. It seems to work but you have to use it everyday. I would also talk to your doctor about perscribing something. I hope this helps you out.

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M.D.

answers from Philadelphia on

My 3 month old granddaughter has eczema and the pediatrician advised us to use vaseline on her whole body even her face. My daughter had the same concerns as you with the baby putting her hands in her mouth. The doctor stated it wouldn't hurt her and was probably the safest and most effective thing to use. In fact, he said his daughter has the same problem and that is what he uses.

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P.H.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi,
I had the same problem- we used Weleda Baby Calendula Cream and it worked great. We use Burt's Bees stuff for babies for everything else (which has really great products but for some reason the face lotion was a little irritating). Hope that helps!
P.

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M.M.

answers from Williamsport on

Dear M.,
My son had some horrible problems with excema, dry skin, etc. I also was looking for something safe - not petroleum based or full of artificial ingredients and fragrances. I tried Burts Bees with not much success. I then found Arbonne!! Wow. It just seems like his skin drinks it in. The great thing is that their motto is Pure, SAFE and beneficial. They really do the homework for you. In fact, they created an extremely gentle cleanser so babies don't have to suffer through the effects of sodium laurel sulfate and other harsh cleansers. Please feel free to contact me for more information. ____@____.com, make sure to find a laundry detergent that is free of petroleum products and fragrances. Seventh Generation is great!
God bless!
M.

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S.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

my doctor told us to use Aquaphor on our son's face. It's worked wonders.

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M.A.

answers from Philadelphia on

i have to place another vote for arbonne's baby line. they work so well i use the anti aging adult line. the skin oil has even helped my mom who has very severe psoriasis!

i would avoid "moisturizers" that contain petroleum products. first, your skin is your largest organ, so why smother it in petrochemicals? vaseline is a by product of refining oil into gas, etc. yuk. AND petroleum is a nonrenewable resource. so even if you don't go with arbonne, try a natural product that will support the skin's own health.

also, if you are breastfeeding, be sure your diet is rich in omega-3's. i personally can't speak about formula in this regard because i never used the stuff. perhaps someone else will be helpful there.

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