Baby Acne:
He is beautiful and adorable and you just want to kiss that little face all day long, but what’s the deal with these red bumps all over his face and his crusty eyes?
Baby acne, or newborn acne is simply a reaction to the hormones that crossed the placenta from mommy’s body into baby’s body right before he was born. These red bumps typically appear between two and four weeks of age and can come and go until four to six months of age.
You might notice they get worse when he is sweaty, hot, upset, has spit up on his face or if he has come into contact with harsh detergents.
You can wash his face with water and mild baby soap once or twice a day, but there really isn’t anything you need to do (or can do) about the little red bumps. When the oil glands, triggered by the hormones dissipate, the baby acne will go away as well.
Don’t pick at your baby’s acne, as this may cause scars.
Crusty eyes:
Newborn babies typically don’t expel tears until they are two to three weeks old. Approximately half of all newborns will experience a blocked tear duct at some point. Tear ducts are on the inside of the eyes, near the nose. They are very tiny and may not open completely or they may become blocked, causing excess tears to well up in the eye. Don’t worry, it is not pink eye.
Take care of this by simply wiping your baby’s eye with a clean wet washcloth.
Provide gentle massage to the blocked tear duct. With the tip of your clean finger, gently massage your baby’s inner eye by moving your finger from the corner of her eye toward her nose for five to ten strokes six times per day. If symptoms do not improve, see your pediatrician.
Cord care:
When your baby was in the womb, she received her nourishment through the umbilical cord, which attaches to the placenta. After your baby was born, the umbilical cord is clamped and cut in a painless procedure that leaves the umbilical cord stump attached to your baby’s belly button.
It is important that you take proper care of this cord as it dries up and falls off. This could take 7- 21 days and when it falls off, there will be a tiny wound under it that will continue to heal.
There may be a little bit of draining or blood when the cord falls off, but don’t worry. This does not hurt your baby.
Caring for the umbilical cord stump:
- Keep the stump clean and dry.
- Fold diapers over away from the stump to avoid irritation.
- Don’t submerge your baby in water. Do sponge baths.
- Don’t attempt to remove the stump before it is ready to come off on its own.
Signs of infection:
- Redness around the stump.
- Foul smelling discharge around the stump.
- Your baby cries when you touch the stump.
*The American Academy of Pediatrics used to recommend cleaning around the cord with rubbing alcohol, but they no longer make that recommendation. It is now believed that the cord heals better on its own.
References:
Leach, P. (1997). Baby & Child. Random House.