Contents
All mums know that bathing or putting a lotion on a baby can sometimes be a real challenge. Fortunately, there are different ways to do this – find out what to do to make caring for your baby a fun and enjoyable experience.
Atopic dermatitis is a disease that affects not only the baby but also the parents to a great extent. Parents of a little atopics know very well how important is the daily care of a child’s skin – its main goals are: calming skin lesions, relieving irritation and itching, and preventing recurrence. Unfortunately, spreading cosmetics on the baby’s skin is not always the most enjoyable part of the day for him. However, there are many ways to make this activity pleasant and turn the daily care into a bit of fun.
How to turn daily care into great fun?
Attitude plays a huge role. The child feels the emotions of the parents and picks them up faster than you might think. From the moment they are born, babies receive emotional signals from others and learn how to respond to a given situation. Research has shown that babies can sense when a parent is depressed or angry from the first month of life. Parents and caregivers who express positive emotions and respond to their children’s needs in a positive and loving way help the child feel safe. Do not let your child associate daily care with something unpleasant. While lubricating, smile at the child, laugh and, what is very important, do not rush or make sudden movements.
Music can work wonders
Music has a soothing and calming effect on children. Turn on your child, for example, a song from your favorite fairy tale and let him relax. In the case of babies, white noise is ideal – it is a type of acoustic noise that resembles everyday sounds, such as rain or the sounds of household appliances (e.g. washing machines, dryers). Research shows that white noise is a good way to calm your baby down. It also helps to silence various irritating sounds from the environment. Touching atopic lesions can be unpleasant, so take care of your child’s comfort.
Use nursery rhymes
Our children who learn the first words remember a lot from nursery rhymes – it is worth using it during the daily care of the baby. The nursery rhyme will not only interest your toddler and distract him, but also support learning to speak and develop his imagination. On the Internet you will find many popular rhymes and rhymes that may catch your child’s ear.
“Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, wash hands, splash, splash, splash, mouth, neck. A splash, a splash, a splash, a tummy, a leg – so many sounds can be heard by the ears ”.
“The kitten is washed, the teddy bear is washed – and I wash in the bathroom today. Because this soap and warm water will make me wonderfully beautiful ”.
Fun while bathing
Bathing for infants and young children is a time to play, learn and build a relationship with the parent. Make the bathtub your child’s personal water park. There are plenty of bath toys on the market, but it is worth choosing the ones that help your child learn while having fun. These can be plastic cups of various sizes to encourage pouring and emptying, or a set of floating sea creatures allowing for imaginary play, speaking practice and numeracy skills.
It is also a good idea to take a bath with special waterproof books that are perfect for reading in the water. However, remember not to exceed the recommended bathing time for your baby as this may compromise the natural skin barrier. After the bath, dry your baby’s skin with a soft towel and apply a cream tailored to your baby’s needs.
Involve the child in daily care
If your child is older and is slowly becoming independent, show him how to use the lotion and encourage him to lubricate himself. You can do it in the form of fun or dancing. Show your child that daily care can be a pleasure and make this ritual a favorite part of the day – good habits will pay off in the future. The care does not have to be boring – you can draw, for example, white mustache or lotion freckles on the cheeks.
Proper care of atopic skin – which product should you choose?
Although at first, caring for a child’s atopic skin may seem extremely difficult, there are many preparations available on the market that facilitate the daily care of a baby. The basis of care should be emollient products that act on the cause of the problem. Emollients are topical moisturizers that are used to relieve itching and other ailments related to atopic dermatitis. They create an occlusive barrier, help to retain moisture and maintain the proper integrity of the skin – they complement the “holes” that are formed on the skin and may be the gateway for the penetration of various types of microorganisms. An ideal emollient should be pleasant to use, visibly improve the appearance of the skin, restore the skin barrier and prevent AD recurrence.
Bioderma cosmetics from the Atoderm line, which can be used from the first day of life, will work well in the daily care of a baby. Remember that appropriate atopic skin care should start at the stage of bathing a child – sometimes patients with atopy use emollients, but do not pay attention to the fact that they wash their skin with products that do not match their needs. A safe choice will be Atoderm Huile de douche – anti-irritation skin cleansing oil. The dermocosmetic intensively nourishes the skin, restores its lipids and soothes the feeling of tightness. The included SKIN BARRIER THERAPY ™ patent protects sensitive skin against external factors and prevents the adherence of bacteria responsible for skin irritations.
The key element of caring for atopic baby’s skin is moisturizing with emollients. Atoderm Intensive Baume or Atoderm Intensive gel-crème (light version) will intensively nourish and instantly moisturize delicate atopic skin, reduce itching and permanently rebuild the skin barrier. What’s more, they stimulate the natural production of skin lipids, strengthen the protective barrier and permanently relieve itching and reduce the urge to scratch. For optimal results, it is best to apply emollients to wet skin after showering and whenever the skin needs hydration.