Baby's skin peels in the first week, is it dangerous?

Every parent must be very happy when they have a new baby. Of course, all the love will be poured out on him, the parents also always look after the baby. When babies experience pain or only certain physical changes, many parents feel anxious. One thing that is often worried about is peeling baby skin. Actually, what causes it? What should parents do?

What causes the baby's skin to peel?

In fact, when you see peeling skin on a newborn, you don't need to worry. The reason is, this is normal for every newborn. This peeling of the skin can occur in any part of the body, each baby will be different. From the hands, soles of the feet, to the ankles, the skin can peel off.

Newborn baby skin is sensitive and prone to disturbances or problems if there are triggers. However, this is not what causes flaking in the baby's first week. This condition is caused because the outer layer of the baby's skin, which functions as a protective layer in the womb, begins to peel off.

Yes, this layer of skin is called vernix. So, while still in the womb, the baby is covered with a layer that protects the baby's skin in the amniotic fluid. At birth, this layer will indeed disappear, but not all. The rest will fall off on their own over time after the baby is born. Therefore, for about 1 month there will be peeling skin.

Then, what can be done to solve it?

Even though this peeling baby's skin is normal, you should still provide care. This is to prevent other healthy parts from peeling off. Here are tips to prevent baby's skin from drying out and then peeling more and more:

Make sure the baby does not bathe too long. If you used to bathe your little one for 20 minutes, then now reduce the duration to just 5-10 minutes. the longer you bathe your little one, the drier the skin will be.
Use a moisturizer. There's nothing wrong with keeping your little one's skin moisturised with a special baby moisturizer. In choosing a moisturizing product, you should also talk to your pediatrician.
Be careful with the use of detergent when washing baby clothes. The clothes he wears everyday, can irritate and dry the skin if the detergent you use is safe. Make sure that the derivative product you are using is safe.

Actually, not all baby's skin peeling is normal, sometimes this is caused by health problems, such as eczema or even allergies. However, usually the skin disorder is accompanied by other skin symptoms such as redness. If this happens, then immediately take your baby to the doctor for further tests.