Baby skin questions

[Ms. Cellaneous]

My babe is 5 weeks old and still has a sprinkling of baby acne on his nose -- at least that's what I think it is, tiny bumps that sort of look like whiteheads. Is that normal? Should I be doing anything for it?
Also he has dry skin that's peeling in places, most noticeably on his scalp. I have some Eucerin ointment that I've tried but it just seems to make it feel greasy. Any suggestions there? Or should I just leave it alone?
And am I a terrible person because I haven't given him a proper bath yet? Wiped him down with a washcloth a few times but no full bath. He just doesn't seem that dirty.

[Dune Lover]

It all sounds normal to me. I found that coconut oil worked best on peeling skin. Both on the head and all over the body. We use it on our DS genital/butt area with every diaper change, he is now 16 months old. HTH!

[AuntieLiz]

my DS has this same problem. he finished "molting" (LOL) his fetal skin by 3 weeks; I found olive oil much more effective on this than coconut oil or baby lotion. the dry scalp is most likely cradle cap and the baby acne is called milia. I've heard for cradle cap you can use dandruff shampoo (selsun blue, i think), but I worry about it getting into baby's eyes. My MW suggested rubbing some olive oil into baby's scalp about 30 min before bathtime and then gently scrubbing the scalp with a washcloth or baby hairbrush using his regular shampoo in the bath. we only bathe 1-2x per week and i've only had a chance to try this once and while it didn't resolve it all right away, it made quite a difference, so I'll do it again.

as far as i know there is no safe way to get rid of milia, just have to wait it out. My baby's face is covered in it and it makes me sad. call me vain, but i want him to have beautiful skin. (doesn't stop me from smooching and nuzzling up on him, though.)

/nak

[Serenyd]

My last two babes have had milia - Ds on his cheeks and dd on her nose. I want to pick it so bad! But that is a big no-no. It just disappears and one day it'll be gone and you won't even notice, lol.

[leigh09]

the olive oil works great on cradle cap. like the previous person said - massage it in and 20-30 minutes later wash babies hair. you're not bad for not giving baby a proper bath. my baby is 6 1/2 weeks old and i haven't yet either. only sponge baths and really just his genitals/bum since what else is getting dirty?

i don't know what gets rid of milia, it does disappear one day. for baby acne (they look like pimples), breastmilk gets rid of them

[Norasmomma]

DS has had cradle cap-in fact his was smelly, like a pubescent, sweaty boy smell caused from his sebaceous glands. I scrubbed it a couple times in the bath with a soft brush and his baby soap, it is gone now and so is the smell(thank goodness). He also has had baby acne it is caused by immature oil glands and it will go away. DS also has a bit of dermatitis on his nose.

[gumby74]

My DS is 4 weeks and has the same milia on his nose. It looks as though it is starting to fade and we have just been leaving it alone. When I give him a bath I take a washcloth and wipe his whole face down with just water.

[BlueEyedLady]

Sadie is a little over 7 weeks now and still has some baby acne. It's fading a bit, but still there. I haven't been doing anything with it since it should go away on it's own.

Evan had cradle cap and we used baby oil massaged into his scalp, though we didn't do it before bathtime. We did it DURING bath, then just let it soak itself into his skin overnight.

And I haven't really given Sadie a full bath either, yet. Sponge baths 1-2x per week, but that's about it. It's really, really dry in our house during the winter and I don't want her skin getting drier than it already is...I had that issue with Evan and was constantly massaging him with oil.

[Pandme]

Clementine's skin is not great.Her baby acne is mostly gone, but the cradle cap on top of her head we're working on (olive oil).

For the acne, honestly, leave it alone. It goes away.

[Ms. Cellaneous]

Than you everyone! Will try the olive oil. Our apt is so dry I could probably use some myself too. And will resist the temptation to fuss about the baby acne...