Baby Skincare: A Gentle Daily Routine

A baby's skin needs very little. On most days, a short routine is enough: lukewarm water or a no-rinse cleanser for the face, neck and skin folds, a soft pat dry, and a little moisturiser after the bath if the skin feels dry. Keep products few, introduce them one at a time, and choose formulas their houses state are suitable from birth. In the sun, the guidance is simpler still: keep young babies out of direct sun, and ask your pharmacist or health visitor before using any sun protection.

Why Is Less More for New Skin?

New skin is delicate, and in the first months it is still settling into its own balance. That is why the most useful baby skincare routine is a short one. Every extra product is another texture and another set of ingredients for that skin to meet, so we suggest starting with the essentials and adding only when there is a reason. The products we have chosen below are all presented by their houses for babies; the label is always the final word on age and use.

• Introduce one new product at a time and give it a few days, so you can tell what suits your baby.
• Read the label for the age the house states, and keep to it.
• If you prefer to avoid fragrance, read the ingredient list; where a house describes a product as fragrance-free, we say so.
• If a product seems to irritate, stop using it and ask your pharmacist, health visitor or doctor.

Cleansing the Face and Folds

Between baths, most cleansing is gentle and local: the face after feeds, the neck, behind the ears, the creases of the arms and legs, and the hands. Use cotton wool or a soft cloth with lukewarm water or a no-rinse cleanser, and for the eyes take a fresh piece of cotton wool for each eye, wiping from the inner corner outward. Pat dry rather than rub, and pay attention to the folds, where moisture likes to sit. For the bath itself, see our guide to bath time for babies.

Mustela's No Rinse Cleansing Milk is made for babies and children with normal skin, from birth, with avocado, and needs no rinsing. Klorane's Soothing Calendula Cleansing Lotion is a no-rinse lotion for the face, hands and nappy area, made for normal to dry skin and tested under paediatric control, in a 500 ml pump bottle. Beauterra's Bio Babé Cleansing Water pairs aloe vera with a formula the house describes as fragrance-free, for skin and hair from birth. For days out, Sebamed's Baby Cleansing Wipes are made with 99% water and a composition the house describes as perfume-free, in a resealable pack.

• No Rinse Cleansing Milk
• Soothing Calendula Cleansing Lotion
• Bio Babé Cleansing Water
• Baby Cleansing Wipes

Baby Lotion After the Bath

Not every baby needs a moisturiser every day. If the skin feels soft and comfortable, water and a mild cleanser may be all it asks for. If it feels dry or looks a little flaky, the moment for a baby lotion or cream is just after the bath: pat the skin almost dry, warm a small amount between your palms, and smooth it over the dry areas while the skin is still slightly damp. A little goes a long way.

Mustela's Nourishing Lotion With Cold Cream is a body lotion for dry skin, made with cold cream and beeswax for daily use from birth. Klorane's Baby Moisturising Cream is a calendula cream for the face and body from birth, made for use morning and night. Melvita's Bébé Moisturising Milk is a soft milk for the face and body, made with cameline oil. Johnson's Baby Soft & Smooth Baby Lotion is a lightweight everyday lotion in a flip-top bottle, which the house presents as suitable from newborn through childhood.

• Nourishing Lotion With Cold Cream Body
• Baby Moisturising Cream
• Bébé Moisturising Milk Face and Body
• Soft & Smooth Baby Lotion

Baby Cream for the Face

A baby's face meets more than the rest of the body: milk, dribble, and wind and cold on a winter walk. A small amount of a face cream made for babies, smoothed over the cheeks and chin, is usually enough. Mustela's Very Sensitive Skin Soothing Moisturising Cream is made for very sensitive skin from birth, with schisandra, and the house describes it as fragrance-free. Sebamed's Baby Protector Facial Cream is formulated at pH 5.5, the pH the house is known for, with squalane, panthenol and sodium hyaluronate, for care from the first days. For colder weather, Isdin's Babynaturals Nutraisdin Cold & Wind Facial Balm is made for little faces exposed to cold and wind, and the house presents it as suitable from birth.

• Very Sensitive Skin Soothing Moisturising Cream Face
• Baby Protector Facial Cream
• Babynaturals Nutraisdin Cold & Wind Facial Balm

Is Baby Oil Worth Having?

A baby oil is a companion to massage, and some are also made for cleansing. Warm a few drops between your palms, use slow, light strokes, and keep it away from the eyes. Oil leaves skin and hands slippery, so take care when you lift your baby afterwards.

Klorane's Baby Multi-Purpose Oil is made to cleanse, nourish and massage from birth, with calendula; the house describes it as fragrance-free and tested under paediatric supervision. Mustela's Bebé-Niño Baby Oil is a massage oil built on avocado oil, presented as suitable from birth. Matarrania's Baby and Sensitive Skin Body Oil blends olive, sunflower and almond oils with calendula and a subtle orange aroma, for newborns, babies and children. Its almond oil is worth knowing about if nut allergies are a concern in your family.

• Baby Multi-Purpose Oil
• Bebé-Niño Baby Oil
• Baby and Sensitive Skin Body Oil

What About the Nappy Area?

The nappy area has its own needs and its own creams; day to day, clean it gently at each change, pat dry, and give the skin a little air before the next nappy goes on.

Babies and the Sun

Babies under six months are best kept out of direct sun altogether: shade, a sunhat, light clothing that covers the arms and legs, and a canopy or parasol on the pram. Covering up comes before any cream. For sun protection products, including the age from which a product may be used, ask your pharmacist or health visitor, and follow the label exactly. As your baby grows, shade and clothing remain the first step in the sun.

A Simple Daily Routine

• Morning: wipe the face, neck and hands with lukewarm water or a no-rinse cleanser, and add a little face cream if the cheeks feel dry or the day is cold.
• Through the day: clean the folds and hands as needed, and pat dry.
• Bath days: pat almost dry, then moisturise only where the skin feels dry.
• Evening: a few drops of oil and a slow massage, if you both enjoy it.

If you are starting from nothing, begin with one no-rinse cleanser and one moisturiser made for babies from birth, and add nothing else until you have a reason to.