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CeraVe Skin Smarts Skincare For Baby From Baby To Toddler

What You Should Know

The structure of a child’s skin changes from the newborn stage to toddlerhood and beyond, so how you care for it should evolve as well. An infant’s skin barrier (the outermost layer) is still developing and may benefit from baby-specific products designed to address unique issues such as dryness . As your baby grows and is ready to explore the world around them, the barrier may be a little more mature, but their skin still requires care and protection, especially from the sun. Learn more below about child’s skin development and how to support its changing needs.

Three Ways to Help Protect Skin at Any Age

  • Use moisturizers formulated with lipids, such as ceramides, to help support and strengthen the skin barrier, the outermost layer responsible for keeping moisture in and irritants out of skin.4
  • Newborns under the age of six months should be kept out of direct sunlight.5 Sunscreen and taking sun protection measures is a must for babies six months of age and up. Helping to protect skin from the sun’s damaging UV rays will keep it healthier into adulthood.6
  • Baby and toddler skin can be sensitive. Their skin barriers aren’t fully formed, so it may be more susceptible to irritants, allergens, and germs.7

All About Baby Skin

In the womb, baby is covered with a coating called the vernix caseosa, which is made of water, protein, and lipids, such as ceramides, that help skin seal in moisture and keep impurities out. The vernix caseosa is designed to protect baby’s skin barrier as it develops.7 When a newborn loses this coating, dryness and peeling are common.8

 

Newborn (up to four weeks old) is thinner than baby (four weeks to three years old) or adult (18+) skin. In fact, research has shown that a baby’s skin barrier (also known as the stratum corneum) is 30% percent thinner in a baby than in an adult.9 The barrier layer, which helps keeps moisture in and irritants out, is immature and not complete for the first two to four years of life. That means infant skin is more susceptible to transepidermal water loss (TEWL), the process by which water or moisture escapes from skin.

 

What to Look for in Baby-Specific Skin Care

Using products formulated to support the skin barrier may help keep skin hydrated and healthy. Cleansers, lotions, and creams formulated with ceramides, help restore and maintain the skin’s natural barrier.

 

Because baby skin is more prone to irritation10, it’s also important to use products free of known irritants such as fragrance and parabens. CeraVe Baby Moisturizing Cream contains three essential ceramides for barrier support, plus dimethicone to form a temporary, protective layer on skin, helping to prevent water loss and irritation.11

 

All About Toddler Skin

As your baby gets bigger, their skin changes, too. But that all-important barrier layer may not be fully formed yet. A child’s skin is more vulnerable to irritation from creams and lotions, so using gentle products, free of potentially irritating ingredients, is still important.12 Toddler skin also has lower hydration levels than adult skin13, so supplementing with the right moisturizer—one containing barrier-supporting lipids, humectants such as glycerin or hyaluronic acid14, and skin-protecting dimethicone—help boost skin’s hydration levels.

 

As your child starts to cruise, toddle, and finally walk (and spends more time outside exploring), sunscreen becomes essential, too. Too much UV exposure can weaken your little one’s still-developing skin barrier layer15, which may lead to dryness and irritation—not to mention sunburn. Sunscreen itself can irritate baby’s sensitive and young skin, so choose one like CeraVe Baby Hydrating Sunscreen SPF 45, which helps protect against UV rays with titanium dioxide and contains ceramides and hyaluronic acid.

 

Your little one’s skin needs will change significantly through the years. However, armed with knowledge and care, you are on your way to keeping your child’s skin healthy looking and protected.

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