Emma Pollon-MacLeod was initially puzzled by her 7-month-old son Calvin?s rash. His skin was red and irritated but only in one spot?on his abdomen. Then, she remembered the Jolly Jumper. Calvin had recently started teething, so he was drooling a lot. When he bounced in the Jolly Jumper?happy as can be?his drool would wet his clothing, which then rubbed against his skin, irritating a patch of his stomach. Mystery solved.
The experience was a reminder that while baby skin is idealized as soft and supple, it actually goes through a lot. ?Baby skin is so new. It?s never been exposed to the outside environment before, it?s never felt fabric before,? says Pollon-MacLeod, a mom of one in Ottawa who also works as a naturopathic doctor.
At the same time, our babies? skin is their first line of defence against the environment. Sam Cammisuli, a paediatric dermatologist at St. Michael?s hospital in Toronto, describes skin as a wall made of bricks and mortar that keeps good things in, like water, and bad things out, like bacteria, allergens, dust and animal dander. (If your baby has eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, it?s like they have loose mortar joints that leads to a porous wall, which lets water escape and irritants enter.) As babies grow and develop and their skin is exposed to the outside world, issues like diaper rashes, irritations and dry skin are bound to happen. Thankfully, there are some practical things, like moisturizing and avoiding certain ingredients and products...