You must have faced an issue of dry, cracked or chapped lips. But you can treat them with extensive use of lip balm and ensure that you hydrate your body. However, if a new-born baby gets chapped lips, it could require special care and attention. Regardless, chapped lips in a new-born aren’t usually a cause of concern and are much more common.
The best way to deal with chapped lips in babies is to treat them as soon as possible since they can negatively impact the feeding and sleeping of babies. By and large, you can cure your new-born chapped lips using natural and home remedies in a matter of a few days.
You can know everything below, from why a new-born gets chapped lips to how to cure and prevent them!
What are the Causes of New-Born Chapped Lips?
The Habit of Sucking or Licking Lips
New-borns tend to suck or lick continuously even if they are not feeding. For that reason, the lips of a new-born become dry since the saliva on the lips evaporates and leaves the lips more dehydrated than they were before. This has to be one of the most common causes of new-born chapped lips.
Weather Fluctuations
When your baby is just a few months old, you need to keep your baby safe from the external environment because the skin cannot take extremities of changing weather. Summer, winter or windy weather can lead to chapped lips in a baby. Fluctuating weather can pull the moisture from the baby’s delicate skin and leave the new-born lips dry or cracked.
Skin Sensitivity
As a result of an irritant, a new-born baby with sensitive skin could develop chapped lips. Because some new-borns are susceptible to cosmetics, kissing a baby while wearing makeup may cause a rash and cracks on the lips. Cloths, wipes, lotions, and creams may also cause an allergic reaction in some infants.
Medications
If your baby needs to take certain medicines, cracked lips can be a side effect. Before you give any medicine to your new-born, discuss with doctor the side effects the medicine can cause to your baby.
Skin Shedding
A new-born baby usually sheds some skin layers after birth because their skin adapts to the outer world. Many times, parents worry about skin shedding in their babies and mistake it for skin concerns. However, skin shedding in new-borns is a normal procedure and can lead to skin peeling and dry lips.
Kawasaki Disease
Kawasaki is a rare disease that can affect babies and children. The medical condition leads to protracted fever and inflammation of blood vessels. Generally, children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years get affected by Kawasaki disease.
Nutritional Deficit
Chapped lips may occasionally indicate that a new-born is lacking in certain nutrients. Lips may not look healthy if the proper nutrients are not present. People who suspect their new-born may be malnourished should consult a doctor.
Mouth Breathing
Unless your baby is suffering from problems like cold, your little one will breathe through the nose. Whenever you notice your new-born breathing through their mouth and see that their nose isn’t stuffy, then check with your paediatrician. Be that as it may, mouth breathing can lead to dry or chapped lips.
Dehydration and New-Born Chapped Lips
So many of us feel super dehydrated during summertime, don’t we? The same is the case with babies. New-borns can fastly get dehydrated in summer, especially when they do not receive sufficient breast milk.
A reduction in the number of wet diapers has to be one of the tell-tale signs of dehydration. You must keep a note of the number of wet diapers your baby needs to change in 24 hours. If the number is less than six, your baby is probably dehydrated.
Your baby will require fewer wet diapers after six weeks, so look for a number less than six. You’ve probably figured out how many diaper changes your child requires by this moment.
Make sure that you treat the baby’s dehydration properly. After you’ve tried ways to treat dehydration, if your baby does not show any improvement, take your paediatrician’s guidance straight away.
Some other signs of dehydration are:
- Dry skin and lips
- No tears when the baby cries
- Hollow eyes
- Faster heartbeat
- Cold hands or feet
- Drowsiness
- A sunken fontanel on your baby’s head
You must seek medical guidance immediately if you notice:
- Chronic chapping that grows with time
- The baby is not able to feed
- Bleeding lips
- Sore, dry and red lips
- The baby is too much cranky and fussy
Treatments for New-Born Chapped Lips:
Breast Milk
Is your baby a breastfed one? Well, then you have the perfect treatment for your new-born chapped lips. Yes, you can use breast milk as a new-born chapped lips remedy. Breast milk includes colostrum, which has a lot of antibodies that can combat various health issues, including chapped lips.
Colostrum is an essential component of your baby’s diet during their first few days. It guards against viruses and bacteria. Take a few drops of breast milk and gently dab it onto your baby’s dry lips. The breast milk will moisturize and soothe the lips while reducing the risk of infection.
Try Lanolin or Natural Oils
Lanolin, a fat derived from sheep’s wool, is a known remedy for sore nipples caused due to breastfeeding. You can use lanolin to cure and soothe sores and cracks. And, so you can also use lanolin on your new-born’s chapped lips to hydrate them. Lanolin is totally safe to apply to babies.
Another good new-born chapped lips remedy is using natural oils such as olive or coconut oil. You can use such oils to ease out your baby’s dry lips because they include moisturizing properties and are safe when used in moderation. Take a little amount of natural oil to soften and hydrate the baby’s lips.
Use a Baby Lip Balm
You should never use an adult baby lip balm on your new-born. Only and only, use a lip balm that is dermatologically tested and is safe for babies, like a baby lip balm from brands like RxSAFE. Get a baby lip balm that does not include toxins, is made using natural ingredients and does not include chemicals used in adult lip balm.
Try a babytize baby-safe lip balm that is a rich source of Vitamin E and made with natural, plant-based ingredients like Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Castor Oil, and more. This baby lip balm offers deep hydration to the baby’s lips and protects against 99.9 % of germs, viruses and bacteria.
Petroleum Jelly
Petroleum jelly is a lanolin-based product that moisturizes your baby’s lips and aids in the healing of cracks. Lanolin makes it a gentle healer and safe, even if your baby ends up licking his lips and consuming it that way.
Apply a small amount to your infant’s lips with your finger. Try using these at night while the baby is sleeping so that it stays longer and the lips can heal.
How Prevent Chapped Lips in New-borns?
Safeguard Your Baby from Weather – Apply a baby lip balm to prevent wind or cold effect on your baby’s lips or apply some breast milk on the lips before you step outside with the baby.
Use a Humidifier – Using a humidifier in your home will help maintain the humidity in the air. Plus, a humidifier can relieve dry skin in infants and help treat nasal congestion in the baby.
Do Not Use Adult Cream on the Baby – Using powerful creams and lotions can further dry their skin. For at least the first few months, use baby-safe products.
Increase Feeding – If your baby shows signs of dehydration like dry lips, then feed your baby more regularly than often.
