Acne in Infancy

Babies are perhaps the simplest yet most complicated creatures on earth. They are simple because their needs aren't hard to meet--you feed, you change, and you hold. These three things, in general, keep your baby happy. Obviously you do a few different things (singing, swaddling, playing, etc) to make these things more enjoyable; but those three are the bare bones of what a baby needs.

However they are very complicated mainly because of all the things that could affect them. I remember talking about how fragile I thought my baby would be. One of my doctors told me, "Yea, they really aren't. We've all dropped them at some point." I remember chuckling and thinking, "Oh, God! Please don't let me drop my baby." But it's true, they aren't that fragile: They are tough, ever growing, constantly learning, hormonal beings.


You probably had to look at that last one--that's right I said "hormonal." Over Memorial Day weekend Thia got what I thought was the baby acne I'd read. It was only around her head and didn't seem to bother her so I wasn't too worried. (I'll admit that I did think about emailing my pediatrician right then; but I didn't want to be paranoid.)

So I watched my baby's beautiful, soft skin blossom with even more acne over the next couple of days because of her adjusting to her hormones and no longer receiving mine. By Monday my mommy alarm was making a soft whirring whisper, but I still didn't want to raise the red flag and call the doctor. That all changed Wednesday morning though. The small bumps looked like a rash and was on the back of her neck and her shoulders. 


That day Thia and I had our first "non-well" check-up. Turns out I was right with my compulsive reading: It is/was baby acne. As a new mom, though, there is a seriously peaceful feeling that comes from hearing it out of the pediatrician's mouth. That said, your stomach sinks when you find out there's really nothing to do about it. 


My pediatrician did give me a few tips. The first: Don't over moisturize the areas. The second: Try and keep the areas dry. For most of the affected areas it's not too hard. Thia does have two problematic spots: her scalp and her neck. Her scalp is only a problem because she has now started to sleep hard (sleeping hard = sweat). The other reason is, if you haven't seen a picture of my darling daughter lately (see below--the adorable cheeks and double chin: TOO CUTE!!), she eats like a champ! 

So what do I do to keep that area relatively dry? I use bibs and a burp cloth to cover her skin while she eats. It's not full proof, but it seems to be making a difference. Even though it was just acne, I learned that I will always follow my gut. Thinking you may have nothing to worry and hearing everything is fine are two different things; I vote for hearing a professional say it. All in all, I am so grateful to have such a healthy and happy baby that a little acne barely puts a bump (pun intended) in parenting.