You may be surprised to see your little one getting a little rash or some acne here and there. This is because after being born, your baby is suddenly exposed to an unfamiliar environment outside of mommy’s womb.

While most babies experience some sort of rash or skin problem during their first few weeks alive, it usually isn’t that serious or severe. But there are some things that you still can do to keep your baby’s skin as silky smooth as you’d always imagine it to be like.

Here are some common baby skin problems and diseases you can identify and what you can do to address them.

Let’s start with the most basic...

1. Infant Acne

Infant acne is an extremely common skin disease that affects around 40 per cent of babies at around 2 to 3 weeks of age. They may last up to 4 to even 6 months old but are usually mild enough not to bother your baby and are just a minor condition that can eventually go away by themselves. FYI: this isn’t the same acne that you experienced during your teens – however, they are still caused by your hormones circulating in your baby’s bloodstream, causing their glands to oil up which results in small red lumps to appear.

As with regular acne, it shouldn’t be scrubbed, picked, or squeezed. Don’t use creams meant for grownups, as baby’s skin is still sensitive. Wash with warm water, and pat it dry with a clean towel.

2. Infant Eczema

Infant Eczema is also known as atopic dermatitis. It is usually an itchy rash that starts on the face and then slowly spreads across the body. These are often small pustules filled with liquid that can burst, which can lead most parents to worry, especially since they can cause discomfort for the baby.

In order to help your baby with the pain, a gentle hypoallergenic moisturizer after taking a bath and a towel tap down should do the trick. After this, we advise leaving a mist humidifier on the room so that the baby’s skin won’t dry up. Moisture is key.

3. Dry skin

Adults can suffer from dry skin, kind of like how baby can suffer from it, too. Actually, babies are even more susceptible to dry, tight, and flaky skin more than we are thanks to their extra sensitivity. So, to combat this, you should moisturize from the inside. Make sure your baby drinks lots of fluids, especially breastmilk or formula. Then you can start rubbing some lotion after baths. You should keep baths short and use some gentle baby wash to stop your baby’s skin from being irritated.

4. Diaper rash

Red and bumpy bottom? That’s a diaper rash, which is usually caused by too much moisture, lack of air, and urine or poop (or a combination of both, which is usually the case). Apart from changing diapers frequently, you should also try to air out your baby’s butt after a wash. You should also check if the soap your using is too harsh for the baby’s skin, or skip using baby wipes entirely if the rash persists.

5. Nevi Simplex

Sometimes they’re called angel kisses, sometimes they’re called stork bites, but whatever they’re called, these marks are extremely common among newborns, and may become a cause of concern for any parent. Appearing mostly on the nape (thus the stork reference, as they may have carried your baby via the nape), these patches are caused by dilated capillaries that can be seen by the naked eye on your baby’s thin skin. Sometimes, these also appear on the forehead, the eyes, or even around the nose.

Initially annoying, the good thing about this is that the Nevi Simplex simply goes away after a while.