It is most common that your newborn’s skin may get dry and the lips get chopped. The chapped lips may not create any signs of discomfort in newborn babies. What you can do to help your newborn to deal with the chapped lips?
Chapped lips and drying of the skin are the most common situations in the newborn babies which mostly occur when their skin is trying to adjust to the outside environment. Any discomforts or changes in the newborn babies should be recognized and treated at the early stages irrespective of the intensity of the severity.
This article discusses the causes of chapped lips in babies. It presents the home remedies to get rid of chapped lips in babies.
What are Chapped Lips in Babies?
As the lips have very delicate skin they are more susceptible to dryness under certain conditions. Lips look dry and cracked with flakes. Chapped lips may give an unpleasant look to your baby’s lips. If the chapped lips are left untreated, they may lead to cracking, and splitting that develops into sores.
Here are a few signs of chapped lips in babies:
- Lips look sore, red or dry
- Lips feel dry when touched
- Cracks on the surface of the lips become deeper over time when untreated at the
- Initial stages
- Darkening of the skin around the lips
- Cracks may bleed
What Causes Chapped Lips In Babies?
There are several reasons for the chapped lips in babies ranging from personal habits to environmental conditions.
Here are a few causes of chapped lips in babies:
1. Dehydration:
Dehydration occurs when the loss of fluids by the body exceeds the intake of fluids. Under this condition, more fluids flow out of the cells and the body accounting for the fluid levels that are greater than the intake levels. The body can not function normally under this condition and starts producing the symptoms related to the loss of fluids.
Either dry weather or wet weather may lead to dehydration in babies. To overcome dehydration feed the baby more often.
Few other symptoms of dehydration in babies include:
- No tears while crying
- Sunken eyes
- Cold, patchy hands and feet
- Increased heartbeat
- Soft spots on the sides, back, and on the top of the head
- Dry and wrinkled skin
- Fewer wet diapers in a day
- Deep and rapid breathing
2. Lip Licking:
The most common reason for chapped lips if frequent licking. Licking wipes off the moisture from the lips with the saliva resulting in more dryness.
3. Nutrition Deficiency:
The skin on the lips needs vitamins to keep them healthy. If you notice chapped lips in your baby it is an indicator that the current diet is not enough for the baby. Your baby’s lips may fail to retain the moisture if he is diagnosed with low or deficit levels of certain vitamins.
Here are a few vitamins that are required to keep your lips healthy:
- Vitamin B-3
- Vitamin B-6
- Zinc
- Vitamin A
4. Environmental Conditions:
Sensitive skin on the lips is more susceptible to environmental conditions. Dry weather may take out the moisture from your baby’s skin and make them look dry.
Both dry winter and hot summer may make the baby’s lips to lose the moisture.
5. Skin Shedding:
Skin shedding is the most common cause of chapped lips in babies. Once the babies come out of the womb they begin to shed the layer known as vernix caseosa, which protects them during gestation. It may occur anywhere on the body including lips.
6. Allergies:
Baby’s lips are more sensitive to cosmetic creams and clothes. The type of cloth that is used to wipe the baby’s mouth may have a negative impact on the lips. If a mother who applies cosmetics to face or chapsticks to lips come in contact with the baby’s lip may cause dryness.
7. Mouth Breathing:
Mouth breathing makes the lips to be surrounded by the air constantly. This air picks the moisture from the lips. A blocked nose may lead to chapped lips as it makes the baby to breathe from the mouth.
8. Kawasaki Disease:
It is an ill condition that results in the inflammation of the blood vessels throughout the body. Infants and newborn babies are at risk of this disease. The symptoms associated with this disease are red, cracked, and dry lips.
The following are the other symptoms of this disease:
- Fever that lasts for more than five days
- Red, bloodshot eyes without any drainage.
- Red, swollen and cracked lips
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
- Tongue with shiny red spots
- A rash which may worse day today
9. Cheilosis:
It is a condition where the older infants and toddlers develop cracks only at the corners of the mouth. These areas may offer immense pain to babies, especially during feeding. This condition usually develops out of fungal or bacterial infections. If your child has come across this situation treatment has to be taken from the doctor.
Home Remedies For Baby Chapped Lips:
Here are a few ways to treat chapped lips in babies:
1. Coconut Oil:
This is the best chapped lips remedy for babies. Coconut oil is well known for its moisturizing effects. It is the ideal solution to deal with the chapped lips. Due to its analgesic properties, coconut oil is used in burning treatments.
Take a few drops of coconut oil and massage it over your baby’s lips gently for few times a day. Lauric acid is the main ingredients of the coconut oil, it has soothing properties and does no harm to your baby’s lips.
2. Honey:
Honey has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing properties. Honey helps in moisturizing the lips and protecting it from the cracking.
Take a few drops of honey and apply it gently over your baby’s lips while sleeping. Wipe it off with wet cotton once dried.
3. Breast Milk:
Lauric acid, which is the main component in breast milk has antibacterial and anti-acne properties. It gives both medicinal and cosmetic uses. Breastmilk contains colostrum for few after the delivery which helps in protecting the baby against bacterial infections.
Apply a few drops of breastmilk on your baby’s lips to prevent dry chapped lips in babies.
4. Baby Safe Lip Balm:
Adult based products are not used for the baby’s sensitive skin. It is recommended to use the products that are tested and dedicated to babies.
Lip balms that are designed for the babies are usually contained natural ingredients. Before using any new products to baby’s skin it is advised to check with the pediatrician for any side effects.
5. Lanolin:
Lanolin is known to be secreted by the sebaceous glands of the wool bearing animals. It has extremely healing properties. Lanolin is used by breastfeeding mothers to soothe their sore nipples.
It is absolutely safe to use Lanolin for baby lips which hydrate and soothes the lips.
6. Petroleum Jelly:
Petroleum jelly is a semi solid jelly like structure and a mixture of mineral oils and waxes. Petroleum jelly’s main ingredient of petroleum has many benefits. It helps the skin to retain moisture. It forms a protective layer over the skin.
Apply tiny petroleum jelly on your baby’s lips. It is recommended to use petroleum jelly at night when the babies sleep so that it can stay on their lips for longer times. Make sure to wipe their lips gently with cotton before breastfeeding to ensure that it is not swallowed by your baby.
7. Infant Formula:
Make a thick paste of infant’s formula milk and store it to treat the baby’s dry lips. The fat and the added water in the formula milk will help soothe the chapped lips.
Take the formula milk with the clean finger and apply it to your baby’s chapped lips several times in an hour depending on the severity of the chopping.
8. Install Humidifiers:
During the dry seasons, to protect your baby from the rapid drop in the water vapor content install humidifiers. Avoid hot mist/steam humidifiers which may lead to inflammation. Use pediatricians recommended cool mist humidifiers.
9. Hydration:
Hydration is very important to keep your baby away from the chapped lips. Breastfed regularly the babies below 6 months of age. For the babies above 6 months increase the fluid intake like soups, fruits, and vegetable purees to enhance hydration.
10. Wrap Your Baby Well In The Cold Weather:
Newborn’s sensitive lips may be easily affected by the dry and cold weather outside. Protecting the newborn from the cold weather is very important for healthy and pleasant lips. Wrap your baby’s body well with a perfect cloth while going out and apply a thick layer of lip balm recommended by the doctor before going outside.
Precautions While Using Home Remedies:
Follow these precautions while using natural remedies for baby chapped lips to keep your baby away from any kind of complications:
- Never apply baby oil and lotion on your baby’s lips.
- Natural home remedies such as coconut oil, lanolin, and any other home remedies may cause harm to the baby when they ingest them. In order to avoid any complications check with your pediatrician before applying any remedies on your baby’s chapped lips.
Tips To Prevent Chapped Lips In Babies:
Certain precautions will help to avoid the risk of chapped lips in breastfed babies:
- Keep the room at the ambient temperature and prevent it from becoming too dry by using a humidifier.
- Keep your baby in an outdoor weather appropriate outfit.
- Avoid the use of any other lotions other than baby recommended products.
- Keep your baby adequately hydrated by feeding regularly.
Chapped lips in babies are not a major concern. But any discomforts in the babies should be treated at the earlier stages to prevent any further complications. Keep your baby’s lips moist, protected and chap free
