You're looking at your beautiful baby and suddenly you're horrified. This rash wasn't here this morning! Should you deal with it, or not? Pediatrician MUDr. Tereza Sochorcová will answer that for you. Even though an unknown spot might scare you, fortunately, you don't have to worry too much about many skin problems. So let's take a look at them!

Did you know that children's skin is about 5 times thinner and contains up to 80% more water than adult skin? This makes it suppler and softer, but also more vulnerable. The immune system of young children and their skin are still getting acquainted with their surroundings and are gradually building up their defenses. Until that happens, we should provide their skin with care that does not disrupt its proper function. Even a small mechanical injury can lead to irritation or the development of infection. Therefore, I recommend always moisturizing the skin with a suitable children's cream or oil after bathing. Use soap primarily only on the bottom. And hair only needs to be washed once a week. Excessive hygiene with soaps dries out the skin.

For the youngest children, we must be careful about inflammation in the area of umbilical cord removal (so-called omphalitis). How to care for it can be seen in the picture. When the umbilical stump is surgically removed on the 2nd-3rd day after birth, an umbilical scar forms. Immediately after the umbilical cord is removed, a sterile dressing is placed on the scar for 24 hours. On that day, the baby is not bathed, and the nurses in the maternity ward check the scar. Then the scar is wiped with 60% alcohol, which you can buy at the pharmacy. If the umbilical cord heals well, it is enough to disinfect it once a day after bathing. Only when the rest of the stump is detaching (if the umbilical cord is insufficiently cut), even several times a day, until complete healing.