Moisturising a mixed race baby?

[SlightlySuperiorPeasant]

3 week-old DD is 1/4 black Caribbean. She looks Caucasian but my health visitor told me not to moisturise her with olive oil as it's too heavy for mixed race skin and causes spots. What should I be using?

[amazingmumof6]

how about aqueous cream (also to wash baby with instead of other products) or E45 cream? gp can prescribe either

[AmberLeaf]

I think your HV is talking rot.

My personal recommendation is either olive oil or almond oil.

...and what is 'mixed race skin'?!

HVs do say some funny things!

[Devora]

Mixed race skin? 1/4 black Caribbean can cover a wide range of skin tones and types, I would think.

My dd is 1/2 black Caribbean and her skin, like many children of that heritage, can be dry. I use pretty much any unscented moisturiser. Oil is fine, too - obviously you only need to use a tiny bit (warmed between your hands first) so shouldn't cause spots.

[GalaxyDisaster]

How bizarre. I thought that this was going to be a comment about being prone to dryness? All the mums I know use olive oil, regardless of ethnicity, on their newborns.

[SlightlySuperiorPeasant]

I'm glad it's not only me who had never heard of it before! I always used either olive or coconut oil on DS and haven't experienced any problems but DD does have a few spots on her cheeks and forehead. She's fair-skinned but nowhere near as fair as DS, who has blonde hair, blue eyes and lighter skin than me I'll have a go with aqueous cream and see if that makes any difference.

[SavoyCabbage]

She's a lion. My dds have totally different skin needs(ohhhh, get me) from each other. Both of them have dry skin, especially in the winter and have to have moisturizer.

[SavoyCabbage]

Loon. Not lion.

[SlightlySuperiorPeasant]

:o lion

[TantrumsAndBalloons]

Olive oil is fine for a baby, I used it for all 3 of mine. Now they are older they drench themselves in cocoa butter.

The actual worst thing in the world for the teenager would be to be seen in public with dry legs [grin[

[LDNmummy]

I always have to be the one who goes against general opinion/ experience on MN but my DD did actually have a reaction to Olive Oil when I tried it for the first time on her. I also can't use it either as it is heavy on my skin and causes me to have rashes.

We all use coconut oil in my home now and it seems to suit all our different skin types. I am raving about it to anyone who will listen.

Aqueous cream is actually not that great from my experience and neither is E45 which I found drying after prolonged use.

I wouldn't use Vaseline or coconut butter either as they are too thick and I still don't use them on my DD even at a year old.

Every mixed child is different and though my DD and I are both mixed, different things work for each of us. I would say experiment with different creams/ oils till you find what is right for your child.

I'm currently using an all natural moisturiser from Holland and Barrett as well as the coconut oil and they have some great lightweight creams that may be suitable. My DD is highly allergic to things so I always patch test or check ingredients of natural creams to see they are baby friendly.

[AmberLeaf]

I agree that coconut oil is wonderful!

I only discovered it fairly recently though, so no experience of using it on babies skin.

[KatyMac]

I used wheat-germ oil with a few drops of Lavender on DD's skin - olive oil wasn't good for her either; but wheat-germ is lovely, full of vitamin E

[3plus2]

Oh yes the dry legs I use Vaseline the baby jelly one as smells yummy or cocoa butter :) but tbh I don't think it matters and for a newborn something that's not highly perfumed :)

[mixedupmama1]

Coconut oil is lighter than olive oil so I've made the switch. I also use shea butter and cocoa butter (organic if we can get it). I don't think 'mixed race skin' is different per se but the skin does show dryness more because it turns greyish. I've never worried too much about dry skin but my hubby and nearly everyone in Nigeria when we were living there seemed very concerned about having dry skin so moisturisers were commonplace.