Regardless of what season or time of year it is, chapped lips happen to everyone at one point or another. Whether it's dry weather or dehydration doesn't matter, it's pretty uncomfortable no matter what. So, what do you do when your baby's lips are chapped? Because if it's annoying for adults, it can't be a great feeling for little ones either.
If your baby's lips are chapped, you actually have a few different options to help get rid of the dryness or the uncomfortable feeling that comes with them. There are various ingredients and products that are safe to use to treat chapped lips in babies, including breast milk or coconut oil, according to Healthline. And luckily, those options aren't too hard to find (especially if you're breastfeeding).
As you're seeking out ways to help your baby with their chapped lips, you've likely thought about what causes chapped lips in the first place. There are a variety of reasons baby's lips get chapped. Some of the most common causes include your baby consistently licking or sucking on their lips, along with dry weather or dehydration too. Especially if your family is outdoorsy, dry winters, heated summers, or even too much wind can cause a baby's lips to lose some moisture. Fortunately, you have a few options to prevent chapped lips, and fight them off once they appear, regardless of the cause.
Use Breast Milk
"The most effective home remedy for chapped lips in babies is...produced every day through you," according to World of Moms. One of the simplest and most natural approaches you can take is to apply breast milk to your baby's chapped lips. Momtastic shared that breast milk is a great moisturizer that helps heal skin and hydrate, which is why it's a great option for your baby's chapped lips.
Or A Natural Lip Balm
Although lip balm is not a long-term solution, it will help soothe lips that are already chapped. If you want to use a natural, organic, and preferably unscented lip balm on your baby, that's totally OK and helpful too. If you're worried about choosing the right one, here's a list of lip balms that are kid-safe and parent approved.
Lanolin Cream Works Too
In an interview with Healthline, pediatrician Dr. Ericka Hong recommended lanolin cream to parents of newborns with chapped lips. Lanolin is the natural substance found on a sheep’s wool and is currently used in a cream to help soothe breastfeeding moms' cracked or dry nipples. Because it's designed to help hydrate and heal and also safe to put on the area your baby nurses, it's also a great go-to for chapped lips. There are a few different kinds to choose from, like the Lansinoh lanolin pictured above ($9, Target).
Throw Out The Pacifier
Unfortunately, Ask Dr. Sears shared that one of the causes of chapped lips is an excessive use of the pacifier, which is the last thing any parent wants to hear. If you feel nothing is helping your baby's chapped lips or it's a constant reoccurrence, try getting rid of (or cutting down significantly) on the pacifier to move away from the constant wetness creating chapped lips.
Invest In A Humidifier
Humidifiers add humidity and moisture back into a very dry-air environment. Especially during drier months throughout the year, humidifiers are a great way to help get rid of and prevent dry skin and chapped lips for your baby. If you're wondering which humidifiers are safe, Children's Hospital Colorado shared there is one type of humidifier that you can use safely with a newborn in your home, and it's the evaporative style humidifier. The difference for this humidifier is that it doesn't spew anything into the air, cutting down on the risk of bacteria being dispersed. Although many parents also feel comfortable using cool-mist humidifiers too.
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