Page 27 - GreenBook

also aggravated by the use of Vaseline, or baby oil, which should be avoided.
Prevention: Gentle brushing in a circular motion with a firm baby brush or
toothbrush may help to prevent cradle cap.

Treatment: Wash daily with a mild dandruff shampoo such as Sebulex cream
shampoo and use a firm brush. It will usually disappear over a period of time.

C. Rashes
Most rashes in newborns resolve over time with no treatment.

1. The most common rash is due to the child rubbing his face on a wet surface.
It looks like a burned red area, such as one might see in chapping and sunburn.

Treatment: Avoid contact of baby's face with wet bedclothes. Place a cloth
diaper or empty pillow case beneath the baby's head. Change it frequently to
keep his face dry.

2. Prickly heat is tiny red bumps or blisters which occur on warm moist areas of
the skin such as the neck and are due to sweating. This can be avoided by
appropriate clothing for temperature and by keeping baby's skin dry.

3. Babies may also get acne, which does not require any treatment and should
resolve on its own without scarring by about 2 months of age. Pimples should
never be squeezed or scrubbed as this will only worsen the situation and may
cause scarring.

4. Babies may also have tiny white spots called milia which go away after a few
weeks and do not require special treatment.

5. Another common newborn rash is erythema toxicum. This looks like multiple
tiny insect bites and usually goes away by 2 weeks of age and requires no

treatment.

D. Eyes
From birth, your child can distinguish light colors from dark colors. His vision is
best close up. He will gradually spend more time looking at brightly colored
objects than at drab ones.

Yellow material may collect in the corner of your baby's eyes until the tear ducts
open, which happens between six weeks and six months of age.

Treatment: Wipe from the inner corner of the eye outward with a cotton ball
moistened with water. If the white of the eye becomes red, or the lids become
swollen in association with this yellow material, please call us.
Occasionally a red flame-like spot is seen on the white of the eye soon after
birth. This is a broken superficial blood vessel and is a harmless situation which
will not affect vision. It may take weeks to completely disappear and requires no

treatment.

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