Skin care for preemies?

[lgc]

My son is now 37 weeks corrected and has very dry skin on his face. Currently just using water & cotton wool but think maybe the cotton wool is contributing? He's now fully bottle fed (tube came out 3 days ago woo hoo!) and think the milk dribbles maybe making it worse also. Would it be better to use a soft wash cloth? Is it best just to leave it alone and it will clear up on it's own?

Also what age do you think it's ok to start using baby wipes / lotions etc?

I've not given him a bath yet as it's been difficult to maintain his body temp.(just been top & tailing / strip washing with cotton wool & water) Temp is much better now but not sure I need to rush to get him in the bath, when did you start bathing your preemie and how often?

Thanks!

 

[AP]

We didnt start bathing properly at home until a good few weeks (she'd had baths at NICU though)

Also at NICU they used coconut oil for dry skin. We've used it ever since (lotions make our preemie come out in a rash, even now)

We were careful with wipes too as they can cause irritation, but found Huggies the ones that didnt affect her

 

[Sam182]

We were told by NICU staff to use a little olive oil for dry skin x