Have you started to notice that your baby’s cheeks are always red or chapped? This is likely caused by cold wind when you’re outside. Protecting the delicate skin on your baby is important but can be tricky! I have found 3 ways to protect my baby’s dry cheeks in winter, especially while hiking, and they are all easy and effective.
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Use a Skin Balm
A balm or skin salve is a great way to create a physical barrier on your baby’s cheeks while hiking, and to use after to keep the skin moisturized. I just put a layer on her cheeks before we start hiking, and then I will continue to do that throughout the day if I notice they are dry, especially after a bath.
I have used a few different balms and my favorites are the Badger Baby Balm and Aquaphor.
Use a Neck Gaiter
A neck gaiter (also called a buff) is a tube of fabric that your wear around your neck, but you can also use it in a variety of ways. It can come up higher around the face to protect their cheeks and paired with a hood, does a great job treating baby’s dry cheeks in winter.
I prefer a fleece or merino wool buff. Make sure you avoid cotton because if it gets wet, it will stay wet and make your baby cold and irritate the skin even more. I actually use an adult size fleece buff most often because i’m not worried about it being too tight and I can put it on over my kid’s snowsuit. It also works great to catch drool, I just make sure to rotate it to give it time to dry. I also love the Iksplor merino kids wool buff (Code HaileyOutside) because they’re not quite as thick, but still warm.
Make sure it never comes up too high and impedes your baby’s airway. I like to see their nose to make sure they are able to easily breathe with it on.
Utilize Your Carrier’s Rain Cover
While your hiking carrier’s rain cover does a great job of keeping the rain and snow off your baby, it also does an amazing job of blocking the wind. It traps in their body heat and keeps them warmer as well. This is a great add on if your carrier has one you can purchase.
When you use the rain cover, be aware that it can actually make your baby too hot with all their layers on and the trapped in heat. I recommend checking on your baby soon after putting it on to make sure they’re not getting too hot, and taking off layers as needed.
If you found these tips to help protect baby’s dry cheeks in winter helpful, make sure you check out my other posts about winter hiking with kids!
