Jennifer Shu, board-certified pediatrician in Atlanta, Georgia, and coauthor of Heading Home With Your Newborn
Pediatricians no longer recommend talc-based baby powders because they're dangerous if inhaled, but I see no danger in cornstarch-based powders if they're used sparingly and carefully.
Use a cornstarch baby powder in your baby's diaper area to help reduce moisture and friction, which can occur when a wet diaper rubs against your baby's skin. Today's diapers tend to be super-absorbent, so most babies won't need daily powder if you change them frequently.
You don't want your baby inhaling any kind of powder, so make sure that you don't get it near her face. Instead, pour a small amount into your hand away from your baby and then apply it when you see her diaper area starting to look a little irritated from chafing.
There are times when cornstarch powder isn't a good idea. If your baby's skin is raw from diaper rash, for example, it's probably best to keep powder off it and use a diaper ointment or cream instead. And if your baby shows any signs of a skin infection — like areas that are red and very warm to the touch or oozing — then don't put powder on it, either. Instead, have your baby's doctor take a look.
Jo Ann C. Rohyans, pediatrician and lecturer on pediatric health for Columbus Children's Hospital and the Columbus Health Department, Ohio
Baby powder may smell and feel good, but I don't recommend it — and the American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends against it. Powder can cause breathing problems and serious lung damage when inhaled, and it's not always easy to keep the powder out of the air where your baby might breathe it.
This is most worrisome with talc-based powders, which have small, easily inhaled particles. Cornstarch, which has larger, coarser particles, is not as easily inhaled as talc.
There's no evidence that baby powder helps to prevent or treat diaper rash, either. The best preventive strategy is to clean and pat dry your baby's bottom at each diaper change and then apply a thin layer of protective ointment or cream.
If you wish to use powder, choose the safer cornstarch-based product. Shake the powder into your hand, away from your baby, never directly on or near her. Keep the powder container well out of your baby's reach at all times, too. You don't want it to fall over and produce a cloud of powder for her to inhale. Occasionally, you can use a medicated powder in the neck folds or groin folds as long as you don't allow it to build up.
Finally, to avoid irritation, carefully wash away any powder that may have accumulated in your baby's skin folds whenever you change her diaper.
Pediatricians no longer recommend talc-based baby powders because they're dangerous if inhaled, but I see no danger in cornstarch-based powders if they're used sparingly and carefully.
Use a cornstarch baby powder in your baby's diaper area to help reduce moisture and friction, which can occur when a wet diaper rubs against your baby's skin. Today's diapers tend to be super-absorbent, so most babies won't need daily powder if you change them frequently.
You don't want your baby inhaling any kind of powder, so make sure that you don't get it near her face. Instead, pour a small amount into your hand away from your baby and then apply it when you see her diaper area starting to look a little irritated from chafing.
There are times when cornstarch powder isn't a good idea. If your baby's skin is raw from diaper rash, for example, it's probably best to keep powder off it and use a diaper ointment or cream instead. And if your baby shows any signs of a skin infection — like areas that are red and very warm to the touch or oozing — then don't put powder on it, either. Instead, have your baby's doctor take a look.
Jo Ann C. Rohyans, pediatrician and lecturer on pediatric health for Columbus Children's Hospital and the Columbus Health Department, Ohio
Baby powder may smell and feel good, but I don't recommend it — and the American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends against it. Powder can cause breathing problems and serious lung damage when inhaled, and it's not always easy to keep the powder out of the air where your baby might breathe it.
This is most worrisome with talc-based powders, which have small, easily inhaled particles. Cornstarch, which has larger, coarser particles, is not as easily inhaled as talc.
There's no evidence that baby powder helps to prevent or treat diaper rash, either. The best preventive strategy is to clean and pat dry your baby's bottom at each diaper change and then apply a thin layer of protective ointment or cream.
If you wish to use powder, choose the safer cornstarch-based product. Shake the powder into your hand, away from your baby, never directly on or near her. Keep the powder container well out of your baby's reach at all times, too. You don't want it to fall over and produce a cloud of powder for her to inhale. Occasionally, you can use a medicated powder in the neck folds or groin folds as long as you don't allow it to build up.
Finally, to avoid irritation, carefully wash away any powder that may have accumulated in your baby's skin folds whenever you change her diaper.
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