Newborn chapped lips may show symptoms such as baby cracked lips, dry lips and even dry mouth. In this article, learn the causes, treatments and how to avoid cracking lips, chin and dehydration in young babies who show signs of chapped lips even during breastfeeding.
Your child or baby may show signs of dry and sore lips. While this may point to a certain underlying health problem, it is possible that the simple cause of this is a medication you are giving the kid, or that he or she is suffering from dehydration.
Before going further into our discussion of newborn chapped lips, it is important to be able to identify the problem clearly. That said, what are newborn chapped and dry lips? Below, we introduce you to the entire discussion so that you are able to make a simple diagnosis to identify this condition.
What are Newborn Chapped Lips?
Newborn chapped lips are lips that dry up and crack or split often. When you find out that your child has parched lips that dry every now and then even when you are still breastfeeding, it is possible that the condition is chapping of lips.
The condition can be caused by various issues, primary among them is dehydration. Of the causes, some of them may be medical conditions while others just temporary problems such as the weather or that your baby has become dehydrated and rehydrating him or her will restore supple and soft lips. Below are the causes of chapped lips in children.
Causes of Newborn Chapped Lips and Cracked Lips
Although we have already seen the general causes of dry, cracked and toddler chapped lips, it is important that you do not take for granted the symptom in your child. When your three-day old toddler or any baby who is less than 7 months old shows signs of flaking lips, the actual cause may be an underlying medical condition.
Below are the known medical and non-medical conditions that may make your child to have dry and cracking lips.
- Generally, newborn dehydration is the common reason for cracking lips in kids. As you will see below, simple remedies and treatments would be to rehydrate your baby through more breastfeeding or giving water to prevent the problem since you cannot use a moisturizing chapstick on a newborn.
- Sun exposure is also likely to cause darkening and cracking of a newborn’s soft mouth.
- Vitamin A deficiency. Also, deficiency of vitamin B and Vitamin C may cause dryness.
- Riboflavin deficiency, also called lack of vitamin B2.
- Too much exposure to the wind carries away moisture and leads to cracking.
- When lips crack on your newborn, it could be a sign that the child may be developing diabetes.
- If the newborn licks lips constantly.
- Deficiency of iron, also causing anemia.
- Kawasaki disease.
- Sjogren’s syndrome may cause infant chapped lips.
- Macrocytosis is also listed as a possible cause of drying and chapping lips in newborns.
Baby Chapped Lips and Symptoms
It is not so difficult to identify the symptoms or signs of newborn chapped lips. In most cases, you will find the lips of the baby or toddler lacking the softness and suppleness they are supposed to have. Being young lips, they are soft tissues and any lack of moisture is likely to show with various symptoms.
- Drying lips
- Lips of your child may start chapping or cracking
- Sometimes the tissue on the lips may darken especially if the chapping is caused by exposure to too much sun.
- The baby’s lips will sink and crack.
- Baby chapped lips bleeding in severely cracked lips in newborns.
- Sore lips can become evident as well.
On seeing these symptoms, it is important to moisturize the lips of the newborn. If you are not sure of the cause, you see a doctor for some of the most effective treatments for chapped lips. Below, we will discuss some of the best treatments available to remedy your newborn’s dry and cracking lips.
Newborn Chapped Lips When Breastfeeding
Some pregnant women may experience the chapping of lips, which is sometimes termed as a sign of pregnancy. However, after childbirth, some neonates may show signs of chapping lips. While this might not have anything to do with the mother’s condition, it could also indicate that she is not breastfeeding enough.
A newborn with chapped lips may not be getting enough breast milk, which is solely the source of water or hydration and nutrients for the baby. The mother is advised to breastfeed more in order to have her baby well hydrated. This is the best remedy for chapped lips of your baby.
Newborn Chapped Lips Treatment
Chapped chin, baby chapped cheeks, dry mouth and other symptoms may hint of a serious health problem with your baby. It is important to seek treatment for your baby as soon as possible. Although you can apply your own home diagnosis by looking and observing the symptoms, you are advised you see a pediatrician who will prescribe or advise on the best treatment or cure for newborn baby chapped lips.
If your child is suffering from dry and cracked lips as a result of an allergic reaction, your doctor will be able to diagnose and offer the best treatment option for him or her. Due to such conditions, including diabetes and others, as discussed above in the causes, you should see a doctor first.
If you are fond of kissing your newborn baby on the lips, avoid doing so since the child might be reacting to your lip makeup, such as lipsticks. Some people have also thought that newborn chapped lips are a symptom of herpes, cold sores or other viral infections. While a bacterial infection, use of certain medications may prove to be reasons why your kid has chapping lips, let your doctor diagnose the cause first before prescribing the best treatment to offer him or her.
Newborn Baby Chapped Lips Remedy & Cure
As we conclude our discussion for parents with kids with chapping lips, we recommend only one simple natural home remedy that will prevent, treat, cure or get rid of chapped lips fast. This is rehydration or simply hydration of the baby. Give our child enough water everyday to prevent too much loss of moisture on the lips, which causes them to have cracking lips. Breastfeeding, as seen above is one of the best ways to treat and prevent newborn chapped lips.
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