Kids' Skincare 101 — your webinar resources

Thank you for joining Kids' Skincare 101. Everything I promised is on this page: the recording, the routines, the products I showed, and answers to your questions.

Watch the recording

Open the recording on YouTube. It's chaptered, so you can jump straight to the part you need.

The three rules

1. Cleanse gently. 10 minutes maximum, lukewarm water, rinse thoroughly.
2. Moisturise often. Straight after the bath, at least twice a day.
3. Protect from the sun. SPF50 with PA+++, from 6 months old.

Children's skin keeps developing for around 10 years. It has a thinner barrier, less natural moisturising factor, and a microbiome that is still settling, which is why these three simple things matter so much.

Routine by age

Babies, 0–12 months

• Cleanse. Newborns need only 2–3 baths a week. After 3 months you can increase the frequency as they start crawling and eating. Keep baths to 10 minutes in lukewarm water, never hot, and rinse all the soap off.
• Moisturise. Dab dry with the towel, never rub, then moisturise immediately while the skin is still receptive. At least twice a day, even on days without a bath.
• Massage. After moisturising, use a massage oil made for babies. Massage supports your baby's development, lowers their stress and yours, and builds bonding, so try not to skip it.
• No sunscreen at all under 6 months.

Kids, 2–12

• Cleanse. Same 10 minutes in lukewarm water. A facial cleanser becomes useful once they wear sunscreen daily, get sweaty, or approach puberty, which can start as early as 10 or 11. Introducing one around 9 or 10 builds the habit before the oilier phase arrives.
• Moisturise. Immediately after washing, at least twice a day. Face and body are best treated separately, because facial skin is thinner and a thick body cream feels unpleasant on it. If it feels like a chore, they won't keep it up.
• Protect. SPF50 for UVB, with PA+++ for UVA. UVB burns, while UVA goes deeper and quietly accumulates DNA damage that shows up years later. For normal skin, chemical, hybrid or physical are all fine, so pick the one they like the feel and smell of.

During an eczema flare

1. Cleanse. Soap-free, fragrance-free, no SLS or SLES, to get irritants and allergens off the skin.
2. Treat. Use the treatment your doctor prescribed. A fingertip amount is enough, a thin layer only. Wait about 5 minutes for it to absorb.
3. Moisturise. Generously, on top.
4. Balm. An extra step I use: a balm seals the moisture in, which matters on a school day or a long day out.
5. Protect. Strictly mineral sunscreen on eczema-prone skin, since chemical filters can sting broken skin. Patch test first, because every child's skin is different.

A little stinging on broken skin is normal, because the nerve endings are exposed. It shouldn't be severe or last long.

How much moisturiser, every week

• Babies: 125g
• Children: 250g
• Adults: 500g

For a baby that's roughly four 30ml tubes a week. Most people use far less than this. The right moisturiser is simply the one you can afford to use liberally, so find one you like and stay with it.

Check any product yourself

Before you buy anything, paste the ingredient list into eczemachecker.com to flag fragrance, SLS, SLES and other common triggers. For sunscreens, sunscreenchecker.com tells you whether a product is strictly mineral, and covers UV filter types, fragrance and eczema safety in one check.

The products I showed

These are what my family uses. Equivalent products work just as well, so match what the product does rather than the brand.

For babies

• Wash: QV Baby Gentle Wash, Cetaphil Baby, or ATOPALM Top-to-Toe Wash. Soap-free and fragrance-free.
• Moisturiser: Aveeno Baby, Cetaphil Baby, or Mustela. Look for a cream you can afford to use twice a day, every day.
• Massage oil: My Baby Minyak Telon, Mustela, or Johnson's baby oil. A product made for babies, never neat essential oils.

For kids 2–12

• Face cleanser: ATOPALM Fresh Facial Cleanser.
• Body wash: Suu Balm Kids Creamy Head-to-Toe Wash.
• Face moisturiser: Oumi Kids Calm & Hydrate Face Cream, fragrance-free and made for the thinner skin on the face.
• Body moisturiser: Aveeno Baby.
• Sunscreen: K-Mom Easy-To-Wash Mild Sun Milk SPF50 PA+++, or Bioré UV Kids Pure Milk SPF50. Mineral only if your child has eczema.

My family's eczema protocol

1. Cleanse: QV Gentle Wash
2. Treat flares: the steroid your doctor prescribed
3. Moisturise: Oumi Kids Calm & Hydrate Face Cream
4. Balm: Aquaphor Baby Healing Balm Stick
5. Protect: Bioré UV Kids Pure Milk SPF50

Shop my picks on Shopee →

Those links go to Shopee Singapore. If you're shopping elsewhere, use the product names above, as all of them are widely available.

Your questions, answered

Can we use olive oil to moisturise a newborn?

I'd avoid it. Moisturising needs both water and oil, and olive oil is purely oil, so it feels greasy without actually adding hydration. Some olive oils also contain components that can irritate newborn skin. Play it safe and use a proper baby moisturiser.

Is eczema linked to a sensitive gut? Would pre or probiotics help?

Yes, there's a real link between the gut and the skin, and they develop connected. A healthy gut microbiome tends to come with a healthier skin microbiome, so eating prebiotics and probiotics can help. On the skin, a moisturiser containing prebiotics or postbiotics feeds the microbiome living on the surface. Oat is a good example of a prebiotic that does this.

But no supplement replaces moisturiser. However much you take, if you don't add hydration the skin stays dry. Moisturiser is the cornerstone, steroid controls a flare when you need it, and then you manage the triggers around you.

Are essential oils safe for babies?

Not directly on the skin, and don't mix them into a moisturiser. Use a massage oil formulated for babies instead. A room diffuser is a different matter and shouldn't be an issue.

Do babies need sunblock?

No sunscreen at all under 6 months, as their skin is still developing. After 6 months, SPF50 with PA+++.

Is topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) real, and how does dermatology view it?

It's real but rare, and social media makes it look far more common than the data says. It's linked to prolonged use of mid to high potency steroid, mostly in adults, on the thinnest skin such as eyelids and the genital area, and where skin is covered so the steroid can't break down.

In children, under-treating eczema is by far the more common problem: leave a flare untreated and it spreads, and you end up needing more steroid, not less. Use the concentration your doctor prescribes, a fingertip amount, stop once the flare settles, and keep moisturising throughout. Ask your doctor which potency, how often, how long, and what to watch for.

What about preteens and acne?

Start a facial cleanser around 9 or 10 to build the habit before oil production rises. Don't layer acne treatment on acne treatment, as a full acne routine is too strong for a young face. Introduce one thing at a time and watch whether it helps. Acne patches are fine for the occasional single spot, but for a clustered area an acne gel is better value. Fit the routine to their life, because night-time usually works better than the school-morning rush.

This is the subject of the next session, so watch out for it.

Two minutes of feedback

If you have two minutes, this short form genuinely shapes the next webinar.

Education only, not medical advice. See a doctor if skin is weeping or crusted, if there are painful clustered blisters, or if it isn't improving after 1–2 weeks.
Disclosure: I'm the founder of Oumi Kids. The products shown are what my family uses, and equivalent products work just as well. Some product links are Shopee affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.