How to Treat Dry Chapped Lips on a Newborn Baby

Wondering why your soft and cuddly baby has such dry lips? As new parents, your baby’s dry lips can be quite concerning, especially when you see peeling and cracking skin around their delicate mouth. 

While your worry is justified, dry lips of a newborn are quite common. However, you should be aware of why it happens, how to treat it and when to seek help.

In this blog, we shall discuss remedies and safe treatments for treating baby’s dry lips and shell some expert tips on baby lip care. 

What Are Chapped Lips?

Newborns may get dry and chapped lips because once out of the womb, their delicate skin takes time to adjust to the conditions outside. Although quite common, there is nothing to worry about dry, chapped lips of newborns. ^1,2

When inside the womb, the baby’s skin was coated in a thick, protective substance called vernix caseosa.³ Once outside, the skin gets affected by dry and cold weather or by too much friction, i.e., from licking lips or breastfeeding.

But although their skin might look dry, red, or flaky, they do not feel any discomfort from it. If your baby seems unfettered by their chapped lips, then you need not worry. However, if you feel the dryness is bothering them, you can resort to gentle home remedies that can soothe and moisturise their lips. 

In rare cases, dry, chapped lips on newborns could indicate an underlying issue such as an infection or dehydration.  If the problem persists, it is best to consult a doctor. 

What To Do If Your Baby Has Chapped Lips

There are several gentle remedies available to treat a baby’s dry lips.  It is always advisable to try these simple baby-friendly remedies first: 

1. Keep The Air Moist: In case of dry weather, use a humidifier in the room to prevent dry air. ⁴
2. Apply Breast Milk: Breast milk has natural healing properties. Applying a few drops of breast milk on your baby’s chapped lips can hydrate them and restore moisture. ⁵
3. Avoid wiping excessively: Constantly wiping your baby’s chapped lips, even with a clean cloth, can irritate the skin even further. ⁶
4. Use Baby-Safe Moisturisers: You can restore the lost moisture on chapped lips using gentle products that are free from petroleum, toxins and other chemicals. Coconut oil or lanolin are safe products for treating newborn’s dry lips. ⁶

Difference Between Dry and Healthy Baby Lips

Sometimes, you may get confused between dry and healthy baby lips. They may appear a bit dry, but could be healthy, or vice versa. 

• Healthy Baby Lips - These will appear soft and smooth. There will be no signs of discomfort.
• Dry/Chapped Lips- These will have dry, flaky or cracked skin. ⁷ Baby might cry or make a fuss during feeding due to pain. 

Common Causes of Dry Lips in Babies

There could be multiple reasons for baby’s dry lips: 

1. Adjustment Post-Birth: After birth, babies tend to lose the amniotic fluid coating - vernix caseosa, which protects their skin. This leads to temporary dryness.⁴,⁸
2. Weather Conditions: Dry air, especially in winters, can make the skin lose moisture, especially from the tender skin of babies. ⁷
3. Dehydration: Frequent vomiting or insufficient feeding can also cause dehydration in babies, one of the primary reasons for dry lips in babies. ⁹
4. Vitamin Deficiency: Sometimes, lack of vitamins B12 or iron can also lead to cracked lips in newborns. ¹⁰
5. Excessive Lip Licking: Excessive lip licking means putting saliva on the lips repeatedly. The saliva evaporates, drying out the lips. ¹⁰
6. Kawasaki Disease: Kawasaki disease is a condition in which the body's immune system affects blood vessels and they become inflamed and swollen. Apart from having a high fever, one of the symptoms of this disease is red, dry and cracked lips.¹¹

Analysing the root cause of dryness can help you prevent the condition from worsening. 

How to Treat and Prevent Chapped Lips

It is always better to prevent dry lips in newborns than to treat them later on. Here are a few steps you can take to ensure your baby does not have to deal with the discomfort: 

1. Keeping Humidity Check: If the weather is cold and dry, it is always better to use a humidifier to prevent any kind of dryness.
2. Regular Moisture: Breast milk contains natural healing properties. Dabbing some breast milk on your baby’s lips after every feed can prevent dryness. 
3. Hydrating Foods for Moms: As a breastfeeding mom, ensure that you eat vitamin-rich foods and are well-hydrated. 
4. Gentle Cleansing: You should wipe off your baby’s lip area gently using a clean cloth once or twice a day to remove all dirt, debris and dead skin cells. Avoid soaps and harsh chemicals.
5. Choose Doctor-Approved Products: Always use products that are gentle, safe, alcohol and chemical-free for your babies. There are many paediatrician-approved lip balms and ointments you can use for baby’s dry lips. 
6. Limited Bath Time: Overbathing your babies can result in natural oils from the skin being stripped. Always limit bath time to once a day. 
7. Apply Moisturiser After Bath: The skin pores open up after a bath. Moisturising immediately post-bath can ensure the nourishing oils penetrate deeper into the skin, hydrating it. 
8. Use Lukewarm Water: Always use lukewarm water to bathe your baby, as hot water can dry out delicate skin. 

How to Know if Your Newborn is Suffering From Dehydration?

It is always wise to consult your paediatrician even if you think your concern might be silly. If you feel your baby’s dry lips might have a serious underlying cause, then only a doctor can diagnose it perfectly. If gentle home remedies are unable to cure your baby’s dry lips, then it is best to consult your doctor. 

Sometimes, dry lips are a signal of dehydration in babies, especially if accompanied by other signs. If your baby is also showing the following signs, then your newborn may be suffering from dehydration: ¹²

• Fewer wet diapers (less than 6 per day after the first week)
• Dark yellow urine
• Sunken soft spot on the head
• Tearless crying
• Lethargy or fussiness

If you notice these signs along with persistently dry or cracked lips, consult your paediatrician immediately.

Wrapping Up

When it comes to newborns, even minor changes in their skin or behaviour should be monitored closely. It’s always safer to act early than to wait.

In most cases, dry lips in newborns are harmless and improve on their own once the weather or humidity levels normalise. But if the dryness is caused by dehydration, a nutritional deficiency, or infection, medical attention is necessary.

Try gentle, home-safe remedies for a few days. If there’s no improvement or if the lips worsen, consult your paediatrician without delay.

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