Baby FAQs from MD Moms

The Doctor is in!

In the many years we’ve been in practice. We have had the opportunity to work with thousands of new parents and their babies.

We have fielded lots of questions about common skin conditions and the safety and efficacy of the products available to treat them. Baby Silk was developed in response to these concerns in order to meet the needs of our patients and your babies. The following are some of the most frequently asked questions we've received, along with our answers.


Select and click a question below to see what we have to say!

A: Keep the base of the umbilical cord clean and dry because, as your baby’s cord breaks down, it becomes moist and sticky. Twice a day, either wipe off the base of the cord with a dry cotton swab, or one moistened with rubbing alcohol.

A: Baby's delicate, sensitive skin may tend to dry out if washed too frequently with soaps or agents that strip skin of its natural oils. Newborns can be sponged bathed every 2-3 days, until the umbilical cord falls off. After that, a baby can be bathed daily in warm water, using a gentle cleanser rather than soap. Remember, always make sure to test the bath water before putting baby in.

Baby Silk Gentle All-Over Clean Cleansing Towelettes are a terrific alternative to a sponge bath, especially if you are on the go! They are gentle enough to use on a newborn on BOTH sets of cheeks!

Baby Silk Gentle All-Over Clean Hair and Body Wash has a fresh, soothing scent, and is gentle enough to cleanse baby's hair and body every day. Best of all, it's tear-free!

A: A newborn's skin dries out almost immediately after birth, as baby transitions from the moist environment of the womb to his or her new environment in the outside world. Within the first 2-3 weeks of life, a newborn's skin will typically flake and shed, regardless of what a parent does. After that point, if your baby's skin continues to feel dry, regular application of a moisturizer can make a difference.

Baby Silk Daily Skin Protection Moisturizing Balm softens dry skin, and also serves as a luxurious massage lotion after baby's bath.

A: Infant and child massage is a bonding, stimulating and relaxing activity for both parent and child. An ideal time to give baby a massage is after a bath, when his skin is plumped up and hydrated. At this time, a gentle massage with an emollient or hydrating lotion can boost the skin's natural barrier function, and help baby's skin retain moisture.

Baby Silk Daily Skin Protection Moisturizing Balm has a rich emollient base and delicious bond-encouraging scent that will leave baby moisturized and relaxed. If baby has very dry skin, our moisture balm can be applied multiple times daily to help keep his skin soft and prevent dryness.

A: Dry baby powder often contains talc, which has the potential to cause respiratory irritation once airborne and inhaled into baby's lungs. Although dry powder can help keep sweaty and clammy areas from becoming sticky and uncomfortable, pediatricians typically discourage its use out of concern for potential respiratory irritation.

Baby Silk Delicate Skin Comfort Silky Liquid Powder offers the soothing comfort of powder without the possibility of lung irritation caused by airborne inhaled particles. It smoothes on as a lotion, and dries quickly to a silky, powdery finish. Its cornstarch base is absorptive, while other ingredients serve to smooth and soothe baby’s skin.

A: The sense of smell is an important component of bonding, which is why we created our signature fresh, light botanical scent that appeals to both babies as well as their parents. It is often believed that fragrances from essential oils or organic sources are hypoallergenic. On the contrary, sometimes these compounds have a higher potential to cause skin reactions. Therefore, our Baby Silk products contain a fragrance that was derived from a carefully selected blend of ingredients, was formulated free of known sensitizers, and is 100% phthalate-free.

All Baby Silk products have been developed specifically for infants and babies, are clinically tested and certified hypoallergenic.

A: Diaper rash is most frequently caused by skin irritation from wet or soiled diapers. Secondary infections in the diaper area are typically caused by bacterial or fungal (yeast) overgrowth on inflamed or tender skin.

A: The best way to prevent diaper rash is to keep your baby's bottom clean and dry at all times. Since this is not always possible, using a barrier cream to keep baby's skin from coming into direct contact with irritants in a dirty diaper will help.

Baby Silk Soothing Bottom Relief Diaper Rash Cream uses a patented formula that was originally developed to help chemists avoid hand and skin irritation. Use it with every diaper change to help prevent and heal diaper rash.

A: Our products are naturally based, but technologically advanced, using highest quality food-grade and pharmaceutical-grade ingredients. Our unique formulas contain ingredients that strike a balance between nature and science. As a result, MD Moms Baby Silk products are highly effective, yet gentle enough for a newborn’s uniquely delicate skin.

When contemplating ingredients and designing formulas, we will use a botanical or natural ingredient when it is the safest, most gentle and effective option. In some cases, certain botanical ingredients have the potential to be highly irritating to a newborn’s skin, so in those cases the choice is simply not an option. Under these circumstances, if the synthetic version of that ingredient is the cleaner, more pure and gentle option, we may opt to choose it.

Contrary to popular belief, just because a product is labeled natural or organic doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t be irritating to sensitive, or even normal skin. Natural or organic does not necessarily mean hypoallergenic. So, when choosing products for sensitive or newborn skin, be sure to look for products that are clinically tested, rated hypoallergenic, and formulated especially with these concerns in mind.

A: Cradle cap, or seborrhea, is a greasy, flaky rash that develops on the scalps of many newborns in the first few months of life. It is caused by over secretion of the oil glands of the scalp – driven by maternal hormones and by baby’s “mini pubertal” hormone increases in the first several weeks of life. The excess oil on the scalp clings to dead skin cells, and causes buildup of greasy yellow flakes. Often, seborrhea can also be found on baby's forehead, cheeks, chin and neck.

A: Cradle cap is best treated by removing the crusts and flakes on baby's scalp with an oil-based shampoo. Shampoos with an oily base essentially soften the greasy scales, and make them easier to rub, comb or exfoliate off of baby.

Baby Silk Gentle Scalp Rub Exfoliating Cleanser is the first product developed specifically to help remove flakes associated with cradle cap. By utilizing an oil based emulsion coupled with the addition of salicylate, a gentle exfoliating agent, removing the scales associated with cradle cap is a breeze. Apply Gentle Scalp Rub and leave on 1-2 minutes. Use a washcloth, fingertips, soft toothbrush or comb to loosen and remove flakes. Then wash off with hair & body wash or shampoo. Baby’s scalp is restored to normal in no time!

A: Yes. A variety of sunscreens exist to provide protection from sun exposure: chemical sunscreens, physical sunscreens, or a combination of both.

Chemical sunscreens absorb UV radiation on the skin, then disperse this energy into harmless rays. They are made from active ingredients like octyl methoxycinnamate, octyl salicylate, octocrylene, and oxybenzone (which provide UVB protection) or avobenzone (which provides UVA protection). Chemical sunscreens require 20 minutes to activate, and ideally should be applied in 2 coats 20-30 minutes apart, before going outside.

Physical sunscreens (containing titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide) are not absorbed into the skin, but rather sit on its surface and reflect, scatter and block UVA and UVB rays. These ingredients are less irritating, in general, and are immediately active upon application. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Dermatology advocate their use in children, and even in infants under the age of 6 months if direct sun exposure cannot be avoided.

Some sunscreens combine both chemical and physical agents in order to provide broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection.

Baby Silk Babysafe Sunscreen Towelettes contain 100% physical protection against both UVA and UVB rays with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30+. Each luxurious towelette provides a pre-measured amount of moisturizing and soothing sunscreen sufficient to cover an average sized toddler from head to toe! And what’s more- our sunscreen does the job without being thick and sticky.

A: Yes! Children under the age of one need extra sun protection because of their thin and sensitive skin. Studies have shown that sun damage occurring early in childhood increases the potential risk of skin cancer later in life. In addition to staying out of the sun during midday and wearing protective clothing, pure physical sunscreens are recommended for children. Physical sunscreens are known to be the least irritating, since they don't get absorbed into the top layer of skin, and offer broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection.

Baby Silk Babysafe Sunscreen Towelettes SPF 30+ Broad Spectrum Sunscreen contains physical sunblock only, is sweat proof and comes in convenient, resealable no-spill pouches. They also come in single towelettes so you can share with other family members!

A: During the first few weeks of life, it is common for your newborn to develop a number of “adjustment” rashes. Baby's skin will often feel dry, peel, crack or develop erythema toxicum – a common newborn rash that resembles tiny bug bites, with spots that migrate daily, and typically resolves by 2-3 weeks of age. This is considered a normal adjustment rash of infancy. However, rashes that resemble fluid-filled blisters should be brought to the attention of your healthcare provider. These could be a sign of a bacterial or viral infection and deserve immediate attention from your health care provider.

A: Of course! All of our products can be used by any age group. Because each Baby Silk product is clinically tested and certified hypoallergenic, individuals with healthy or sensitive skin can enjoy the gentle and effective properties of our products.

For those sweaty folds in older children or adults, our Delicate Skin Comfort Silky Liquid Powder prevents chafing and absorbs moisture wherever perspiration occurs.

Our SPF30+ Babysafe Sunscreen Towelettes can be used by all age groups - tuck them into your glove box, your golf bag, your child's sports bag, or your purse, for those times you wish you had coverage on a sunny day.

Our Gentle All-Over Clean Hair and Body Wash is perfect for travel and cleans everyone head to toe with one product!

Gentle All-Over Clean Cleansing Towelettes are a perfect cleanser on the go -- whether to clean grimy faces, sticky little hands or even to remove your makeup!

Our Daily Skin Protection Moisture Balmis incredibly rich, and can soothe dry, cracked skin and form a protective barrier. The delicate scent of all of our products is adored by boys and girls, dads and moms alike. By all means, please consider sharing your baby’s products with the entire family!

A: Traditionally, personal care products without any preservative systems have run the risk of bacterial and fungal overgrowth and instability leading to product breakdown and/or contamination. Recently, however, new technologies have emerged allowing for a preservative-free product to be adequately stabilized by using a combination of ingredients that are inherently antimicrobial. We have recently begun using a newer generation “preservative-free” technology, but you will see that it has not been used in every Baby Silk product.

These systems, unfortunately, are not “one size fits all”. What works to effectively stabilize one product may not work for another (for example, what stabilizes our Cleansing Towelettes does not achieve the same for our Sunscreen Towelettes.) Differing ingredient profiles, and even the nature of the container may cause differences in efficacy. Additionally, some stabilizing systems may be suitable for an older child or adult, but intensely irritating for a very young infant or newborn (a very important criteria for our formulations). Some of the newer generation of stabilizers are formaldehyde-based (no thank you!) and some do not have long-term safety data available.

To protect the integrity of each of our products, we have utilized the safest, most effective and gentle methods currently available. Each has been chosen specifically with each formulation in mind. The majority of our products utilize preservative-free technology. A few use a paraben-free food-grade preservative. Our sunscreen products required the use of a tiny percentage of cosmetic preservative in order to prevent browning of our towelettes and deactivation of our zinc and titanium.

As moms, pediatricians, and scientists, we must carefully and diligently weigh our options and utilize a stabilization system with the most complete record of safety data, while still maintaining our standards of efficacy and gentleness.

We continue to keep our fingers on the pulse of this topic and are constantly exploring and testing the safest and most promising methods available for current, and future products.

A: No. Our formulas always have been and always will be 100% phthalate-free.

A: Baby Silk products are manufactured in the USA in a state-of-the-art, FDA-certified, clean-room facility. Our manufacturing areas have been engineered to filter out any potential micro-contamination from our plant, and the surrounding air, and are so clean they are certified to manufacture pharmaceuticals and microelectronics. Our manufacturing facility has also undergone extensive regulatory review that surpasses export standards required for Asia and Europe.

MD Moms uses only the cleanest and purest ingredients, including USP-grade water (which has minerals, bacteria and impurities removed, exceeding USP Purified Water Standards). We manufacture our formulas in small runs to ensure that all of our Baby Silk products arrive to you the freshest they can be.

MD Moms is the recipient of the National Eczema Seal of Acceptance for multiple products aimed at treating eczema without the use of chemical irritants
MD Moms is the recipient of the National Parenting Publications Gold Award, recognizing quality products for children and their parents
MD MOms is the receipent of the Parent Tested Parent Approved (PTPA) Seal of Approval for testing in real-life environments with real families with positive results and evaluations
Recipient of The Baby Planners Seal of Approval based on quality, reliability, value, and style
MD Moms was voted Best Product of the Year by Fit Pregnancy