Is it true that talcum powder is harmful to babies?

In the past, talcum powder was one of the must-have items for every family for their upcoming newborn. People would usually sprinkle talcum powder all over the baby's body after giving the baby a bath, believing that this would prevent the baby from getting prickly heat and also smell good. But people don’t think so now, because studies have shown that talcum powder is not good for babies but harmful.

Is it good for babies to apply talcum powder?

Many mothers will apply skin powder to their babies after bathing them. It not only smells good but also prevents prickly heat. According to professionals, this has certain flaws. Frequent application of skin powder can cause blockage of sweat glands, which is not conducive to the discharge of sweat.

Another study showed that if a baby girl applies talcum powder on her inner thighs, vulva, lower abdomen and other parts of her body for a long time, her risk of developing ovarian cancer when she grows up will increase by 3.88 times compared to girls who do not use talcum powder.

The main ingredient of some baby powders is talcum powder, which contains heavy metal lead. Once the lead enters the baby's body, it takes a long time to excrete. Long-term use of lead-containing talcum powder can harm the human nervous, hematopoietic and digestive systems. In severe cases, it can also affect the baby's intelligence and physical development.

Talcum powder contains magnesium oxide, magnesium sulfate and other chemical substances that can easily be inhaled into the respiratory tract of infants. However, the respiratory tract of infants and young children is not yet fully developed, and even if they inhale a small amount, they cannot eliminate it by their own functions. However, if infants and young children inhale too much of these powders, they will invade the bronchi and destroy the cilia movement of the trachea, thereby reducing their defenses and easily inducing respiratory infections.

From the above, it can be seen that if parents use talcum powder on their babies for a long time, it will not only fail to prevent the babies from getting prickly heat, but may cause skin infections in the babies. Therefore, experts remind that for the sake of your baby, especially female babies, it is better not to apply talcum powder to the baby after bathing.

Precautions

Talcum powder easily absorbs water, but after absorbing water it will form granular substances, causing pores to be clogged and seriously leading to redness and erosion of the skin.

Therefore, housekeeping friends must use skin powder on children with caution to avoid causing unnecessary harm. If you must use it, please also pay attention to:

1. Be careful when applying talcum powder. First, pour the powder on your hands or powder puff away from the baby, and then apply it on the baby's body carefully to prevent the talcum powder from flying around.

2. When using, sprinkle the baby's whole body gently (use a powder puff or gauze wrapped with cotton), especially key areas such as buttocks, armpits, leg hollows, under the neck, etc.

3. When applying powder, you need to open up the wrinkles and sprinkle it on your face. Do not use too much each time.

4. Avoid getting powder in eyes, ears and mouth.

5. After use, the lid should be closed immediately and stored properly, and infants and young children should not be allowed to play with it.