Skin

A newborn’s skin colour varies from child to child. His hands and feet are sometimes paler and may stay blueish for up to 48 hours. The skin may also be mottled. This is due to cold – your baby is still learning to control his own temperature. In most cases, the mottling disappears once your baby is in a warm place.

The skin is usually smooth, soft and transparent in places. It may wrinkle and peel, especially on the hands and feet. It is sensitive to heat and cold. It may wrinkle and peel, especially on the hands and feet. It is sensitive to heat and cold.

At birth, babies can be covered in vernix caseosa, a white paste that protected their skin in the amniotic fluid. The whitish coating will be absorbed in a few hours or days. Some babies, even premature ones, can also have skin covered with a fine down, which goes away after a few weeks.


Vernix caseosa: A whitish substance coating the skin of a newborn baby.