A newborn's body is extremely vulnerable to injury. Soft flesh instead of muscles and cartilages instead of bones is what constitute a baby's body. A newborn requires body care due to these simple reasons. Certain parts of a newborn's body require extra care than others. These are mentioned below:

 Baby's Skull

Baby's skull does not get fully formed till a long time. Complete formation time varies from child to child. Due to this, cradle cap is a harmless condition that often occurs in newborns. Severity levels also differ from mild; where scalp may turn flaky and produce dandruff, to severe; where scalp turns yellowish and scaly leading to crusty patches.

Easiest way to overcome this is to rub in mild vegetable oil or olive oil into a baby's scalp at least twice a week. Oil must be allowed to stay for about 15 minutes. Use a soft comb to remove the flaky skin and a mild shampoo to keep the scalp clean.

Baby's Fingernails

A baby's fingernails can be his own enemy. Soft in appearance and definitely softer than your fingernails, these can be sharp nevertheless. If allowed to grow unchecked, these can be harmful for the baby. An active baby while flailing his arms can easily scratch his face or other parts of body.

A new mother's apprehensions are quite understandable, but trimming your baby's fingernails is not going to rip them off from the roots. A baby's fingernails are soft and can be trimmed by biting also. If you find the idea of "biting to trim" a bit too much to handle, you can invest in baby clippers that are meant to provide extra care while trimming.

Baby's Genitalia

The vaginal area of a baby girl needs to be wiped with a moist clean cloth during diapering and bathing, taking care to wipe from front to back to avoid transferring bacteria from the anus to the vagina. Genital area of a newborn baby boy also requires frequent cleaning to avoid diaper rashes.