# Newborn Skin, Eyes and Other Little Things

> Baby acne, cradle cap, sticky eyes and other normal newborn things.

Stage: newborn - Topic: Health - Page: https://www.askcladle.com/guides/newborn/newborn-skin-eyes-and-little-things

Grounded in: AAP HealthyChildren newborn care guidance. General information; the pediatrician can look at anything you're unsure about.

Reviewed: 2026-10

## TLDR

- Baby acne, milia, cradle cap, sneezing and a stuffy nose are usually normal and clear on their own.
- Mention thrush, a stubborn diaper rash or a flat spot on the head at a checkup.
- Call the same day for a rash with fever, redness spreading around the cord, a swollen eye with discharge, or spreading jaundice.

## Usually normal

- Baby acne and milia (tiny white bumps), often from about 2 weeks. Leave them alone; they clear on
  their own.
- Cradle cap: greasy yellow scales on the scalp. Wash, brush gently, and loosen with a little oil
  before washing.
- Sneezing, a stuffy nose and noisy breathing. Saline drops and a bulb syringe before feeds help.
- Peeling skin; swollen breasts or genitals, or a little discharge, from the birthing parent's
  hormones.
- A sticky, watery eye from a blocked tear duct: wipe with warm water from the inner corner out.
- Bluish hands and feet in the first days, startling at noises, crossed eyes now and then.

## Mention at a checkup

- Thrush: white patches in the mouth that don't wipe off, or a fussy, painful latch.
- Diaper rash that doesn't improve after 2-3 days of zinc cream and air time.
- A flat spot on the head. More tummy time and alternating which end of the crib the head is at
  can help.
- A pink, moist bump where the cord was (umbilical granuloma).
- Hard, pebbly stools or straining with crying. Breastfed babies can go a few days without a stool
  after about 6 weeks if it's soft.

## When to check in

Call the pediatrician the same day for a rash with fever, redness spreading around the cord, a
yellow or swollen eye with discharge, or spreading jaundice.