Lanugo hair are the fine hairs that grow on a newborn baby’s skin. These tiny hairs develop during the later stages of the mother’s pregnancy and covers the newborn’s forehead, back, shoulders and ears. They are your baby’s way of keeping warm until his or her body begins to build fat storage. Premature babies, for example, are covered with lanugo because they haven’t fully developed like full term babies. Therefore, they need more lanugo hairs to keep them insulated and regulate their body temperature. Fine lanugo hair usually falls off a few days after the baby’s birth. Other times, lanugo can stay for as long as one year. Infants with darker complexion may have lanugo until three years old. As the saying goes, its all in the genes. Once the lanugo is shed, it’s gone for good.
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To get rid of lanugo hair, you can try home remedies like those turmeric and raw milk concoctions Grandma used in the old country. These may or may not work, but keep in mind that they can be harmful to your poor baby’s skin. There are also other dangers in these home remedies. Giving your baby raw milk transmits bacteria that are harmful to you baby’s digestive system. If your baby can’t drink pasteurized milk, its a safe bet that ingesting raw milk is a no-no as well.

Other methods suggest rubbing your baby’s skin to speed up the shedding. Just make sure to be gentle on your cutie pie’s skin. Rubbing may stimulate shedding but its not worth irritating your baby’s skin.

If you really have to get rid of your baby’s lanugo, there are some gadgets available to help you. The T100 Lanugo hair clipper, for example, is a baby hair trimmer that works by using stainless steel blades to trim lanugo without hurting your baby. It claims to be suitable for children up to six years old, but make sure you do the research before using to make sure this is the right solution for your baby.

However, the best solution is wait it out. You’re baby will always be the cutest little darling in the world! A few lanugo hairs wont psychologically damage your cutey patooty or turn them into horrible, hairy beasts. The lanugo will eventually fall off. If they don’t, talk to your pediatrician and discuss what the safest options are available for you and your baby.