Wow, That's a Hairy Baby!

on November 19, 2008 at 5:06 PM

monkey When my baby was born, she had a full head of hair, and some hair on her shoulders, back, and ears. I worried about all the name-calling come the teen years. Turns out I didn't have to. According to an article I just read in U.S. News & World Report, lots of babies are born with soft, fine hair covering the skin. It's called lanugo, and it goes away in a few weeks.

There are several other skin conditions in newborns that are perfectly normal, such as:

Small white bumps. These are called milia and are usually found on baby's cheeks and nose, and will fade within a few weeks.

Acne. This is common in infants, but doesn't last more than a few months.

Small red spots on baby's forehead, eyelids, lips, and neck. These are caused by stretched blood vessels, and should disappear within about 18 months.

If your baby is experiencing any of these, you can relax.

By the way, the fine hair on my baby's ears, shoulders and back did go away pretty quickly, but she also lost all the hair on her head! It's starting to grow in and she'll probably be wearing a bow in her hair by her first birthday.

Was your little one born with anything funny looking?

About the author Suzanne Murray

is the Parenting & Political editor at The Stir/Moms Matter 2012.

KatieCrandall

on Nov 19, 2008 at 6:39 PM

To my surprise, no! He was perfect and pretty! He did, however, have very hairy shoulders, and it was darker than peachfuzz, lol! He's almost three months old, and it's only just now disappeared!

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MamaCass07

on Nov 19, 2008 at 7:43 PM

My Noah had the same shoulder hair and neck and face hair. I thought it was so cute. =0)

WonderWomyn

on Nov 23, 2008 at 11:46 PM

My youngest, who was a preemie, was born hairy also on his neck, face, and shoulders. He was so cute. I found myself nicknaming him Mowgli from The Jungle Book because that was who he looked like to me. It ended up being his favorite cartoon.

Nonmember comment from Delaroot

on Jan 10, 2009 at 3:17 PM

My daughter had a little white blisterlike formation on the inside palm of one hand. I thought it was sucking blisters from the womb, until I asked the Dr b/c it was still there at her 2 mo well check. Now she is 8 mo, and it's still there. Dr says its a birthmark.

Facebook comment from Leslie Love

on Jun 7, 2011 at 10:58 AM

My little girl was born with a burst capillary on her cheek that never actually went anywhere. She's beautiful though and now that she's a teenager she loves it. She considers it part of her identity. In fact when she got her senior pictures she insisted that it was noticeable.