Baby Smooth Skin

There's nothing more softer than the skin of a newborn. Of course, the delicious smell that accompanies the soft texture adds to the appeal. There's something so satisfying about burying one's nose in the folds of a baby's neck and savouring all the yummy sensations.
I think, partly in an effort to preserve that moment of innocent delight, we adults slather on all sorts of lotions and sunscreens to protect the skin of our children. Our own monkeys are prone to eczema so they've always had thick rich lotions slapped onto their bodies from day one. Since it's a nightly ritual, they're getting used to applying the lotion on themselves. In particular, there's Aisling who spends much time and effort rubbing gobs of lotion onto her protruding belly. It reminds me of basting a holiday turkey. At least she's applying it to her body these days. One afternoon, I unwisely left her alone for a few minutes. She managed to unscrew the lid to my cranberry scented body butter and empty the ENTIRE jar onto her arms, her face, her hair and the bed sheets.
Last night, I found Aisling laboriously rubbing my night cream into her face after the bath. Asked what she was doing, she said "putting on cream". This episode triggered another one from my memory bank. When Devlin was about three or so, I realized my not-so-cheap Clinique facial moisturizer was mysteriously depleting at a faster rate than I was using it. Until I discovered the cause. In an attempt to be independent, Devlin was applying his lotion after his bath. My yellow facial lotion, all over his body!
Also in an attempt to prevent freckles, we try to remember to apply sunscreen to the children in warmer months and slap on hats. Lately though, Devlin has resisted this, stating he wants freckles too, "just like Mommy".