Baby Science

We pioneer the science in understanding babies—and our discoveries are often surprising. Read on to find out some of the remarkable things we've learned about your little one.

Sight is one of the last of your baby's senses to fully develop. In fact, your baby's eyesight continues to develop throughout the first year of life. For example, during the first four months of life, your newborn's eyes can only focus at a short distance (about 20 to 30cm)—the distance between your face and your baby's when you're cradling or feeding. Your baby's tear ducts complete development just after birth and although tearing may be present at birth, the tearing function continues to develop throughout the first four weeks of life.

Knowing exactly how a baby's eyes develop—and how to protect them during this critical time—has been the focus of JOHNSON’S® brand researchers for years.

We've learned that your baby doesn't blink nearly as much as you do; in fact, during the first year, babies blink 2 to 5 times per minute while adults blink 12 to 20 times per minute. And a blink reflex that is still developing means that baby may not be as able to protect her eyes from irritants or accidental splashes.

You can read here how our unique knowledge of baby's developing eyes led to the creation of our famous NO MORE TEARS® formula.

You only have to touch a baby's amazingly soft skin to know it is more delicate and fragile than your own. And the JOHNSON’S® brand research has shown just how different a baby's skin is from an adult's.

Skin acts as a protective barrier, the first line of defence against outside organisms, toxins, irritants and allergens. Baby's skin, which is thinner than yours and which continues to develop through the first year of life, is more vulnerable to irritants. These differences make it essential to help protect your baby's skin from irritants and a harsh environment. Determining what makes your baby's delicate skin unique and how best to protect it has been the focus of years of JOHNSON'S® baby research. To this day, we continue to study baby skin of all types, using non-invasive measurement techniques and clinical assessments by dermatologists and paediatricians. Our JOHNSON’S® brand science teams have become quite expert at making babies and their mothers feel safe and comfortable as we conduct our assessments. And by comparing baby skin to adult skin, we can start to really understand its uniquely different needs.

Did you know that skin needs appropriate hydration to remain healthy and skin that is too dry can lead to skin barrier disruption and even infection? Interestingly, in a research study where 90 percent of the mothers surveyed thought their baby's skin was not dry, 60 percent of their babies actually had clinically visible dry skin. Thanks to our research we know that although your baby's skin is naturally more hydrated than your own during the first 12 months of life, it can surprisingly lose water more quickly. And as your baby matures and becomes more active, chances are you will wash their face and hands more, which may also lead to skin dryness. So it's essential to use appropriate mild and gentle baby products that don't dry your baby's skin, help maintain the skin's natural moisture balance and that help protect against skin breakdown.

Keeping babies clean, through good skin hygiene, is essential to your baby's overall good health and wellness. Proper cleansing helps keep the skin free of unwanted substances, including dirt, transient germs, and irritants such as those from saliva, nasal secretions, urine, and faeces (including faecal enzymes). Maintaining a clean nappy area helps prevent skin breakdown, rash and infection. And keeping hands clean, particularly in the case of babies and their hand-mouth behaviours, can help reduce or prevent oral transmission of microbial contaminants. Special attention should also be paid to the facial area, where vulnerable skin can be easily irritated by milk, food and saliva. Similarly, skin folds and creases should be kept clean.

You can read here how these discoveries led to the creation of our CLINICALLY PROVEN MILD™ formula.

Mums around the world share a similar challenge: getting their babies to sleep. Studies indicate that 20-30 percent of babies experience sleep problems, including falling asleep and sleeping through the night. Most parents (in one report 76 percent) indicate a desire to change some aspect of their baby’s sleep. Recognising this, the JOHNSON’S® brand wanted to come up with a safe and helpful solution for mums.

We started by engaging our own scientists and external experts, including Dr. Jodi Mindell (Saint Joseph's University and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia), an internationally known, leading paediatric sleep expert. The result was the development of a clinically proven, 3-step Bedtime Routine, with specially developed products, that was shown to help babies and toddlers sleep.

The routine starts with a warm, soothing bath using JOHNSON'S® baby BEDTIME® bath with NATURALCALM® essences. The bath helps separate "busy time" and "time for bed," while giving mother and baby a chance to bond. From there, mums give a gentle massage with JOHNSON'S® baby BEDTIME® Lotion with NATURALCALM® essences, to help calm and relax. The final step is for mum and baby to enjoy age appropriate, calming activities together, like singing lullabies, reading, or talking about the day. These activities can help baby wind down before "lights out" signals "time for sleep."

Clinical trials have shown that the 3-step before-bed routine using JOHNSON'S® baby BEDTIME® bath and BEDTIME® lotion followed by quiet time helps babies fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and reduce awakenings during the night. Mums who tried the routine for their baby also saw benefits for their own mood, including feeling less tense and anxious.