Lanugo (Fine Body Hair)
Fine hair covering baby's body for warmth and protection, usually shed before birth.
Development Timeline
Weeks 16-40
Overview
Lanugo is the fine, soft hair that covers your baby's entire body starting around week 16. This downy hair helps hold vernix caseosa on the skin and may help regulate temperature.
The hair typically peaks around weeks 28-30 when baby is covered head to toe. Then it gradually sheds, and most babies are born with minimal lanugo. Hair is swallowed and becomes part of meconium (first poop).
Premature babies often have more lanugo visible at birth, while post-term babies have none. Some full-term babies have lanugo on shoulders, back, or ears that sheds within the first few weeks.
🗓️ Week-by-Week Milestones
Tap any week to open its full pregnancy guide — baby size, symptoms, and what else is developing that week.
👀 What to Expect
- •Most of it sheds before birth
- •Full-term babies may have some on shoulders/back
- •Falls out within weeks if present at birth
- •Very fine and soft
- •Baby swallows lanugo (part of meconium)
- •More common in darker-haired babies
💡 Tips for Parents
- ✓Lanugo is temporary and normal
- ✓Helps hold vernix on skin
- ✓Preemies have more visible lanugo
- ✓Sheds naturally in womb and after birth
- ✓Different from permanent hair
- ✓Not a sign of how hairy baby will be
🛍️ Supplements & Reads for This Development Stage
Comfort and preparation products other expecting parents find helpful at this stage. These are convenience picks, not medical advice — always follow your provider's guidance.
Prenatal Vitamins (with Folate & DHA)
Daily folate, iron and DHA support that doctors recommend before and throughout pregnancy.
Check Price on Amazon →DHA Omega-3 Supplement (Prenatal)
Doctors recommend DHA throughout pregnancy for baby's brain and eye development — especially the third trimester.
Check Price on Amazon →What to Expect When You're Expecting
The classic week-by-week guide trusted by millions of expecting parents.
Check Price on Amazon →Amazon Associates Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. These recommendations are editorially chosen comfort and preparation products and are not medical advice.
✨ Amazing Facts
The word lanugo means "downy" in Latin
Shed lanugo becomes part of first bowel movement
All babies develop lanugo, but not all have it at birth
Purpose isn't fully understood but likely for warmth
Completely different from permanent hair
Related Development Topics
👶 Planning Ahead?
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