Itchy and Scratchy? Solutions for Winter Dry Skin

My family battles dry skin all winter long. So, I thought I'd share some of the ways we keep away the itchies and scratchies.

Cooler, Shorter Baths: When my little ones were infants and toddlers, I loved to give them baths. But all three of them had patches of dry skin and varying degrees of eczema. What worked for us was to bathe them less frequently so that we weren't always washing off their skin's natural oils. We didn't let them turn into Pig Pen baby or anything, but we set a bath schedule of Monday, Wednesday, Saturday. We let them play in the bath once a week instead of every time and kept the water mildly warm -- not hot. Believe it or not, it has helped our children's skin tremendously.

Easy on the Soap: I have come to love lotion-based soaps. Yes, they don't lather the same way, but they do the job just as well. When the kids were babies, we used Aveeno Creamy Baby Wash. It works so well that I give it to my friends who are brand new moms. Another tactic to try is to add a capful of no-tears bath soap to the water as it runs into the tub. If there is a little soap in the water, you won't need to place it directly on your child's skin.

Build good Habits: Now that my boys are in elementary school, they are in charge of their own hand-washing. Their hands can get really dry if they aren't rinsing all the soap off. We've also noticed that they have to dry their hands thoroughly or the crevices between their fingers will get raw and red. So, we reinforce good rinsing and drying habits. We also keep a bottle of lotion at each of our bathroom sinks. (Perhaps you remember that my youngest is a lotion fanatic? Now you know why.) Encouraging your child to get a little lotion every so often -- especially after washing -- can build good self-care habits and help heal their hands.

Don't be Flaky: When dry skin gets itchy and flaky (my daughter's legs get this way from time to time) I leave the soft washcloth out of the bath and use a mesh puff. It's a little scratchy, but it gets the job done (plus, it's girly and purple, so she loves it). I figure, if it's good enough for my knees and elbows, why wouldn't it work for her?

Lovely Lips: When the kids' lips get dry and cracked, we gently brush them with the toothbrush while they're brushing their teeth. It takes the dry part off when their lips are already nice and wet, so there's no cracking. We follow up with lip balm after brushing, and they're good to go.

Put on Moisture that Stays: So many first-time Moms learn about the benefits of Baby Massage after a bath. Not only does it relax your child, it helps keep their skin healthy. Once your children are older, they can learn to put lotion on after their bath all by themselves. We have had great luck with a few products that are gentle enough to soothe and heal their skin.

• Baby Bee Apricot Baby Oil: I used this gently scented oil on all my babies and love it. It is produced by the Burt's Bees company, and although many of their products are so harsh they would dry out a rhino in a rainstorm, their Baby Bee products are quite good.
• Aveeno Calming Comfort Baby Lotion: We use this lavender-scented lotion before bedtime. It is my children's favorite scent -- very light. Aveeno products contain colloidal oatmeal, which helps skin to hold moisture.
• Nivea Extra Enriched Lotion: The big blue bottle of Nivea graces our home in more than one place. We use the formula for Very Rough, Dry Skin because it has small beads that smooth your skin as you rub it in.
• Norwegian Formula Hand Cream: We put a tiny dab of this on dry patches -- especially eczema -- anytime skin gets red. It does the trick, practically overnight.

Use a Humidifier: We use a humidifier in our bedrooms at night to help ease Wintertime dryness. Keeping houseplants throughout the house (and keeping them watered) also helps balance out the moisture level.

Get Moisture Inside-Out: Getting your children to drink enough water -- without anything mixed in -- can sometimes be a challenge. We work little drinks into our daily routine by drinking water at tooth-brushing time (morning and night) and with afternoon snack. If your child is taking in enough water, it can be easier for his or her own body to keep from drying out.

Free your Laundry: Finally, one of the things my pediatrician had me pay attention to early on was the type of laundry soap and fabric softener I used on my family's clothes. I tried several types and paid attention to their effect on my children's itchy skin. Right now, we use a fragrance-free soap (All Free & Clear) and very little softener (1/3 of a dryer sheet for a whole load). It seems to get out the stains (um... I have 2 boys, remember?) without making the rest of us itchy.

Well, that's what works for us. (I know it's not the most exciting post, but sometimes Moms have to be practical... Am I right?)

Hope these tips work for you and your itchy scratchy family.

- Midwest Mom

Lovely, Lovely Lotion...

My daughter has a new habit. She is addicted to lotion.

I'll explain.

The other day, my daughter found a little bottle of Bath & Body Works peach scented lotion on my nightstand. She asked what it was and I told her.

"May I have some?" she asked sweetly. I thought, "what will it hurt?" and agreed.

She smelled her hands and made a face. I told her she could wash it off with water if she didn't like it. She happily complied.

Ten minutes later, in she walks with a bottle of Nivea from the bathroom. (In case you're wondering, we are a dry-skin family.) We went through the same routine.

Then my daughter went from room to room, bringing her little bathroom stool around the house to make her taller so that she could check dressers, countertops and cupboards. I would hear a little squeal when she found a new bottle of lotion somewhere, and she would bring it in to where I sat reading. At the end of the expedition we had 9 bottles of lotion in all different sizes and shapes. Some had pump tops, some had screw caps, some had flip tops. She even found the little tube of lotion I keep in my purse and brought it in.

"Mommy, let's have a lotion party."

Laughing, and although there was a note of caution in the back of my consciousness, I agreed. I'll be darned if she didn't try every single one until she found the smell she was looking for. By the end of it all, her hands were as soft as a newborn baby's.

Giggling, I told my husband all about it when he got home. He said, "does she come up with these things herself, or are you teaching her to be a girly-girl?" I assured him that she is naturally a girly-girl... there is no "teaching" required. He gave a half-hearted frown. Our daughter entered the room and immediately had him smell her hands. He gave just the right amount of attention to let us both know that he thought it was cute.

And it was cute, until...

A few days later, my daughter and I went shopping for a friend's birthday. I looked in several shops for jewelry or clothes, finding nothing that sparked my interest. Finally, I spied Bath & Body Works. We went in.

My daughter's eyes nearly bugged out of her head at all the bottles of lotion everywhere.

"I love this place!" she exclaimed in her three-year-old squeal.

The salespeople descended like flies. Out came every tester of every kind of lotion I have ever seen. My daughter pushed up her sleeves to make more room for more samples to be rubbed on her skin. (She was quite upset when she realized how difficult it is to smell lotion you've just put on your elbow.) By the time we left, she smelled like a raindrop peach raspberry pomegranate fuchsia sweet pea coconut.

But, man, was she happy.

When we arrived at my friend's house for her birthday, my daughter proudly announced that we'd brought a gift from "the stinky soap store" (what Daddy calls it). With a confused smile, my friend said, "Thanks... I think." My daughter proudly told the story of trying 8 different lotions and lip gloss, too. She had the impression that it made her very grown-up, indeed.

All I know is that she made it far easier for Santa to fill her stocking than anyone ever imagined. (If you need to reach us anytime after Christmas, don't be surprised if we don't answer the phone. It will probably be slipping out of our heavily-lotioned hands.)

- Midwest Mom