Question for those of you with kids.....

debby

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I have a question...Amber has very dry skin on her arms, around her neck, and her stomach. It is peeling off, and I have put baby lotion on it, and it doesn't seem to help. I even pointed this out to the nurse at the hospital, and she said since Amber was 2 weeks overdue, that her skin got dried out. Is there anything I can put on it besides baby lotion, that would be safe for her sensitive skin?
 
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debby

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I thought about that, but wasn't sure if that would stain her clothes or not, since it is an oil. But it is a good idea, if it doesn't stain. Do you know if it would?
 

tigger

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Debby,
I'm not sure either! Maybe dab some on yourself while you have an old teeshirt on & see if it'll stain? That's the only idea I can think of, that way you will know. Do they make baby washes (like shower gels) for babies?
 

eeva

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Don't have children, but can say something about the baby oil, I use baby oil on myself.
If you put it on rather wet skin, it really does help really dry skin, and if you don't put on too much, it doesn't stain. For myself, I let myself dry out for a few minutes after a shower, rub some on, and let myself "air dry". You don't need a lot of it, if you put too much on, it does stay on the skin's surface and stain, but when you get the right amount, it is absorbed and doesn't stain at all.

And again, don't have children myself, but my sister has two small ones, and she was always told she's really lucky her sons never had very dry skin and peeling, it's apparently very common with small babies.
 

lorie d.

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When my son was a newborn he had dry peeling skin. Right after his daily bath I would pat him dry with a towel and then I would moisten a cotton ball with a small amount of baby oil and rub it all over him. It helped moisturize his skin and didn't stain his clothing. I can remember my mother always putting baby oil on her newborns too.
 

dtolle

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Debby, use Eucarin. Its over the counter and its great. Its especially forumlated for extreme dry skin, especially for children. My daughter has exzema and this is what they use for that too.

It can be a bit pricey, about $10 for a jar, but well worth it. Give it a try and let me know how it works.
 

dtolle

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By the way, Baby oil is really not a great idea for babies w/ dry skin. First of all, it does stain clothing etc so its quite messy. And all it does is "coat" the skin, not absorbed. The cream that I mentioned above is 100% recommended from pediatricians and is used world wide ( I first discovered it in Germany when I was living there ).
 

Anne

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Debby, don't worry about it. Most babies have that peeling skin look during the first weeks. It'll go away. There's really nothing you should do about it, though I guess using a lotion that's specially designed for babies (the one Daniella recommended) wouldn't hurt.

Ron was like that until he was 2-3 weeks old. His grandmother were worried but it went away by itself in no time. By the way, I just looked it up on the Baby Book by Dr. Sears (the one I sent you). Have a look on page 112. At the top of the page in the bordered paragrph it says:

Many newborns, especially if born postmature, have dry flaky skin, most noticeably on the hands and feet. Baby's natural skin oils suffice; no lotion is necessary.

It's a great chapter by the way - "Common concerns in the early weeks". You may want to skim through so as you know what to expect. There's so many little things that can make you worry and they're all harmless and go away in no time
 

dawnt91

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Hi Debby - Your baby's dry skin is very normal. I would recommend Vaseline Advanced Healing with no fragrances added. My daughter had terrible excema as a child (I still have it) and this lotion works wonders. It's all I can use (except Eucerin, but the cost is terrible!). I never used baby oil, as it caused more problems with the excema, as did so many of the baby lotions because they're so heavily scented. I bet it will go away, even without treatment. Good luck!!
 

whisker's mom

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Nicolas had the dry skin for way more than 2 weeks. It drove me nuts. My doctor told me to do nothing. I was surprised at first but I guess this is their way of shedding 'indoor' skin and re-creating the new 'outdoor' skin. It did settle down eventually. I was also told to stay away from the baby oil. The only time I put anything on him (I can't remember what it was-I know it was suggested to me by the pharmacist)was when it got pretty bad. I more or less did it for his comfort. What I also did was take an envelope of the Aveeno Baby oatmeal and sprinkle a little in the bath. (not the whole envelope)

Vicki, I heard of a similar horror baby story. The baby I heard about had grabbed hold of the baby powder while the mother was changing his/her diaper, and more or less squeezed the bottle right over his/her face. The powder entered the baby's airway, filled the lungs and cauzed the suffocation. There was nothing this poor mother could do. To this day, I am terrified of any kind of powder. Guess I can settle down now that my 'baby' is four :LOL: The wise thing is to not have anything in grabbing distance and in the end, it just confirms the saying that mothers need to have 2 sets of eyes. You just never know.
 
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debby

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Thanks everyone for the advice!!! The Eucarin sounds really good, except for the price. Where do they sell that, just in case I decide to try it in spite of the cost? And Sandie gave me the idea of cocoa butter, which sounds like a good thing to try, also.

Anne, I guess I should have looked this up in the baby book you sent me, I didn't even think about it! I wrote down the page number you gave me and will go read it as soon as I go offline. Maybe doing nothing is the best thing...I just wish I knew. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try the Eucarin or the cocoa butter anyway...it can't hurt...and the poor little thing looks like a snake shedding her skin!
 
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debby

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Thanks!!
 

dtolle

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WalMart, Kmart, or any local drug store should have it.

Don't let the price scare you away from it, its by far the most recommeded cream for this sort of thing. And one jar will last you a long time, you need not apply a lot.
 
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debby

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I'm going to look for it next time I'm in town, thanks!
 
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