15 Month Old with Very Dry Skin

My dermatologist recomended a lotion called Cera-Ve you can get the lotion and wash, but you do have to use it everytime you bathe them for it to keep working. Good luck!

I found that A&D ointment really helps dry skin. I used it on my baby 30 years ago and still use it for myself. It also stops itching which can result from very dry skin.

mjw

Hi Tiffany,
My sister suggested Gold bond ultimate healing lotion when my son was an infant. He is now 6. It is bit expensive but well worth it.

Have you gone to a Dermatologist yet? Is it dry skin or eczema? Have you tried Carols Daughters unscented hand and body jelly, Vaselines body oil gel w/cocoa butter (maybe) or try ordering some 100% shea butter. I used it while I was prego and it really works good.

He likely needs some endocrine testing. Use only a specialist who will administer 24 hour urine testing. If you mention this and they look at you as if you were stupid...you are at the wrong doctor's office, and you should find another, stat.
Blessings, and hope all goes well.
--H.

My grandson use to have very dry skin. The Dr had us try Eucerin Orginal Moisturizing Lotion or the Plus. They both seem to work after using for a few days. I hope it works for you. My grandson is now 13 years old.
Thanks S.

I didn't get to read all the replies, but wanted to suggest what worked for us.

Only bathe every few days, like every 3rd or 4th. That helps a lot! And use a very mild, hypoallergenic, sensitive skin, dye and fragrance free baby wash.

I only ever used oil on my baby, not "baby oil" but things like Burt's Bees Almond oil or other types for babies, including soy I think. Try your local health food store (like Whole Foods) and they should have lots of options for babies. I also used these only after I bathed her, though sometimes daily on her face and hands in winter.

We use All Free & Clear detergent, and Bounce Free dryer sheets (only a half a sheet per load). No added dyes or fragrances.

If it doesn't improve, see a doc or Pediatric Allergist to check for allergies that could cause eczema. Good luck!

Have you tried Aveeno baby lotion? It smells good and works really well on dry, sensitive skin.

J.

To help with the dry skin at our house we are not giving a tub bath everyday but when we do use the tub we use California Baby shampoo/body wash. On days that the tub isn't used we sit our daughter on the side of the sink and wash her face and hands well, with a once-over with a damp washcloth in coolish water everywhere else on her hair and body, and then we apply California Baby Sensitive Lotion to her legs and arms.
I also wanted you to know about a great resource online to learn about products that we are using on ourselves and families...
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/browse.php?category=baby... If this doesn't show up as underlined to click on it, you can cut and paste it. We use this site to get info about everything from the products we use to the fruits and veggies with the least toxins so we know when we need to buy organic.

hi tiffany,
we've been dealing with similar issues & finally took the baby to our dermatologist. She recommended switching to Cerave hydrating cleanser and Cerave creme (both at CVS stores). She also wrote a prescription for Hylira, which is a natural body-producing substance & is very water-based. It provides moisture protection. We apply that before the creme. Within 2 days, we could tell a difference. Not that this is your cure, but I do hope things improve for your baby.

My son had the same problem. Boudreaux’s Butt Bath and/or the Aveeno soaps and lotions are what worked on Austin.

Hope you find something that works.

My son had problems with relatively mild eczema and our pediatrician told us to use either Lubridem Unscented or Aveeno Unscented lotion twice a day. It worked really well for us.

my 15 month old was the same way when she was a bitty baby. nothing seemed to work, i was even putting vaseline on her and she still was retaining any moisture. i stopped using the wonderful smelling lavender baby's lotion and started using lubriderm based on a pediatrician's recommendation and it totally works. i do miss the lavender smell but i do not miss her poor little scaly legs and head!

My son gets like this, too. My pediatrician suggested that we cut his baths to every other day instead of every day and it has since resolved. Good luck!

He actually may be irritated by laundry detergent, try an extra rinse, or no fabric softener if you use it.

Unless he is absolutely filthy from playing in the mud (pretty unlikely! lol) he should only get a bath 3-4 times a week, if you bathe him everyday it will dry his skin out.

The dove actually caused my sister in law to break out in a rash,way ironic, maybe you should switch soaps, like to baby aveeno or something? Anyway hope this helps.

Try Cetafil bar soap and Cetafil creme. Make sure it is creme and not lotion. Walmart used to carry a generic equivilent, but I have not been able to find it in Oklahoma. I used this combo on both my girls on the recommendation of my ped and it worked like a charm. Only draw back, no sweet baby smell!! Good luck!

Tiffany, I'm a Melaleuca customer and I use their Renew bath oil and Renew Intensive Skin Therapy Lotion. It has worked wonders on my dry skin. They did a study against Eucerin, which is the #1 dermatologist recommended brand. Renw improved skin hydration 5x over Eucerin. But Renew is much less expensive!

And all their products are all natural, non-toxic and environmentally friendly, and they're super concentrated. I've converted my whole house over.

I know that changing over to their laundry products has helped me as well. No more red, itchy, dry skin. I can't be without my Renew.

The downside is that you have to be referred to Melaleuca by an existing customer in order to shop with them. It's kind of like Sam's Club or Costco. Here's the website www.Melaleuca.com check it out and if you need help, let me know.

The nice thing is that everything has a 100% money back guarantee, so if you don't like it, you can send it back for a full refund. I've only had to do that once in 9 years. But there was NO hassel. I've been very impressed with their customer service as well.

I had the same problem with my son @ 3 mnths old. I finally took him to a dermatologist and he was diagnosed with severe eczema. He had to prescribe a strong ointment (protopic). After much research, it was also the washing powder you use, some foods that you eat (milk, fish, etc.) and also the water temperature that you bath in. Do some research on eczema and if it doesn't improve, you might want to make an appointment with a dermatologist.

I use the Cetaphil bar soap and Cerave body lotion on my son. He went from having very dry skin to none at all. I wash his hair with the Johnson baby shampoo but bath him with the cetaphil. I find the bar lathers and cleans better than the liquid soap. I also moisturize with the Cerave every night after th bath. You may want to moisturize your child morning and night until you can get it under control. This routine and products came from his dermatologist and is all over hte counter stuff.

T.

My daughter has the same problems. We use cetaphil instead of Dove now and we use Aquaphor and Eucerin cream. Our pediatrician prescribed a hydrocortizone to help with the itching and it is seeming to work for us. Its just excema and you have to find out what works for your child. I know a little girl that had to use Crisco shortening because her skin was so dry it would crack. Best Wishes.

Personally I wouldn't bath with anything at all besides water, soaps strip the skin of natural oils. You can use something on the bottom but on the rest of the kid I never use anything unless they've been playing in the mud.

Hello Tiffany,
I have had two children with the same problem and I am an Arbonne International Consultant because of the products they have that have worked for them both. If you already know some one that is an Arbonne Consultant I would suggest you ask them for some samples of the Baby line if not I would be glad to send you some. Arbonne's products are Safe, Pure and Beneficial and they are products that give you results. Hope this information is somewhat helpful. My website is www.millions.myarbonne.com if you do not know some one already please feel free to contact me.
Good luck
W. Vermillion

I use Curel on my daughter who had eczema and dry skin. Curel seemed to work for her. I wouldn't recommend any products with fragrance (sorry, I love the "baby" smell, too, but anything extra can be irritating). Cetaphil is REALLY good. My friend uses it on her daughter who has extremely dry skin and swears by it. Good luck with finding something that works....everyone is very different and react differently to products. If these methods do not work, discuss with your pediatrician for more ideas.

I dont know if this will interest you or not but I shop at an all natural, eco friendly store. There renew is the best on the planet and their detergent is awesome too. My son had ezcema and it works great. Its cheapier then most places so if your interested youll need a membership to shop just like a sams or a costco but it is so worth it. Johnson and johnson products have formaldahyde in them, that may be the cause for his problem. If you are interested in hearing more about these products go to www.FutureFromHome.com Id love to tell you more about them.

I agree with cutting back on the baths. My daughter is nearly four now and still as problems in the winter or in the high humidity. She only baths every 3 days, but cleans her private area daily. I also cut out all detergents and bathing soaps that have scents or harsh chemical. Honestly, I use several different brands, based on the sales, but have used arbonne and liked that. For a lotion I use coconut oil or lanolin, because anything else has a bunch of chemicals. Both are thick so I apply before bedtime. Hope I was of some help.

We have loved Aveeno baby products...they have a lavendar/vanilla cream and bathwash that are wonderful (lavendar cap), and sometimes I mix some of the scented cream in with a more powerful unscented moisturizer they also make (navy cap, also have an unscented wash with navy cap) or like Eucerin Calming Creme (AMAZING for dry itchy skin!!) so that I get the best of both worlds. If there are any really dry/rough areas I will add a little of the Aquaphor ointment over just that area AFTER I have already moisturized him all over...it helps to seal in the moisture and heal it faster. I think Eucerin/Aquaphor also make a very mild wash for babies. Also make sure the bath water is not too hot, as the hotter the water, the more drying it is for their skin. Hope this helps!!

Tiffany, I have a 2 year old grandson that suffers from eczema and very dry skin. I have found the best thing for him is the Aveno (lightly scented) body wash and body lotion. The lotion comes in a very lightly scented lavendar and really seems to help. I have really dry skin also and have started showering with the body wash also. Hope this helps. If it persists ask your doctor if this is eczema.

Dove is too dry I think, even the gentle stuff and bar soap is always extra drying. I would start out with just simple baby shampoo (generic or otherwise). You can use it for his hair and his body. It smells great and is gentle enough to use everyday. My 15-month old takes a bath every night with it and I rarely even have to use lotion. If he's still really dry I would recommend a Burt's Bee body wash and maybe try the Johnson and Johnson lavender bedtime lotion. I'm addicted to it and use it for myself more than my son. It's really thick and just seems to do a particularly good job on my legs in the winter when they're dry.

Hi, Tiffany - Looks like you've already gotten some great advice but I used a product on my son's dry scaly skin that I did not see listed in any of the responses. Lantiseptic -we originally bought it for diaper rash (we found it at a USA Drug store). It's very thick and creamy so I usually only put it on him at night. My sister-in-law (who is a Dr.) recommended Eucerin Calming Creme and we liked it as well. Hope you find something that works for him - I feel like we tried every lotion on the market!

You might try putting a little bit of baby oil in his bath water. I just hate for him to get too slippery :) But, I get itchy dry skin and this always helps sooth the itching and takes care of the dryness.

My son had excema when he was very young and I used Cetaphil soap for him and Cerave lotion 2-3 times a day. The Cerave lotion you have to ask the pharmacist for it, they do not keep it on the shelf. Also, on very bad spots, I used Baby Excema Cream. It is located in the baby aisle at Walmart and has Winnie the Pooh on the front. I also suffer from excema and very dry skin and am not able to use scented lotions and soaps because it iritates it even more. My son has grown out of his dry skin and no longer has any problems. Good luck, hope everything works for you.

My 3 year old has had the same symptoms and issues with lotions since birth. We used glycerin only at bath unless she is really dirty, then we use a mild soap made especially for dry skin/eczema. Either Gental Naturals or California Baby-both are found at Target or Drugstore.com. We have used every lotion out there!
The ones made specificaly for baby's like Johnsons irriate her also, but the Gental Natural products for eczema seem to help her skin without the irritation, but she seems to build up an "immunity" and we switch around a lot. We have to be sure to carefully watch perfumes, dyes and chemicals.

Our daughter has extremely dry skin and the dr. said we must use Eucerin or Lubriderm lotion. Both are much more expensive than most lotions but so worth it when their dry skin is not itchy or causing a rash. I thought the Eucerin was a little greasy feeling and Lubriderm wasn't. The store brands of these lotions are nearly the same but I can tell a slight difference in their lasting effect. Even she would recognize "her" lotion from the time she was about 5 yrs. old and ask for it to help her skin. Lubriderm seems to be the very best for her skin and it helps a great deal.

Hi Tiffany,
You might try Arbonne. These products are pure. You can check the products out on-line at www.arbonne.com
R. G

Hi Tiffany,

My daughter has really good luck with using Aveeno on my grandson.

Good luck.

W. Q

I have rather dry skin and since birth. A couple of things that I can tell you to help is one don't bathe to often. Even my kids have it to an extint and I notice if they are bathing to often it gets worse. Also if you can get him to drink water a little then that might help. It is a battle that you will have to fight and it does not really ever go away though there are good days and bad days. I hope this helps you.

Hi Tiffany,
My son has always been the same way. I had to stop using baby lotions and products on him when he was only a month old. I used to rub a little in his clothes just because I missed that sweet, baby smell. The dry, bumpy skin is exzema. His doctor confirmed it when he was 6 months old, and told me he would probably grow out of it by the time he was two. He will be five next month and has yet to grow out of it. His doctor has prescribed everything from non-steriod to steriod creams. None of it works, and trust me on this, not worth the hassle of applying smelly, sticky, and oily steriods on your child if it dosen't work. I also tried everything over the counter, Aveeno, Cetaphil, Gentle Naturals Baby Eczema Cream, TriDerma Extreme Dryness Plus Cream,you name it, I tried it, nothing worked. I even took him to a dermatoligist, no help there either. About 6 months ago his regular doctor went on maternity leave and the doctor filling in for her prescribed a non-steriod lotion that is thick and creamy, smells good, and ACTUALLY HELPS! It is called MIMYX CREAM, and you can get it by prescription only. My pharmacy had never even heard of it and had to order it. It says it is a Deep Dermal Hydration Hypoallergenic Anti-Irritant. It has helped him so much. His skin has always itched him like crazy, and he has finally been able to stop scratching! He even sleeps better because he is more comfortable. Medicaid will not cover it, but ALL KIDS does, if he is on one of those insurance plans. Luckily my son had just been switched over to ALL KIDS because it is expensive, and we wouldn't have been able to afford it. Over a hundred dollars if you pay out of pocket, for a small, less than 5 oz bottle. I encourage you to ask his doctor about it. Hope this helps.
C.

Ask your pediatrician for a steroid cream. It helped my little boy's dry bumpy skin. He might have a little exzema and the steroid applied after bath really calmed it down.

Aveeno Creamy Wash and Unscented Moisture Cream. Sorry about the smelly stuff, but it dries them out. Use smelly shampoo of you need that baby smell, but use the unscented aveeno to keep skin smooth.

also, triple cream works great on stubborn dry patches.

Have you tried Arbonne's baby products? They have a baby wash, lotion and oil that are wonderful for dry skin. Alot of the other products contain mineral oil which clogs the pores and causes dry skin. You can find these products on www.successfromtheheart.myarbonne.com

My son had bad eczema when he was a baby and we tried everything, including prescriptions. Someone mentioned that Arbonne rejuvenating cream worked really well for them (it's not in the baby line, just the regular one). I thought it sounded a bit weird, but gave it a try and it worked great. Good luck!