Best way to treat dry skin on toddler...

[abigail_b]

I live in New England and ever since winter hit my son's face has been really dry. I have always put california baby calendula cream on his face at night...it isn't really helping...ditto the ca baby aloe vera cream. I have also tried Burt's Bees Baby Creme, but that didn't help much either, plus it seems too heavy duty for the face. My son's skin is very sensitive. I was thinking about a little straight coconut oil....any suggestions?

[ABrez]

When my family gets dry patches we use lanolin on our skin. I don't know if that would be too much for you but it works very well.

[unityco]

It's also good to moisturize immediately after the bath - the skin takes the cream deeper then. If you're bathing every day, you may want to cut down frequency during the winter too - bathing can be drying.

[ryansma]

Have you tried Eucerin products? They have always worked best for me and for ds as well.

[AllisonR]

If it's dry and sensitive, perhaps its excema? It runs in our family, and I buy moisturizer specific to excema at the pharmacy, because it has no perfumes, citrus, other junk... Ditto the after bath comments.

[eco_mama]

unrefined shea butter

this is the main thing we use. it's amazing. we even use it for sun screen.

here is a bit from the site:

In addition, shea butter has natural sunscreen properties and anti-inflammatory agents. Because of its amazing properties, shea butter is an excellent ingredient for soaps, lotions and creams. Perhaps it is most effective when applied to the skin in its pure state. Regular users of pure, unrefined shea butter notice softer, smoother, healthier skin. Shea butter has also been shown to help with skin conditions and ailments such as extreme dryness, psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, skin allergies, fungal infections, blemishes, wrinkles, stretch marks, scars, scrapes, and more.

also, do check out this green goop salve made by a local herbalist/midwife in my area. i just found out about it and it's AMAZING. i had really dry finger tips and it healed them in less than a week. and also some dry patches on my arm (always happens in the winter), and it's all gone now.

[mendocino]

I used to use weleda calendula cream on my son and discovered it actually made his dry skin worse.

I second the eucerin/aquaphor type ointment. Put it on anytime before you leave the house. Also, if he uses a pacifier, consider removing it.

We also reduced baths to 1-2x week and increased oil consumption. Flax, olive, coconut, etc. Avocadoes, too.

[SweetPotato]

I think my dd may be sensitive to petroleum-based creams, as I've noticed that she developed really dry, rough patches right after using Baby Vicks for a summer cold. I was also surprised that an Aveeno baby cream for sensitive skin/eczema seemed to make it worse. The thing that has helped us is to switch to a shea butter baby wash-- it really makes her skin so incredibly soft with just a little use.

[lily2]

Gold bond ultimate healing lotion

worked better on dry patches than lanolin which I always swore by. and smells waay better

[Thorn Hailfilter]

If you want to stay on the "natural" side, try using some Na-PCA spray, before your other creams.

If you don't care what's in it, try Aquaphilic.

[Alyantavid]

We use Mustela lotion after baths. There are very few things we can use on his skin because its so sensitive. But Mustela works really well for him.

My older son's hands and face get terribly chapped when he's out in the cold for very long. I smear him with Eucerin before bed and keep his hands covered. It helps alot but he doesn't have sensitive skin.

[1964pandora]

Hello! Is he getting enough Omega 3 in his diet? Omega 3 will moisten your child's skin from the inside out. We use Coromega, which is a pudding like fish oil that tastes like baby aspirin. My kid's diets are very high in Omega 3, and I've never had to use any type of lotion on them, so hopefully there's some correlation.

[aliinnc]

My nephews and nieces have eczema, and she swears by the Bert's Bees products with beeswax. There are lots of recipes online to make your own and save money.

[JennP]

Dd has mild ecema and for regular use we use Avenno Baby/Toddler body cream (not lotion) we also DON'T use soap in the bath tub.

If the spots are bumpy and irritated I will put just a dab of hydrocortisone on. (should not put on face)

I really like the gold bond lotion in the green bottle but I do not suggest it for kids, it has menthol and it can burn their eye if it gets too close.

[S.Lee]

Ds fingers used to crack in the winter and his face was red and dry. About that time I discoverd the problems went away when I started feeding him spaghetti with olive oil on it. The olive oil got all over his hands and face and I wasn't using soap to wash after eating, just a warm wet cloth.

[StayAtHomeMama21]

Wow, this is all great info, as my son has had a lot of dry skin on his face lately too. I also noticed calendula cream made it worse, I'll start with the others.

[~Megan~]

We use Clear Hills Honey Bee Balm and it works really well. Its also completely natural.

Clear Hills Honey

[FiddleMama]

I was going to suggest the coconut oil. That stuff rocks.

[jackaroosmom]

How about jojoba oil. I always put some on ds after bath and it is gentle enough for the face. I use it in my hair too.

[abigail_b]

Thanks so much for all the great suggestions!
I do try to make sure he gets enough good fats in his diet...avocados, earth balance spread etc. Also he still BFs a lot and I take a DHA supplement.
As for those mentioning about excema...how would I tell the difference between dry skin and mild excema?
He does get a bath every day...but we use only a tiny amount of Calfiornia baby bubble bath and wash. He loves his bath so much and it is part of his bedtime routine which is why I don't want to do it less often.
Thanks again!