How do you treat dry skin in children and babies? £200 voucher to be won

[LibbyMumsnet]

This discussion is now closed

We know anecdotally from threads on Mumsnet that dry skin can be very common, especially in children and babies, and it can be difficult to know what to do to treat it. With this in mind, E45 would like to hear your tips and tricks.

Here’s what E45 has to say: “Skin forms a natural barrier against allergens, viruses and bacteria, so it’s important to keep skin healthy by keeping it hydrated. That’s why we at E45 have been taking care of families’ dry skin needs for over 60 years. Given the prevalence of dry skin in babies and children, we’d love to understand more about how you are tackling their skin needs.”*

What products do you turn to? And how did you choose the products in the first place? Was there something or someone who influenced your choices? Is there anything that you avoid? Or perhaps you feel something is missing from the current product offering?

Share your experiences on this thread and you will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).**

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Insight T&Cs apply

*E45 Cream for dry skin conditions. Always read the label. Suitable for children 1 month and older.
RB-M-37776

**The prize draw is eligible to registered Mumsnet users who are UK residents, 18 years and over. It will run for four weeks after the Mumsnet opening post date and time. Following this, a winner will be chosen at random within one week of the closing date.

[Hopezibah]

I remember my son having a really dry scalp and the doctor recommended olive oil being rubbed on it. That just seemed to make it look worse to start with as it just looked crusty so I think I'd have preferred to use a specific product designed for the scalp. It did eventually improve and bizarrely sun cream seemed to help during the summer months (I guess it kind of moisturised his scalp when applying it).

In the winter months hands and wrists seem to get really dry so wearing gloves outdoors helped.

[Sunnyday321]

I am a believer that ' Less is more ' . I'm happy to use any protect that does not have a whole heap of chemicals that I cannot pronounce in .

[BristolMum96]

Also another less is more advocate. I try and stick to gentle toiletries and clothing and manage dry skin as naturally as I can. Do put cream on when particularly suffering but nothing has really worked except some strong stuff prescribed by DR

[voyager50]

Using plenty of moisturiser like E 45, especially for his excema

[Hannsmum]

I realised what helped was not letting water dry off before locking in with cream/ moisturiser.

When he has his shower pat off excess water from his body and lick in the little water on his body with Aveeno or E45 . Depends on what cream moisturiser I have with me

[sharond101]

Ointments are so much better than creams.

[Highlandmama]

For us it has been all about getting the right bubble bath. Find that aveeno suits my LOs skin and means it’s really good on the whole. We use a moisturiser on dry patches too, either child’s farm or more aveeno!

[Nannyamc]

Aveeno all products saved the day
Calm and soothing

[YesIDoLoveCrisps]

I sneak in at bedtime and apply cream. If I do it in the morning it seems to get rubbed off by him on purpose or because he’s rolling on the sofa etc wiping it off that way

[Nifedipine]

Oilatum works well for us

[Shangrilalala]

When DS was little the HV gave me a sample of Hydromol for irritated cradle cap. It was fabulous but I struggled to find it afterwards. I see that it’s widely available.

I’m a psoriasis sufferer and DS has a very sensitive skin. If it looks like it’s on the edge of a flare up, I make him soak in a bath of my Balneum, which I have used for decades. So gentle on the skin and smells lovely too.

For day to day maintenance, I’m a strong believer in the benefit of Dead Sea salt.

We all spend hours on the bath and it really seems to help our troublesome skin!

[JKDcot]

We have struggled with our 1 year olds dry skin and eczema since he was around 4-5 months old. I have consulted both a GP and a specialist paediatric dermatologist to get support and despite some great advice and different solutions prescribed I still am not sure it has improved his skin. We considered homeopathic solutions including food and allergy investigation but other than removing dairy from his diet haven’t found this to be helpful.

Our best tips and solutions we found are

1. Keep to 1 lotion or ointment at a time. We kept trying different solutions too quickly and never clear what was and wasn’t working
   
2. Use a different moisturiser for face vs body. We found that there are different needs
   
3. Keep washing to a minimum. We do a quick bath and pat his skin dry quickly. Swimming is a bit of a nightmare as it’s hard to do this efficiently
   
4. Read reviews and advice online as to what works for others. I’ve found this helpful and comforting to know it’s not just me
   
5. Our boy sleeps in scratch sleeves to reduce the damage to his skin caused by scratching. If he is left to his own devices he scratches until he bleeds
   
6. We were prescribed hydrocortisone and try only to use it on the worst patches
   
7. We found a Vaseline style thicker cream works on his face to reduce dribble rash and a more creamy lotion on his skin
   
8. Keep the skin as moisturised as possible. We do this a few times a day
   
9. We use a mix of aveeno, e45 and aquaphor and all 3 seem to help but trying to use just aveeno at the moment for consistency
   

Hope this helps others

[goose1964]

We found something called magic balm, it a petroleum jelly/ aloe Vera mix and it works really well on my grandson's dry facial patches.

[KeyboardWorriers]

I found that different things worked for each child and it can be a case of.trying quite a few products to find a good fit.

Also if eczema is developing it is worth checking if it is actually a response to something they are eating or the detergent./bubble bath etc you are using

My son had awful eczema that only strong steroids made a dent in until we got to the bottom of his food allergies and intolerances, now he has such clear soft skin that you would never guess the battles we had.

[KeyboardWorriers]

I also recommend scratchleeves, like the poster above mentioned they massively reduce the risk of injuries from scratching

[hannahbjm]

I have always used Aveeno and was recommended by a friend. To me i can definitely tell the soothing effect and i always think with mine less is more. I avoid anything fragranced or anything that isnt natural as can be.

[shumway]

Dermol or diprobase.

[MumC2141]

Regular moisturiser-E45, aveeno etc. We get on prescription as child has eczema.

[jamsandwich1]

Aveeno dermexa emollient wash and the dermexa moisturiser is THE ONE.

[Mococo1]

I second this

Aveeno dermexa emollient wash and the dermexa moisturiser is Absoluteky fabulous cleared up babies dry skin within a matter of days!

[goingpearshaped]

Trying not to use too many creams etc. Regular moisturising with a product with few nasties. Keep it simple all the way.

[JKDcot]

Totally agree with limiting the amount of creams used. We were trying far too many and expecting immediate results … so far I think aveeno is the most suited to our boys skin

[79lauren79]

I found some papaya cream when I was in Australia that we call 'red cream'. I now import it in as it's so good for dry skin, sore nipples, insect bites, sun burn and pretty much any mild skin issue.

[RBundy]

When my Son was a baby we used E45 as it was suggested by our midwife and as he has got older we've really struggled with his eczema. I now bathe him in oaty water and use Epimax and aveeno. We also have a steroid cream which we use twice a week. Still not 100% but it's all a learning curve with his skin.

[maisietoo]

Dab the skin dry after showering/bathing. Only use the minimum of products and avoid 'soap'.