Chapped and Cracked Lips in Children

I was just at the Pediatrician office yesterday and asked this same question. Aquaphor or vaseline work fine but the ped said to try chap stick as it may stay on the lips longer than vaseline.

I would suggest Neosporin LT. It is for dry lips. It works wonderfully. My son breathes thru his mouth when he sleeps and has really dry lips. They get so dry they crack. The dental hygenist suggest it to me when he had an appt. His lips look better within minutes of application.

I also use the lanolin they gave me for my nipples. It works great for my baby's lips. I use it for my lips too!

Hi, I've always put vaseline on my kids cheeks and lips before we venture out in the winter. It keeps them from getting chapped or windburned. Also, lately, my 2 1/2 year old son for some reason has started sucking his big old bottom lip. He no longer has a pacifier and has never sucked his thumb, so I think his bottom lip is taking the place. Anyways, I make sure to put vaseline on his cheeks and around his mouth and on his lips and chin every morning. If I skip a day then he gets all chapped. I totally recommend vaseline - it keeps the moisture in without any extra ingredients. Also, if you're going to be spending a lot of time outside, you can get just a little vaseline container and keep it in your diaper bag. I really haven't found any chapstick to work as well, because they are really full of wax and don't soak in and really protect as well. I hope tiis helps.

Use Aquaphor. It works miracles. I used it on my daughter's diaper rash when she was a baby. Just a teeny bit goes a long way. Now we use it on chapped lips and skin.

My daughter and I are mouth breathers when we sleep, I love aquaphor,it was recommended to us by my ped for all your needs, diaper rash, eczema, chapped lips, anything.

JB:

try either lansinoh ( anhydrous lanolin) or "nipple cream" by mother love which is calendula and olive oil

P., RLC, IBCLC, CST
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions

I use Aquaphor on my kids' lips during the day, but we use Aquaphor for everything :-) I think I have 3 containers in the house right now.

If you have any Lansinoh left over (the lanolin breastfeeding gunk) it's pretty thick to use during the day but when chapping is bad I smear it on at night before bed. I've used it on myself, too, when I have a cracked spot on my lips. The stuff is amazing! By morning their lips will look 100% better. I actually bought some specifically for that reason because my kids get so chapped.

Neosporin makes a lip ointment that we received samples of when we had my son.

Agree, mineral oil is not that great, olive oil, vitamin E oil or Earth Angel's nipple cream (which as olive oil in it), it is vegan and smells like vanilla!

Hello Sahm, we had the same problem - our daughter's dentist said to use Carmex, liberally before bed. Our Daughter is 12 and she uses the carmex all day long.. but open mouth sleeping causes the cracks on the side of her mouth. If she uses carmex consistently it takes care of the problem.

The magic stuff is Eucerin Aquaphor! Seriously! My son has THE WORST chapped cracked peeling lips! He puts it on every night before bed and within a couples his lips are back to normal! I also use it as diaper rash cream! Good luck!

My favorite stuff ever is Aquaphor....you can put it on chapped lips, little windburned cheeks, diaper rash, etc. It's like miracle cream!

Mary Kay has a wonderful lip balm that is safr for children. Their Lip Protector sunscreen is also very good. If you don't know anyone that sells it, you can go to marykay.com and find a consultant in your area.

VASELINE is the best. Also, ensure children are drinking plenty of water daily!

I disagree with most... I think vaseline is one of the better products you CAN use. See http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/product.php?prod_id=48669
for the "hazard score". Most Mary Kay products and even the Aquaphor score much worse. I love the skin deep website -- although at first it freaked me out because of some of the products I do use. There are a lot of other products you can use too that are very good - just take a look because this web site analyzes all ingredients. When in doubt, get a second opinion from your pediatrician.

Yeah Aquaphor works, but two of the key ingredients are petroleum and mineral oil. Both are BAD. Mineral oil is the waste product of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil-that's not something that I want on my child's lips.
Mercola makes an all natural lip balm containing virgin coconut oil, bee's wax, organic unrefined sesame seed oil and natural palm oil. Works great & NO TOXIC INGREDIENTS!
Available at www.mercola.com. This is also a great website with a wealth of information on a large variety of subjects relating to getting and staying healthy naturally. Knowledge is power especially when it comes to our children's health!
God Bless-Cindy B

I always use Burt's Bees, and it works like a charm. Before bed and at naptime, and after bath. LOVE The stuff!

Avoid vaseline like the plague! It is petroleum. YUK! Mineral oil (petroleum based)is an occulisive oil, which means it blocks your pores and does not let your skin breathe. Your skin is your largest detox organ and needs to be able to allow toxins out. Try something with essential oils and arnica (a homeopathic substance that helps heal). Have you tried any Arbonne products? They have a great lipsaver that is just wonderful. They have an entire baby line also. Check out my website www.healthyoptions.myarbonne.com You can look under Suncare and there is the lip ointment that is perfect. Everything that they make is without mineral oil, or animal by-products(that is gross too). You can order at wholesale prices (35% off) or take advantage of my sale: buy $100, get $100 free through Feb. 28th). You can do something healthier for yourself and your baby just by eliminating mineral oil/petroleum products from your daily regimen. Call me if you have any questions ###-###-#### or email me. I am passionate about getter healthier!
For better health,
C.

if they're sleeping w/ their mouths open, they might not be able to breathe thru their noses. i recommend a humidifier in their rooms to add mositure in the air. this helps me and also my kids.

i love nature's sunshine chapstick. it's all natural and safe for the kids. http://www.naturessunshine.com/us/products/catalog/produc...
otherwise, check out www.safecosmetics.com. it has an awesome database that will tell you what products have safe ingredients. it's totally changed my buying habits when it comes to buying personal care products!

avon has a great chap stck

Aquaphor...It's like Vaseline, but heals quickly. It's made by Eucerin and you can use it on a sore bottom too! I love this stuff - actually I just used it on my son who has the sniffles and sleeps through his mouth, too - thus, the chapped lips. No flavor and safe to use. I use it on my lips and hands, too. Love it! (can you tell?)

I have my kids and friends use Mary Kay's lipblam and have not seen any thing better. It hydrats down in while most are surface moisturizers.

I use nothing on our entire family of 5 but Burt's Bee's Bee's Wax lipbalm. It is all natural and absolutely the best!! You can buy it at WalGreens. I love Burt's Bee's entire line of products, too.

Pure Lanolin--try the popular breastfeeding mother's "Lansinoh". Not only is it safe, it's become my permanent lip gloss!!! This is the 1st winter ever I've not had any chapped or peely lips at all. I even put it on my babe's cheeks (face & butt) if there's chafing from the cold winter air

I heard and have used the stuff you put on your nipples when breastfeeding. It really does work and it is safe because the baby is sucking on it. I forget what it is called something like lanolin.

Petroulm jellly or vasoline is safe and effective. I use it for chapped lips and windburned cheeks. Its also good for little cuts and scrapes, and dipar rash.

I don't believe any chapstick is dangerous at all. My daughters are both mouth breathers. I have to apply chapstick to their lips several times a day. I also have a lip balm from Beauticontrol that I apply to their lips before I go to bed...they are asleep and don't even know it. It seems to stay better.

My younger daughter will pick her cracked, dry lips all winter and make them bleed and swell up if I don't stay after her. It is just awful.

Just use the best product you like and be diligent. I call it lipstick so my girls thought it was really cool. I've started telling the little one it is medicine for her lips because for some reason she started giving me a hard time about it.

good luck!

Don't use anything with petroleum (vaseline) or mineral oil. Not good for anyone's lips, skin. Get something that is all natural, essential oils. This way, if/when they lick their lips, they won't be sallowing harmful ingredients. Try this website: http://lynnrawson.myarbonne.com and look under the before sun care. There is chapstick available there that is safe.

I would try Lanolin. It is a totally natural product that is actually used to moisten and heal nipples from breastfeeding, so it is sure to be safe for them.

When I notice my girls' lips chapped I put a bit of NON medicated Chapstick on their lips before bed. Sometimes I go in their rooms and put it on them as they sleep since they sometimes end up licking it off. :)

I have used petroleum jelly on my sons lips, a very little amount. It seems to work just fine. I use Aquaphor on his cheeks and it's wonderful. You should check their website or email them to find out if their product is ok for lips: http://www.eucerinus.com/products/baby_aqua.html

If not, the petroleum jelly worked. Check with your pediatrician, see what they recommend.

I am a Pediatric RN and yes, Chapstick and Vaseline are safe. Of course, you can't trust the 18 month old to not eat it, so keep it under wraps! The think it's great that it tastes good. Also Aquaphor (sp?) makes a version in a tube, it's usually thought of being used for moisturizing hands, but it is also used for lips. Just look for it in the skin care aisle. A tube about half the size of toothpaste. About $5 or so at walmart. Good luck!

The chapped lips are pretty seasonal - the kids are licking their lips because they're dry. Check the humidifier on the furnace; if there's a lot of static electricity in the house in the winter, then the air's too dry. We've got this problem in our house and a console humidifier is helping a bit, but we really need to get the furnace fixed. Also: if they're sleeping with their mouths open, check if they have stuffy noses and do all of the usual checks with that (furnace filter, allergy, colds).

i would use burt's bees or any other formula made from natural ingredients. babies and toddler's probably absorb even more through the skin than we do, so I would not use a petroleum product on a wee one

you can find the natural stuff at Whole Foods, Vitamin Shoppe, Trader Joes, the organic aisle at Jewel. Meijer is even now carrying burt's bees

Aquaphor as the other mom said or A&D if you already have some of that.

The winter is awful on those little lips. Also, make sure that they are getting plenty of fluids during the day.

Good Luck!
B.