Super Dry Skin in 6 Month Old

K.,
I use a lotion called Renew on my kids. My son has eczema on his hands to the point of cracking. This lotion has helped him so much. He hasn't had a problem since last year when I started him on it. It's clinically tested to be 7 times better than Eucerin. I also like it because it's not thick and greasy like the other lotions the doctor had put him on. If you want to know more please contact me at ____@____.com phone is ###-###-####.

I love the Aveeno products - there is one for extremely dry skin, and it has worked for my girls' exhema (sp?).

It could be a bit of eczema. We used to use Gentle Naturals Baby Eczema Wash and Baby Eczema Cream -- both in the baby aisle of most stores. I still use the cream for anything from diaper rash to chapstick to dry skin. It's a miracle cream! Our allergist suggested a 10-15 minute bath at the end of the day. Wash with Dove or Ivory, unscented, at the end of the bath and get out immediately. Towel dry and Cover affected area with Vanicream -- you can get it at the pharmacy, just ask. It's amazing. It takes care of dry skin overnight. You can use the cream as much as you need or want. I really like it because then we don't need medicines. It works for all three of our kids, even the one with severe eczema. GL!

I've had great success with an OTC product by Triple Paste called Premium Triple Cream for severely dry skin and eczema that is safe for babies. I found it in the baby aisle with the diaper rash ointment. It's greasy but it works amazingly well. Try using it after drying him off from his bath.

Also, I know your mom means well but dont be too quick to think of the worst case scenario - you'll make yourself crazy wondering about how many diseases he could have. Besides, dry skin is not a primary symptom of thryoid anyway and many people with thyroid problems do not have dry skin. It will also require a blood draw to diagnose.

He is probably waking up because he's itchy and the dry skin is uncomfortable.

all the best -

Hi Kendall,
Here are the symptoms of Hypothyroidism in infants:

Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice). In most cases, this occurs when a baby's liver can't metabolize a molecule called bilirubin, which normally forms when the body recycles old or damaged red blood cells.
Frequent choking.
A large, protruding tongue.
A puffy appearance to the face.
As the disease progresses, infants are likely to have trouble feeding and may fail to grow and develop normally. They may also have:

Constipation
Poor muscle tone
Excessive sleepiness

Now from personal experience my 16 mo. breastfed baby just slept throught the night for her 1st time 2 nights ago! YEA :0)!!! So that wouldn't concern me. And the dry skin we live in Colorado & as you know it has been DRY, that is one of the biggest complaints I get from my clients is what do I have that can combat their kids dry skin in Colorados harsh climate. Question, are you drinking enough water? I know that has always been super hard for me when I nurse. If you carry a bottle with you everywhere you are more likely to drink it & keep yourself & baby hydrated.

If he seems like he is in pain, not eating well, not wanting to nurse & lethargic I personally would be concerned.

You might want to try some good, baby lotion & oil. I suggest Arbonne ABC oil first, then apply the lotion for long-lasting moisture. My nephew has really dry ashy skin & this is the regimine we set out for him (they live in Colorado & he is also mulatto, dry climate is very hard on his skin).

Please remember you are momma & you know your baby best, if you have any concern, take him in & let your ped. know you have these concerns. I hope it all works out. G.

needing lotion more than once a day sounds like excessive dryness to me... but eucerin would be what i would recommend or aquafor... I'd still look at the dehydration... though a ton less common with breastfed babies. maybe just pay extra attention to YOUR fluid intake... try some emergen-c electrolyte powder (for you, not your son... mixed in water)... it is like gatorade without all the sugar.

and about the 3-4 times a night.. my daughter didn't sleep through the night without needing to eat at least once until she was 9mos (breastfed too)... so as long as his growth and weight gain are steady I doubt its a thyroid problem... but a call to your peds probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

also, on the sleeping through the night thing.. I was still nursing my daughter to sleep when she was 6 mos old, it wasn't until we started training her to fall asleep on her own that she slept through the night. (the problem being that she would wake up and not be able to get to sleep on her own without being nursed down again).. anyway, you might want to invest in some sleep books. the no-cry sleep solution or healthy sleep habits, happy child are my two favs... it helps a lot. (fyi, my daughter only weighed 12 or 13 pounds by the time she was 6mos old.. she was 8 pounds at birth.. she was just a slow and steady grower. my doc kept telling us that kids can't or won't typically sleep through the night until they are at least 15 pounds. of course we've had friends with smaller kids who sleep through the night earlier... so who knows) anyway, i was fine with nursing her down, but then I had to go back to work... so we got desperate. but, in hind-sight, I wished I'd started on the sleep training thing a lot earlier. establishing the good habits has been a blessing for our household.

sorry to ramble on... good luck
:)

I know you have quite a few responses....didn't read them all so sorry if this is a repeat. Both of my kids have eczema. One of the most helpful products I have found is the Aveeno Oatmeal Bath....the adult version, not the baby version. I use that in the tub at least once a week....more often if they are flaring up. My Mom suggested it and I was shocked at how much it helped. I also love Vanicream (suggested by our allergist)....we have tried every lotion out there and it's my favorite by far. I like it better than Eucerin, Cetaphil, Aveeno lotion, etc... It's effective but not greasy like aquafor and vaseline. I put the Vanicream on right after the bath and between once and three or four times a day depending on how bad things get. We do have prescriptions but I find that if I am steady in using the Aveeno Oatmeal bath and applying a ton of lotion, I can get away with the occassional slather of 1% hydrocortisone instead of the RX. Also, I started my son on DHA (fish oil) and I think it might actually be helping as well....Good Luck!

Hi K.,

My children also have very sensitive dry skin. Cetaphil works wonders! If I try anything else their skin immediately returns to being dry. Hope you find the answer :)

Use Cetaphil gentle wash and lotion only. Do not use any of the baby soaps. They can be drying. My little girl (now 9 months) has terribly dry skin. I only use Cetaphil was and lotion and it helps a lot!

K. C,

Renew Intensive Skin Therapy is 7x more effective than Eucerin and is much better for babies and adults, no greasy residue and no strong odor.

Have I ever been through this!!!! I had my boy in our doctors office every other week, and we have been on SOO many different prescription creams I can't even remember all of them. His skin was soo dry (especially on his feet) they chapped and bled... it was aweful. The doctor just kept giving him creams with stronger steroids, and although I agreed with none of that, I tried it anyways to help him be more comfortable. I tried over the counter stuff as well. I tried alternating bathing days, SOAKING his feet in creams and putting bags over them... needless to say I actually tried EVERYTHING. My dad showed up one day with MAZON cream. It's just an over the counter cream that has been around forever. LET ME TELL YOU GIRL, IT WORKS. I put it on him in the morning and after his bath, and his skin is better than mine (I keep using it, I don't want to risk it coming back... I haven't stopped using it since I started)
Good luck

Your child could have ezema. I get really dry skin mostly in the cold dry air in wintertime, if your skin is wet and doesn't get completely dried the cold dry air just makes it dry out faster. It gets dry and then itchy. I've tried eucerin, and other heavy cream type lotions and they work a little but this past year I bought Moisture therapy lotion with oatmeal from Avon. It isn't nearly as greasy as others and works better for my skin. Plus the oatmeal helps the itching.

The doctor can also prescribe a medicated lotion if it is ezema. I would try some of the suggestions and then if it doesn't clear up give your doctor a call.

Good Luck

It is probably excema. My son gets it really bad in the winter and can not soak up enough lotion. You can try Vaseline.

Like everyone said it could be eczema. I would talk to your doctor before making any quick desicions on which product to use, because babys' skin is very sensitive. My son was allergic to those oils and Eucerin and other products he also has eczema. My doctor prescribed the correct product that wouldn't react with my daughter's skin as my daughter's eczema was worse. I hope that helps. M.

He probably just has dry skin (two of my three kids as well as myself have dry skin). If he has red splotches, it could be eczema, but you'll have to check with the doctor. I found that Aveeno lotion works the best; put it on at least once per day and it should help hydrate it. As far as him waking up, I wouldn't worry about that too much. Children sleep through the night at their own pace- he's only 6 months old. If you are concerned, definitely check with the doctor and they can help. Good luck! :)

Hi K.. My daughter had painfully dry skin when she was little and it cleared up when I added fish oil to my diet (I was exclusively breastfeeding, too). Its good for your skin, hair, and the DHA is particularly good for a growing baby's brain. Its a win, win. Hope this helps!

Some people just have dry skin while others have oily skin. And we live in the #3 driest state in the nation. So it's easy for skin to dry out even worse. As long as he's not lethargic, his eyes and mouth are moist, and he's wetting enough diapers (8-10 in a day at least, I think) etc, he's probably not over dehydrated. And it's very common for a 6 month old to wake up a few times at night. So you can relax until you can reach the Dr. on Monday.

p.s. Oil isn't really the kind of moisture our skin needs. I would stick to Eucerin or Cetaphil rather than coconut oil.

Both of my boys had problems with super dry skin and thier doctor said it was eczema. He told us to use the white dove soap and use moo cream and not to bathe the kids more than twice a week. We tried lots of things but this seemed to work the best. Their skin cleared up quickly and I haven't had too many flare ups since. There are a lot of mild soaps and lotions you can try. Winter is horrible on anyone's skin so that may be why it is worse now. The hard thing is if it is eczema, it can come back. Harsh chemicals and detergents can also make it worse. Hopefully this helps.

We have had two doctors tell us to put vasoline on after baths. They said that the lotion part of lotion evaporates quickly and leaves just the chemical part on the babies skin. Vasoline has worked great for both of our kids. good luck

Oh the stories I could tell you. My son has eczema on his face really bad. We have tried everything that the doctors have reccommended and our latest find is unbelievable!!! It is called CeraVe. I can only find it at Walgreens right now. I calmed his skin overnight! I can't reccommend it enough. We have tried Aquaphor, Cetaphil, Vaseline, even Crisco (yes Crisco). All items were recommended but none did the job except for the CeraVe. They have wash as well incase the soap is what is drying out your little one! Good luck, and hopefully it is just dry skin!

Chemicals in your laundry detergent can cause irritation and dryness (they are against your baby's skin 100% of the time because they cont rinse out completely, not even with a double rinse cycle) Dreft is gentler than Tide, but still has irritating chemicals. I recommend switching to a natural detergent, I use one that costs just 15.6 cents an ounce and cleans even better than my Tide used to - our babies Clothes can be washed right on with ours because its so gentle.

To heal up the dryness, I recommend a product called Renew Lotion. In clinical studdies it has been proven to work 7 times as well as Eucerin, and its non-greasy and unscented. I found this lotion about 6 months ago and I can't live without it now! I literally have a big bottle in my bathroom, one near my bed, one at my changing table and a travel size in my diaper bag and my purse! I can't leave the house without it! I have an almost 6 month old boy too (born Sept 7th!) and it works GREAT on him - every time he starts getting a little dry patch all I have to do it applu it once and it goes right away, keeping his skin baby smooth just like it should be.

Let me know if you would like to know where to purchase either of these products! Hope this Helps!