What started off as excitement for the upcoming winter holidays, turned into a big ball of stress mess! Apparently, my husband had been under more stress than he alluded to when he suddenly broke out into shingles. Yes, typically shingles affects seniors, yet those affected recently are younger and younger.
Shingles hit our home and quickly spread to the kids. For the past 5 weeks, we’ve been battling itchy skin on a new level. Here’s the top 8 things we couldn’t (and didn’t want) to be without!
1. ScratchMeNots
I thought eczema was bad, yet chicken pox on top of eczema takes itchy skin to a different level. We used ScratchMeNot Flip Mitten Sleeves during the day and the Flip Mitten Body at night. The intensity of scratching could be heard rooms away. I wanted to make sure their skin would be protected. Plus as the chicken pox healed, the scabs were raised and made it quite tempting to scratch them off.
2. Anti-Bacterial cream
We used an anti-bacterial cream, however tea tree oil and other essential oil diluted in a carrier such as coconut oil or the like comes in handy in case a few of the sores start to look inflamed.
3. Desitin
Turns out, creams with high levels of zinc helps dry up the sores quicker, providing faster recovery. Even though Desitin is very messy, I found it be worth it. Be sure to make sure everyone’s wearing clothes that you don’t mind getting the cream on.
Related: Caring For Sick and Healthy Children At The Same Time
4. Briar Rose Oil
Sometimes known as liquid gold 🙂 An omega-6 fatty acid supplement that builds the immune system while it’s fighting the virus. Since the body does not produce these, it’s important to take in a healthy dose. They regulate pain and inflammation along with several other benefits.
5. Vitamin D3 drops
Another important vitamin that builds the immune system. Also great as a daily supplement. It helps regulate the immune system and promotes cell growth, along with a host of other benefits.
6. Anti-histamine
We chose Claritin. Once a day to combat the itchiness from the inside out. While we couldn’t use it for our infant, we saw a reduction in itchiness with our toddlers, we gave it to them right before bed to help with sleepy scratching.
7. Extra Breastfeeding & Nursing
When a baby or toddler gets sick, they naturally want to nurse more frequently. This is such a great immune booster!
8. Epson Salt / Colloidal Oatmeal
Takes the itchies away! Soak in either in lukewarm water for about 15 minutes, it’ll soothe them. Be sure to immediately apply a salve, cream or lotion, preferably in layers to make sure their skin stays moisturized. Which brings me to BONUS #9 & 10.
Related: Look For This When Choosing Bath Products
Bonus #9 – Cocoa Butter or a Skin Salve
We prefer to use natural salves with no synthetic ingredients. It’s best to apply the thinnest oil first, to the thickest cream on top, should you decide to use more cream at a time.
Bonus #10 – Busy activities
When a child is itchy, all they want to do is scratch or pick at the sores. We had games, coloring, activities, paper airplane contests, watering plants, dancing…anything to keep their mind their discomfort.
These are our top 8 things we used to keep our sanity as we handled 3 little ones with varying degrees of chicken pox. Did you notice I didn’t use calamine? Tried it, but I felt like Calamine caused my littles to scratch more. With sores that
Did I leave something off? What do you use to help with rashes, chicken pox or the like?
Being hit by those things is one of the worst experiences. I still remember it to date. Thanks for your tips.