Smoothing Toddler's Chafing Skin

One thing I don't like about winter is the very cold temperature. It gets my skin extra dry it sometimes cracks, how much more to a toddler's delicate skin? The very cold winter weather can be very harmful to our skin especially to our young children. Add to that the variety of substances like saliva, mucus, and food that can smear on their faces during the day. Dryness and substances like these can cause irritation and redness. I usually use wet wipes to remove these substances while probably other parents resort to frequent washing which of course aggravates the skin condition and add to chafing.

If your toddler's cheeks turn apple red with the first frost and stay that way until the tulips come up, try to minimize the chapping this way.

• Pat the face dry with a soft cloth after each washing and whenever there's been excessive drooling.
• Avoid using soap on your toddler's face. When more than water is needed, use very mild super-fatted soap or soapless cleanser. I use Cetaphil skin cleanser.
• Wipe your child's face with warm water immediately after meals to remove any traces of food and pat dry promptly. If you notice that a particular food or beverage is especially irritating to the skin (like those high in acid - citrus fruits, juices, strawberries, and tomatoes or tomato juice), avoid serving it to your toddler until the chafing has cleared.
• Soothe chapped skin with a mild moisturizer. I apply Aquaphor baby healing ointment on my son's cheeks and chin after night bath. And now that he has runny nose due to cold I always apply thin layer on his nose. I also do the same routine before we go out in a cold weather.

Source: What to Expect the Toddler Years