LilSugar

Lil Community: Sensitive Skin While Prego?

Lil Community — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:00:59 -0700

Lots of moms-to-be wonder out loud. This post was submitted by Beaner in The Pregnancy Posse group.

I have had the absolute best pregnancy up until now. At 17 weeks along, last week, I developed this weird itchy rash after wearing sterling silver earrings (that I wore pre-pregnancy). I've had reactions to metal on my ears before, but nothing like this. It felt like my ears were on fire. What's worse is that over the course of this past week, this annoying rash spread to my cheeks, then to my neck, down to my chest and now it's on my belly and the tops of my hands. I went to the dermatologist, and she said it sounds like being pregnant made my skin extra sensitive, and that's why it reacted this way. Have any of you had experience with sensitive skin or rashes? Ugh.

Talk about motherly things on your mind at The Pregnancy Posse group over in the LilSugar Community.

Do You Use Your Baby's Products?

babysugar — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:00:41 -0700

Babies' changing tables are filled with a boatload of products to keep them soft, dry, and smelling like, well, a baby. The products may be designed to be gentle on a lil one's delicate skin, but there are no laws preventing mama from swiping a bit for her own use.

When my tot was diagnosed with a bad case of eczema, the doctor recommended coating him in Aquaphor at every diaper change until we got the scaly patches under control. In the process of creating my lil greaseball, my hands benefited from the super moisturizing power of the miracle product. A tube of the stuff now sits next to my kitchen sink for post-dishwashing hand care. A friend told me that she uses her daughter's shampoo to clean her makeup brushes, saying that the all-natural formulation makes her feel better than what the department stores sell.

Do you borrow your child's products for your own use?

Baby Wellness: Baby's Skin Conditions

LilSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:00:13 -0800

Babies' skin is supposed to be perfect, so how come your bundle of joy doesn't look flawless? Newborns go through a lot to enter the world and most end up with some skin conditions. These imperfections shouldn't alarm or bother you, they certainly aren't bugging your newest addition (nor should they affect her later in life). Here are a few things that may show up:

Premature babies and even some full term can be born with a soft, fine hair (lanugo) covering the skin. This fur should disappear after a few weeks.
Any splotchy, peeling or cracking in your newborn's skin is normal and should improve over time. If it appears on her head it's called cradle cap and should clear up on its own after several months.

There are others including baby breakouts so read more.

Baby acne is very common, and doesn't usually last more than a few months. Don't try to treat the blemishes yourself with creams or over-washing, it's best to just let it run its course - the acne will eventually go away.
Milia is another condition that is normal (and looks similar to baby acne) and harmless. The small white spots that occur on baby's cheeks and nose should fade within a few weeks.
Any small red spots on her forehead, eyelids, lips, and/or neck are caused by stretched blood vessels, and should disappear by the time she is 18 months old.

In the case of your wee one's skin conditions, patience is the best medicine. If you think your babe is experiencing something more serious (perhaps from an allergic reaction), contact her pediatrician.

Source

Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me: Itchy Itchy

babysugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:00:54 -0700

Everyone says that each pregnancy is different. My second time around hasn't been all that different from my first round but one major difference is my skin's sensitivity. Starting about halfway through the pregnancy, I started to experience an insatiable itching. I tried lotions and heavy creams but certain areas still feel like poison ivy has taken over my body.

Concerned that something might be wrong, I talked with my OB/GYN about my irritations. She said it could be a result of the increased estrogen levels I am experiencing or poor blood circulation in those areas. Luckily, she told me that it will probably go away after I have the baby.

In the meantime, she gave me some tricks to help ease my pain. To see what they are, read more.

Mix a bit of anti-itch cream like Cortaid with my pregnancy tummy rub and apply that to the itchy areas.
Keep the showers warm, but not too hot as hot water tends to dry out the skin making the irritation worse.
Apply unscented lotion immediately after bathing so your skin can soak in the moisture.
Avoid using using too much soap in the shower as it can dry the skin out.
Soak in an oatmeal bath.

So far, the best solution for me has been the first tip. What worked for you?
Source

Do You Know Your Baby Skin Conditions?

babysugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 07:00:27 -0700

Newborns do not usually have the flawless skin they show in the movies. Rather, they may have bruises from their birth experience, acne and a number of other imperfections when they enter the world.

As the child grows, a parent will begin to notice a number of other skin conditions on their lil one. Take my quiz and see if you know what you are looking at on your babe.

Source

Take the quiz

Eczema: Take This Skin Rash Test

LilSugar — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:00:09 -0800

Don't scratch! Approximately one in five babies will be diagnosed with eczema in their first year of life. The red, itchy patches only become more inflamed when lil ones rub them and seem to appear at the most inconvenient of times. Take this quiz and see just how much you know about this skin rash.

Source

Take the quiz

What Was Your Baby's First Food?

LilSugar — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:15:50 -0800

Most moms assume that their baby's first taste of real food will be cereal once the pediatrician gives the go ahead, but in my experience this hasn't been the case. And the food wasn't an organic fruit or vegetable puree either.

The other night, my kids made chocolate chip cookies, and my 3-year-old took a warm one into the living room to eat. A few minutes after my son had finished his cookie, I noticed my baby was practically sucking the skin off of his fingers and had chocolate smeared across his mouth. Somehow while the two played, a piece of melted chocolate had exchanged hands and my 4-month-old was loving and licking every bit of it. I don't think this is all too uncommon since my daughter's first taste was tiramisu a friend gave her a taste of at a bridal shower, and my older son's was a lick of my daughter's lollipop. What was your child's first taste?

Baby Cow Organics Keeps Lil Hides Soft

babysugar — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:15:15 -0800

Organic baby products are a dime a dozen these days. Everyone thinks they can cash in on mamas' desires to give their lil ones all natural products, but some just don't get the job done.

Discerning parents, like the celebs who frequent the ultraposh SoHo House private club and hotel in New York and London, have been treated to the luxe products created by the Cowshed spa for years. Now, ordinary moms (like us) can grease up our tots with the same organic goods. The company was kind enough to send me the line to test out. Baby Cow Organics is made from sustainable resources and uses 100 percent natural essential oils, such as lavender and meadowfoam. We checked out the Frothy Hair & Body Wash and the Full Body Cream and were impressed with both the sweet and subtle scents and the product's quick absorption. For mamas-to-be, the spa's Udderly Gorgeous line includes rich stretch mark balms and oils, in addition to body washes made from sea buckthorn oil, carotenes, and minerals all designed to relax and moisturize pregnant skin.

Lil Links: Henna Tattoos May Lead to Skin Problems

babysugar — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:00:40 -0800

Henna tattoos can lead to skin problems - ParentDish
Peter Facinelli says peace - Celebrity Baby Scoop
Maddox helps mom and dad celebrate a night out - Celebrity Baby Blog
The Twoddler: A bit much, don't you think? - GeekSugar
Some hospitals now offer breastfeeding gift bags - CafeMom
This mom won twins - MomLogic
Is your home safe for the holidays? - Health
A tribute to the bunk bed - The Poop
The back seat just got safer - Momformation

Food Challenges Deemed Best for Testing Food Allergies

LilSugar — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:00:00 -0800

Mealtime may get a bit easier for parents of the four million US children who suffer from food or digestive allergies. According to The Wall Street Journal, many tots who have been diagnosed with allergies based on blood or skin tests may not actually be allergic to those items. When tested with a food challenge in a doctor's office or hospital, parents may find that their lil one can in fact tolerate the food in question.

At the American Association of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAI) conference last year, doctors from National Jewish reported that of 125 young patients given food challenges, more than half could tolerate foods they'd been told to avoid.

While knowing the history of what a child has eaten may be the most important part of initially diagnosing an allergy, food challenges, during which a child comes in contact with a food item while under a doctor's supervision, appear to be the best way to determine a true allergy. But parents who fear a full-on anaphylactic reaction tend to shy away from such experiments.

If your child had a food allergy, would you consider a food challenge to determine the severity of the problem?