Friday, November 1, 2013

Chicken Pox

Lucky us, my baby girl has caught the Chicken Pox at the tender age of 7 months, long before we even had a chance to decided whether or not to vaccinate for it since that shot doesn't come up until 12-18 months. I'm trying my best to find the positive here:

  • She's our first so there's no one else she can pass this on to, we only have to worry about one sick kiddo now, and later when other kids get sick she'll be immune.
  • Yes, she was sick on her first Halloween but she's too young to be missing out yet. And I already took pictures in her costume before she got all spotty.
  • Two less shots to worry about later.
See, I'm trying, and I know there are things that could be much worse but at the end of the day, I've got a sick baby who doesn't understand why I just won't let her rub her itchy little eyeballs out.
Yesterday, Day 2, she was mostly happy to snuggle and take a few baths with Aveeno Creamy Relief baby wash. Last night. however, was miserable for all of us. She only slept fitfully, lots of crying and she didn't want anymore baths. Today the doctor and pharmacist told us she's too young for Benedryl or medicated skin creams so I was a little stuck when thinking of how to comfort her. One thing the doctor did suggest was a cool compress (he said hot water could be irritating) so I thought we'd try a kind of cool oatmeal sponge bath. So far she seems to like this so I'll share what I've done with the sincere hope that no one else will need it!

Soothing Oatmeal Lavender Sponge Bath
1. Pulse 1 cup of oats in a blender, food processor or coffee grinder until ground into a powder
2. In a bowl combine 1 cup boiling water, ~1-2 tsp oatmeal powder (enough to make the water cloudy and tangibly starchy) and 1-3 drops of lavender essential oil. 
3. Fill a second bowl with lukewarm water and add a few drops of lavender oil.
4. ONCE THE OATMEAL WATER HAS COOLED use a clean wash cloth to gently dab, not rub, baby's skin with the oatmeal water working in sections.
5. After dabbing with the oatmeal water for a few minutes in one section of the body, use a second clean wash cloth to dab baby's skin clean with the lavender water. This is mostly so baby isn't covered in chunks of oatmeal and super slimy but you don't have to worry about completely removing the oatmeal water because it will help moisturize and protect the skin. Make sure baby is a comfortable temperature by keeping other body parts covered in a light blanket or towel if needed.

Why?
  • Doctor recommends cool compresses and avoiding hot baths
  • Oats are great for skin. They sooth irritation, moisturize, and help the skin heal.
  • Lavender oil has a calming scent but it's also good for the skin. It helps relieve itching and it has antimicrobial effects meaning it can help prevent sores from getting infected and scarring. 
  • This is (mostly) edible unlike the medicated topical creams for itching. Lavender is toxic in higher quantities but in this diluted amount, if baby licks the rag or sucks her hand you won't have to worry the way you would if her arms were slathered in anti-histamines and other yucky chemicals.