Question

My 5 year olds hands are incredibly dry, red, and painful. We do lotion regularly. What can I do for them? Im assuming this is winter related and this is our first winter.  

Answer 1

Vaseline (or heavy no fragrance lotion) with socks at bedtime helps my little ones

Answer 2

Vaseline and put gloves over his hands at night. Mine get that way from washing my hands so much!  

Answer 3

Aquafor at bedtime helps my 5 year old.  

Answer 4

Aquaphor & then cover with socks/gloves overnight.  

Answer 5

Do you have a humidifier in his room? Also, maybe he’s reacting to your hand soap?  

Comments

@deon4 oops her! Sorry! Maybe see about a more mild soap?  

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@deon4 that’s a pretty gentle one. I have a lotion that my mom recommended. My sister who has cancer and has been on chemotherapy for 4. 5 years also uses this for dry, cracked skin.  

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@deon4 hope you feel better soon. My 13 year old does too! Out all week. Still not great.  

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@deon4 yes, it sucks. I’m just grateful I haven’t caught it. Drink green tea! ☺️

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Bar soap is better than liquid! Aveeno, Cetaphil.  

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@worrisome ugh. I always feel like bar soap just holds germs. lol. Probably me being paranoid.  

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Lol I get it but it doesn’t. And it’s better for sensitive skin!  

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@worrisome I lived through bar soap as a kid and made it out alive. I’m just being unreasonable.  

Answer 6

Cerave healing ointment!  

Answer 7

Aquaphor with socks over them at bedtime. Remind him to make sure he is both thoroughly rinsing the soap off and drying them when he washes them.  

Answer 8

Cortisone 10 eczema cream I use it on my 4 year old it’s amazing and soaks in fast also doesn’t burn.  

Answer 9

Our daughter had the same issue. She was rubbing on the outside of her hands too hard while washing and likely not rinsing off all the soap, which I think was causing irritation. We also started using cetaphil (the adult kind only - not the kid/baby kind) at night and in the morning, and the redness is gone!  

Answer 10

Any chance your child is in daycare? The industrial soap really irritated my daughters hands, even more so in the winter. She had her own soap and lotion to use at daycare.  

Answer 11

Vaseline and gloves socks after applying to feed

Answer 12

One of my twins has the same problem. Gold Bond ultimate healing has worked best for him.  

Answer 13

We use Aveeno Eczema Lotion, rub it in really good and apply liberally. then have him wear socks on his hands overnight. It's a game changer for our kids.  

Answer 14

My 5 year old gets dry skin on the top of her hands in the winter too. I think it’s from so much hand washing - which we push more now that it’s cold and flu season. We use aquaphor or Cerave.  

Answer 15

I do Vaseline before I go to bed with lightweight gloves!  

Answer 16

It sounds crazy but this works great-Lansinoh Lanolin at night with socks. Also, during the day O’keefe Working Hands lotion.  

Comments

Yes, O’Keefes is the only thing that has worked for our son.  

Answer 17

Same thing with my daughter. So I watched her hand washing and found out she wasn't entirely washing the soap off her hands or drying them completely, so she was having a reaction to the soap

Answer 18

Make sure he rinses all the soap off and dries his hands well. We use Neutrogena Hand Cream fragrance free. Anything with a scent has alcohol in it and therefore dries your hands more.  

Answer 19

My 6 year old daughter gets the same thing. We alternate between aquaphor and and cerave cream. Applying before bed and in the morning before school.  

Answer 20

Use ointment, plain Vaseline or Aquaphor.  

Answer 21

Avoid scented soaps like bath and body works. Aquaphor is great

Answer 22

Aquaphor! Loads of it and cover in hands with socks as they go to bed. My daughter never makes the night with them on but they are amazingly better in the morning.  

Comments

@morganica try vaniply and the thick cream. Less greasy & absorbs.  

Answer 23

Soak them in Vaseline “the only one that won’t burn” and wrap them in medical bandage. You can also use old socks and cut the tip. Leave them all night. She will wake up much better. I tried it with my daughter. It worked magically. Hope she feels better!  

Answer 24

We use green goo (from target) and it works miracles. it’s from the soap at school my kids get it.  

Answer 25

My girls’ hands get that way too in the winter - we rub them in Vaseline at night before bed and they look so much better in the morning

Answer 26

We use aveeno for eczema

Answer 27

Shea butter and cotton gloves.  

Answer 28

My niece has the same problem and there is a lotion called liquid gloves at jewel that help her as well as the hand soap meyers. I know her mom now has put a lotion from R&F and it has done wonders. I dont know the name of it but if you want i can find out and message you

Answer 29

Ask his pediatrician?  

Answer 30

Beekman 1802 body cream is the only one that works for me cures my chapped hands and cracked heals. It's made with goats milk. All natural ingredients

Answer 31

Lotion burns. We do Aquaphor with gloves overnight  

Answer 32

My pediatrician says lotion sandwich - lotion, then aquaphor to seal it in

Answer 33

Vaseline or aquaphor.  

Answer 34

Our ped prescribes Aquaphore morning and night. C keeps a little tube in her school backpack and applies during the day if they start to get bad. If it’s super bad hydrocortisone 1% and then aquaphore. Our first year here was really bad. We also now have a full house humidifier and that seems to help too.  

Comments

@hudspeth cortisone creams are dehydrating. and aquaphor just mask. Need cream that absorbs/restores. Avene and vaniply are great alternatives.  

Answer 35

Eucerin Eczema cream

Answer 36

You can also try Cetaphil cleanser instead of hand soap.  

Answer 37

Do they use hand sanitizer often more then two times a day? If so stop. the alcohol in it will dry them out faster and cause this to happen. Also if they are washing their hands constantly. Lather the hands in vassiline and then put plastic gloves on sounds weird but it does work.  

Answer 38

Vaniply and Avene are the BEST. Many dermatology offices that have skin shops sell these products. Way better than typical over the counter.  

Answer 39

Aquaphor to the rescue! We put it on cheeks, behind ears, hands, under eyes and feet at night!  

Comments

@deon4 I feel it becomes more needed in the winter but we do it pretty regularly after bath time. My daughter loves it and has learned the beauty of a foot massage lol

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@deon4 my 5 year old had the same problem, the lotion itself didn’t help, than i tried putting a few drops of vit E with the lotion and now his skin is nice and soft again I was also making sure he is washing hands only with warm water try maybe will help

Answer 40

My sister in law just had this. It was dry skin that turned into eczema. Her dermatologist ended up prescribing a medicated hand cream.