How do I stop my son from scratching?

[iansmommy]

Ian is 18 months old. He has started scratching when he is tired, bored or just whenever. I do not think it is because he itches. At least not all the time. :) This summer heat has been hard on him. He has some really ugly looking places behind his knees and on his ankles. I have bandaged them, popped his hands, told him no and have run out of ideas. HELP!

[chaimFL]

You need an antiitch cream or benadryl. Keep Ian well moisturized and that my help. Let him sit a little longer in the bath (if he enjoys it) to loosen up the scales and then apply meds (if you are doing so) let dry and apply moisturizer. There are anti itch moisturizers out there, I know one is made my Aveeno, but I've seen others. I'd stay away from oral benadryl as it may make him drowsy. And lastly....Happy birthday!!!

[MikeK]

Carrie! Welcome back! :cool: I've been wondering how you and your family were doing! :)

IMHO, the worst thing about having p is the almost constant itch. :rolleyes: :( The natural reaction is to scratch it. :rolleyes: I sometimes scratch myself on the rare occasions when there is no itch. :eek: It's almost like heading the itch off at the pass. That's probably what Ian is doing. He's either itching or trying to prevent an itch. Poor little guy! I feel so sorry for him. He's only a baby. He doesn't understand. :( (Sigh!)

Keep his nails cut short. Put long pants on him. (I know ... you live in Oklahoma City ... your summers are hot. :() I sometimes use Gold Bond Powder to help relieve the itch. I think they make one for babies. It might help. I know that Aveeno makes a lotion, for babies, that has natural colloidal oatmeal in it. Oatmeal helps relieve the itch and remove the scales, so you might want to try it. (I've seen it at Walgreen's.) I also know that you go to a pediatric derm. Ask him if there are any other OTC or prescription anti-itch products that are safe for Ian to use.

BTW, congrats on your decision to go to nursing school. My sister and one of my cousins are nurses. It can be a very frustrating job, but it can also be very rewarding. Good for you!

And finally, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope it's a good one!

Good luck and please don't be a stranger. You're probably very busy with school and family, but it's so good to have you back!

Mike

[Zwijndrecht]

18 months....

A wonderful 18 month old little boy.

He is going to do whatever he wants to do....and tell you severely when he is told not to that he is going to anyway!!

You have gotten a bunch of good IDEAS. I am afraid that I can only toss a few more your way....

socks on the hands...maybe he is going to have to be a sock puppet maestro...

Painkillers...or at least some Tylenol...or some benadry capsules...

Prayer....I will pray some for you...because for a while he is going to be tough...say the next 15 years mom.

[PJ Leary]

Hi Carrie,

Happy to hear from you again, sorry for the reason, though.

These guys are right, though. He is too young to reason with, too old to restrain, so alleviating the symptom ( itch ) is the best way to go. Talk to the dr and find out all of the things you can use, then try a rotation.

Keeping the nails short will help, but if the itch is bad, he'll just find another way to rub/scratch. Same for the mittens, they only work on young infants in my experience, except for a very short term distraction.

When the itch is bad, I often find that plain old water helps for a short time. Since he is of an age where he is very open to learning new things, maybe you can replace the scratching with a small spray bottle you can teach him to use. Of course, that opens up a world of potential housekeeping problems, but he already is one at 18 mos, and the water spraying is better than the alternative.

Just some thoughts from an experienced Mom. Keep us posted, and good luck.

[iansmommy]

Thanks guys. I do have some Atarax around but that doesn't seem to work all the time. Oral benadryl does make Ian very sleepy. I have tried benadryl cream and that doesn't do to much for him. My father in law has some sea salts that the vender says are good for dry skin. Anybody used them??? As for pants. It has been much to hot here. When Ian sweats his P gets worse and in 100+ degree heat I am doing all I can to keep him cool. Mittens I can tell y9ou would get pulled off as soon as they would get put on. Ian is a VERY active little boy! I will try the Aveeno. what about Oatmeal bathes too? He loves the water.

Thanks for the birthday wishes. Spent time with my family and really enjoyed taking it easy.

[MikeK]

Hi Carrie,

Sea Salt: I think that it depends on where the sea salt came from. A lot of people go to the Dead Sea in Isreal, because its salt and mineral content is said to be very therapeutic for people with P. (The Dead Sea is also in the desert and I'm sure that the desert sun adds to the benefits that are derived from the water.) You can buy Dead Sea salt products on-line. I'm not sure if regular sea salt would provide the same type of benefit, because it wouldn't have to same mineral content. Talk to Ian's derm. It might help.

Oatmeal Baths: I've never used it, but I know that Marielle said that taking baths with Aveeno Oatmeal Soak helped Jessie. A lot of other people, including PJ, have said it's helps them too. It's certainly worth a try.

You also might want to ask Ian's derm if he can use Balnetar Therapeutic Tar Bath. It's very soothing and helps relieve the itch. Caution: it STAINS and the stains are IMPOSSIBLE to get out. It can be very hard to clean the bathtub after you use it. For that reason, I only use it if things really get out of hand.

Hope the helps. Hang in there! Good luck and please keep us posted.

Mike

[Marielle]

Carrie
Welcome back! Miss you tons....Sorry to hear Ian is itching. Mike is right, Jessie loves to take Aveeno Oatmeal baths. Whenever she is itchy I put her in one. Sometimes she will spend way too much time in the tub but it softens the skin so the itching is gone. It is a tad pricey, I think about a dollar a bath but I found that Target and Walmart have there own brands of it and it runs a little cheaper. There also is a recipe out on this site to make some. Well I better get back to work.
Keep in touch.
M

[iansmommy]

marielle, great to hear from you!! i have thought alot about jessie recently. wondered how she was doing. i am going to pick up some of that oatmeal bath. i get tired of telling ian "no don't mess with that". i will let you know how it does for us. thankfully ian loves the water. he would spend all day in the tub if i would let him.

one other completely off topic thing. where did you get you heart that is one all your mails?

[Marielle]

Carrie
Jessie is doing great. She only has a few spots on the inside of her elbows and knees and on her eyelids. She is enjoying the natural sun. She is so tan it is awful (since I am a redhead and burn). Jessie is the same way in the tub. She spends hours in it. I once had her in it for 3 hours. I think that was the best oatmeal soak ever. She came out all soft and not itching. I don't remember where I got the heart but I will look up the few sites I go to and see. I will get back to you.
M