Toddler's Dry, Cracking Feet

I had the same thing when I was little. The doctors diagnosed me with ezcema and gave me all different types of creams. None worked, I found that vaseline on my feet, plastic bags and then socks at bedtime worked the best. Mine would get so bad they would bleed but by morning with the vaseline be completely healed. They also told me to wear 100% cotton socks and no sandals or going barefoot.

Hi R.!

I completely agree with Jenny's response about Melaleuca's Renew lotion. I have always had horrible, sore cracked feet due to wearing flip flops in the summer. I have recently been introduced to this Renew Lotion and was amazed at how quickly it works. It is way better then Eurcerin or Lubriderm but it's not thick and greasy like those are. And it is safe on babies.

Have a wonderful week!

A. Wilson
Freedom United Team
###-###-####
www.FreedomUnitedTeam.com/AW7128

The dryness and cracking is usually caused by sweating. Try switching to a more absorbent type of sport sock, alternating pairs of shoes if she has more than one pair of sneakers, and for right now, get a tube of Neutrogena Foot Cream and put it on your daughter's feet before she goes to bed at night. The redness and cracking should clear up in a couple of days. (You can usually find the cream at Walmart, Kmart etc) Good luck!

This happens to me a lot because I go barefoot almost all the time. What works best for me is to use bagbalm (yep the stuff they use on cow udders), rub it into my feet at night and put socks over. Usually after a couple days my feet are smooth again. Now I do this about once a week to prevent my feet from getting so dry. Another thing is to make sure that she is drinking plenty of water. It is very easy to get dehydrated especially in winter when we are not always thirsty like in hot weather.

Hi R.,

There are several reasons why this could be happening. I'd be happy to discuss them with you. I can also recommend a fantastic product by Arbonne called Herbal Foot Cream. I'd be happy to send you some so you could try it.

J. B.

Hi R.. My daughter has very dry skin especially in the winter. I found a company that has an amazing lotion. In fact it is guaranteed to resolve anybody's dry skin issues even those related to excema, diabetes, psoriasis etc. It is proven to work 7x better then Eucerin. I gave it to a student of mine to try who had severly dry skin and her mom actually wrote me a thank you letter stating her problem was cleared in four days and she shares it with her sister. This company also has 350 other products that are naturally derived and healthier for our families, the environment, and our wallets!! I am helping moms get the chemicals out of their homes and watching all kinds of health issues disappear. In fact, my sister converted her home to these chemical-free products and my niece no longer uses her daily inhaler! I have so much more I can share with you. Feel free to call me at ###-###-#### and I can help you get the products from the manufacturer at a discounted price.

Try Eucerin cream (not the lotion - but the heavy cream that comes in a tub). We have some eczema in our family & that works best for us. Also try putting some baby oil on the effected areas right after a bath & before you towel off - it helps keep the moisture in. Follow up with Eucerin and then apply the Eucerin one or two more times during the day.

Aloha,
Our 2 1/2 yr old has extremely bad dry/cracking feet. We have literally bought just about every heel moisturizer under the sun (it feels that way at least) We bought Sally Hansens's "Just Feet Nighttime Heel Repair Ointment" it's got a Vaseline feel to it.

I am just curious what you found that helped your daughter. Being in Hawaii sh run around barefoot all the time. If we let it slide by even 6-7 days without putting on this ointment she's back to cracked feet. It happens almost overnight from healthy heels to just extremely dry and bleeding.

This stuff is hard to find on the island though, only Target carries it.

R.,
no diagnosis here, just a hopefully helpful tip.
here is something I found to help my daughter. a little almond oil (or olive) with a few drops of lavender essential oil. I put it in an small, empty spray bottle from that awful candy my son buys occasionally. It works great to be able to put a tiny amount on her feet and massage it in, at night.
If I catch the drying and cracking early, the oil stops it from becoming worse. Lavender is antifungal and it smells good.
good luck -A.

If her feet get moist at all, then dry out in the weather now or dry inside it can cause this to happen, it could be an allergy to her shoes too.,
First, when she gets up slather her up with aquaphor all over her feet and put her socks back on and have her leave them on.
Wet boots, wet shoes this time of year can reek havoc on little feet. If it doesn't clear up with the aquaphor, take her in to ensure it isn't a skin condition that needs further treatment medically.

gold bond works great!

My daughter had a dry, red, scaly patch on the top of her foot. Her uncle declared that it was athlete's foot. I was appalled!!! I checked with the doctor at her next check up and the dr. said, "hmmm...it could be. Try spraying some Tinactin on it. It won't hurt anything even if it's not athlete's foot. You can try putting Vaseline on it, too." As much as I hate to admit it, the Tinactin worked.

A licorice salve would work great. The problem is you have to probably make it yourself because I don't know of a company that makes one. here is a recipe if you want to try and make it:

first you have to make licorice oil. Put dry licorice root in a glass jar with 1/2 cup oil (canola or olive). Make sure the licorice is covered with the oil. Secure the lid on the jar. Now get out your crock pot and fill it with water and put the jar in the water up to the level just below the lid (so water doesn't get in the jar). Cook on low heat for 2-3 days. Then strain the plant material out and reserve the oil.

To make the salve:

in a double boiler heat the licorice oil and 1 oz beeswax. Once the beeswax is melted pour the hot mixture into a sterile container. When it cools it should be a salve consistency. You can apply it too her feet throughout the day.

This is a small production and I don't expect you to have the time to do this, but I thought I would throw the suggestion out there because if you can't find anything else that works to heal her feet this slave could really help.

Good luck

Sounds like it could be a fungal infection causing this, take her to a doctor.

My feet do this sometimes too. It really hurts! I find that if I go barefoot, my feet tend to crack and split. I would put coconut oil on her feet. It is fantastic! It is antimicrobial, anti-viral. Google it to learn about the wonderful attributes of coconut oil. I like the idea of putting socks on her feet after you slather the coconut oil on before bed. I would never use vaseline because it is a petroleum product. It is toxic for you. And, your feet absorb everything you put on them quicker than pretty much anywhere else on your body. ANyway, I hope I didn't offend anyone. I just wanted to throw that out there. By the way, most lotions have petroleum in them. These are not products you should be putting on your skin. They cause more problems than they cure. Blessings!

Hey R., I have the same problem with my feet in the summer when I run around in bare feet and, at best, in flip-flops. I found Renew works BEST on my cracked feet! Here is the link to show you about it http://www.melaleuca.com/ps/index.cfm?f=ps.contentPage&am...

I can show you how to get it directly from the manufacture with a 30-40% discount too! Give me a call or e-mail me for more information ###-###-####

J.
www.SaferisBetter.com/4myfam