My almost 18 mo old daughter seems to have really sweaty feet. They get so bad that the peel and crack. They look so awful and I am sure it doesn't feel very good. When they get bad we put some neosporin on them to make sure they heal and don't get infected. My peds nurse recommended something called "stinky pinky's" it's an activiated charcoal thing you can put in the shoes to help them dry out overnight, but her feet come out of her shoes damp everyday. She has been home the last two months with her dad and we pretty much kept her barefoot and they got much better. But now she is back in daycare and needs to have shoes and socks on all the time. In three days they are already getting bad again. Any ideas?
Consider the type of shoe - I have found the same with my youngest daughter and I've come to the realization that the "fake" robeez are what's doing it. If you stick to the real thing, or open shoes, you may not have a problem.
The stinky is unpleasant but cosmetic. The cracking and peeling has to be uncomfortable for the poor little thing. Bag Balm (some places sell it in the lotions and creams areas - more in the Pet Section (REALLY) it's in a square Green can and smells, well, like Cod Liver Oil - because that's one of the ingredients - it's greasy (the lanolin) but it works for sore, cracked or chapped feet (or hands, elbows,etc). Farmers use it ( or maybe used to, not sure if they still do) for cows' udders in cold weather becasue they would get sore and cracked, etc. I keep a can of it for all sorts of skin ailments - my grown kids tease me all the time about Bag Balm but they are right there to put bag balm on a sore hang nail, or blister or sunburn - A friend who is a Ob/GYN and a new Dad had just come from the pediatrician when I saw him and they were on their third tube of presciption ointment - I told him about using Bag Balm and he reluctantly tried it - he read the label and said "Do you know what this is really for?" - YUP and his little girl's rash on her face cleared right up. Non toxic - it's just not clean and neat! no perfumes, etc. But her comfort level should improve a lot! You will find a ton of uses for it.
Definitely something I'd ask the pediatrician about. "Curing" the shoe problem is one thing. But the root problem is why she's sweating so heavily to start with.
Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) is an indication of a problem with the sympathic nervous system, which can be addressed through simple changes in the diet, like reducing grains and sugar.
here are some other suggestions that I received in a newsletter recently:
FEET (stinky) - some say, if your feet stink, take Zinc. For adults 25 mg is an adequate dose per day (do not exceed 50 mg or nausea may result). It is also recommended for seniors who have lost their sense of taste and smell. For children, just use the kid's multi-vitamin.
Others say the blood is dirty so try drinking more water, with lemon added, or take a blood cleaning herb like Alfalfa, or drink some minty Liquid Chlorophyll in your water. If none of this works, here's a tip from Dr. Oz: make plain black tea. Soak the feet in warm (not hot) tea for 1/2 hour per day for a week. Dry completely. Wear open toed shoes, clean and dry the feet daily, and when wearing socks make sure they are cotton. You might need to throw out old shoes and get new ones.
Oh and this may sound crazy but how about wool socks? Wool actually does wick moisture away from the skin, stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter. "Wool can easily absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling damp or clammy. The capacity to absorb makes wool a "temperature regulator" because it can protect the body in both cold and warm conditions. Wool always absorbs moisture from the atmosphere of greater humidity and releases it to the drier environment as it creates a balance in moisture conditions. This characteristic makes wool a versatile all-season fabric." [source http://www.kswpa.com/woolchar.htm#1]
Most people think of wool as only a winter fabric, but it's great for summer, too.
Hope this helps,
J.
Check out her shoes. I am allergic to man made material in shoes. My feet do the same thing. Every pair of shoes I own must be leather or my feet do the same thing. It is VERY painful. Once in a while I think it will be okay to buy one pair of shoes at payless thinking I will only wear them a couple times for a couple hours at a time. I pay for for it! The material feels like it is eating the bottom of my feet. Good luck!
My daughter also has very sweaty feet. Fortunately, she never had the cracking issue. My podiatrist recommended soaking her feet in cool vinegar water 1/4 cup per gallon of cool water) every night to help dry them out and decrease the odor. He also recommended having at least 2-3 pair of shoes so she wasn't wearing the same ones every day. This gave her shoes more time to dry. Hope this helps.
Can she wear crocks? or some other breathable shoe?
Although Crocs may seem like a great idea because they are well ventilated, I've read they are terrible for developing (kids') feet. You can get better support from Land's End ventilated shoes. Lots of styles and reasonably priced....about socks, I have Hanes crew socks and footies for my guy. They wick away moisture pretty well. They come home wet only when he's been finding mud holes.... ;)
Hmm... Not to cause you undue worry, but the feet reflect the body overall. (from a therapist's perspective.)
Have you had her checked out to make sure there is nothing else going on with her health?
If she is fine in the health check, there are homeopathics you could use to maintain this, I have also seen a foot powder at Lush that you could possibly use on her feet and in her shoes (they assure me the product is safe for kids as my son uses the bath bombs!) as well as few other things (that it's too early for me to recall as I had not had enough coffee yet!)...
Or, see if at Nap Time; Day Care can allow her feet to breath. Make sure you have only cotton socks or organic socks on her feet, nothing with Poly or a Poly blend as this can cause more sweating. (I have noticed my feet or my son's is worse with anything other than cotton or organic cotton; Tights make feet sweat, too.)
I would put Extra Virgin Olive oil on her at night after a bath (when the feet are moist) and then put on some organic cotton socks to allow this to penetrate into the tissue to soften it.
But it sounds like there may be something you want to check out with her doctor, just to be on the safe side.
A close friend of mine had a similar situation with her daughter. If I am remembering correctly, to help with the perspiration she purchased socks that were not 100% cotton. (The cotton socks tented to trap the moisture and keep her feet wet during the day.) Perhaps look for non-cotton or a cotton blend. Also she purchased 2 or 3 pairs of shoes made with leather, and then she would make sure her daughter would never wore the same pair of shoes two days in a row. And then the pair she wasn't wearing she made sure to put them by a vent or somewhere where air could move through them so they would be fully dry the next time her daughter needed to wear them.
Hope this helps your little ones precious feet!
Cotton socks are the worst for keeping feet dry. To find a synthetic sock that will wick the moisture away from her feet. Lands End also makes breathable tennis shoes that are great!
My daughter used to have the sweatiest hands when she was little, and we didn't think much of it. As she got older the problem worsened. When she was around 12 we found out that she has hyperhydrosis. It is an immune system disorder that causes your body to sweat more than normal. Some people have it just on their hands or underarms, others just their feet. Most doctors don't think of this right off the bat, so you may want to ask your Ped. about it, just so he/she can rule it out. If it turns our your daughter does have hyperhydrosis, there is a wonderful website, full of information and help, just google Hyperhydrosis Society. Good luck!
**I stand corrected...I had no idea that cotton socks made the problem worse...I guess I applied the same idea that we women use about cotton panties...go figure!!** Thanks Nicole!
Perhaps try the other extreme and try to keep them dry instead of lubed up. You can put some corn starch sprinkled on the inside of her (cotton only) socks. Now that it's getting warmer, maybe you can get some shoes that are well ventilated. My grown brother has started spraying his feet with anti-persperant every morning and said it works! Not sure I would do that without asking the ped, but it's a simple solution!
L.
Check with her pediatrician and ask about contact dermatitis. When I was a child I would get the same type of reaction, then my feet would get so dry and cracked that they would bleed. My problem was actually caused by the tanin they use in leather. Maybe she can wear sandals now that it is warmer outside?
Aw, poor thing, my feet get sweaty, I can imagine what sh's going through. I have read that it helps to wear only cotton socks, not those nylon ones, and also leather shoes, not the vinyl ones, and also put powder on her feet before you put on her socks. Just to play it safe though, I would take her to the Dr. Good luck, these tips have helped me.
You may want to go to stride rite and invest in a pair of all leather $50.00 shoes. I know...who would have ever thought that you would spend more on your child shoes than your own, but they work. The leather absorbs the moisture, and always wear socks too. Go talk to them they may have answers for you.
the response about BagBalm is absolutely correct. My son had a peely feet problem a few times when he was little. At night after bath...i would coat the bottom of his feet with bag balm and have him sleep in socks. 2 nights max, his feet were perfect.
as far as the sweatiness...check with the pediatrition...spray anti perspirant in the morning on the bottom of her feet might work...but you'd need to clear it with your doctor first, and make sure you use something very gentle...
My son has the same problem he can only ware white socks his feet do not crack and peel now but boy do his shoes get smelly. When he was younger I washed his shoes once a week and had him ware sandles alot in the summer. hope it helps he is 8 now.
you may know this already, but, stay away from synthetic materials.....polyester, vinyl etc. Stay with cotton to absorb. Also for the shoes, leather and cotton ventilate best. Stay away from vinyl shoes. Maybe she could do crocs with cotton socks?? Crocs have many vent holes.
Have you tried to get her socks with coolmax or I don't know if underarmor makes socks yet, but something that wicks the moisture away from the feet. That's what you need. Also she should be able to wear Crocs to daycare & if you get her some socks that wick away moisture that should help a lot! Mostly due to the ventilation she will now have!
Hope this helps!
