Chapped Lips

[SunflowerMama]

Does anyone do anything to help with chapped lips in the winter?

We're in Texas and it's starting to cool off so we're seeing some temperatures in the 40s and these kids are licking their lips all day.

We're outside a lot so I now have 4 or 5 kids who look awful. I keep telling them not to lick their lips but they just do it without thinking about it.

Do you apply anything before/after outside time or during the day to help?

I have some coconut oil so I was thinking about using that but just don't know what to do. I have one parent that has mentioned it but I just don't know what to do to help it from occurring.

[joysjustlikehome]

I'd get permission from the parents before I'd put anything on their lips. I'd try to make sure they drink more water and maybe do something to put more moisture in the air - like a humidifier. It's a vicious cycle once they start licking their lips like that. ~Joy

[kidkair]

I'd have the parents bring Vaseline or chap-stic or other lip protector and put that on before going outside and before nap when they will not be apt to lick their lips for awhile. I'd also run a humidifier and make them drink water every 1/2 hour to ensure they are staying hydrated. In the winter it's common for people to stop eating as many fruits and veggies and focus more on the grains and proteins which don't have as much natural fluid in them to help prevent dehydration.

[Meeko]

I say go with the vaseline. Don't know if it's true, but I heard the ingredients in Chapstick actually stop your lips from producing enough moisture of their own and therefore make you more dependant on more Chapstick. Maybe an old wife's tale....but I love vaseline. Put it on the kids at nap time each day. You'll notice a big difference in a few days.

[KEG123]

When I was in elementry school, I used to lick my lips BAD. Like, red kool-aid man lips. So I always carried chapstick with me. Well, being an elem kid I often forgot so had to go to the nurse a lot. She kept a pot of vaseline in there that she'd dip a q tip it and rub on my lips.

[youretooloud]

Most of the kids have a chap stick here. I just keep them in a sandwich container with names on them.. I hand them to the kids, they rub it on their lips..faces, noses...(because you can't just stop at the lips, you apparently must go at least an inch past the lips) and they put the lid back on and put it in the container.

They walk around all proud with their slightly pink tinged shimmer all over the lower half of the face.

[AnneCordelia]

My ointment of choice for diapers and faces is vaseline. I have parents sign a waver and provide a tub for all the daycare kids.

I'm in Canada and we are outside every day of the year, save for 1 or 2 when it's badly storming. I apply vaseline to all the little faces (cheeks, nose and lips) before we go out in really cold weather. I apply vaseline to any lips that are looking chapped too. I also make sure they drink enough water.

[youretooloud]

My ointment of choice for diapers and faces is vaseline. I have parents sign a waver and provide a tub for all the daycare kids.

I'm in Canada and we are outside every day of the year, save for 1 or 2 when it's badly storming. I apply vaseline to all the little faces (cheeks, nose and lips) before we go out in really cold weather. I apply vaseline to any lips that are looking chapped too. I also make sure they drink enough water.

See??? I have a very weird germaphobe thing. I can't put my fingers into the vaseline and then use it for the next kid. I haven't come up with a reasonable (that I'm happy with ) alternative to use one ointment for all the kids... unless it comes from a tube, or a spray bottle.

I even make solutions that I can put into a spray bottle so I don't have to touch it, then touch it again.

I need to get over it a little bit huh?

[Meeko]

See??? I have a very weird germaphobe thing. I can't put my fingers into the vaseline and then use it for the next kid. I haven't come up with a reasonable (that I'm happy with ) alternative to use one ointment for all the kids... unless it comes from a tube, or a spray bottle.

I even make solutions that I can put into a spray bottle so I don't have to touch it, then touch it again.

I need to get over it a little bit huh?

I use the tubes of vaseline so I don't double dip!

[AnneCordelia]

I have a tub for every child, clearly labeled, and in a basket at my diaper station (which is by my front door, makes it easy to use for going outside.)

I invested in a box of finger cots...the kind they use in restaurants when a cook has a cut on their finger. I roll on a cot and dip in vaseline to use. Roll it off and a new one for the next child. It sounds time consuming but is really very quick.

[laundrymom]

I am sending you a big heartfelt cyber hug!!!!!!!!!
( and smacking myself for not thinking of this!!!!)

I have a tub for every child, clearly labeled, and in a basket at my diaper station (which is by my front door, makes it easy to use for going outside.)

I invested in a box of finger cots...the kind they use in restaurants when a cook has a cut on their finger. I roll on a cot and dip in vaseline to use. Roll it off and a new one for the next child. It sounds time consuming but is really very quick.

[sharlan]

I am anti Vaseline. It seems to make my dry lips worse so I won't use it.

I have the parents provide a tube of Bert's Bees or of Carmex. I keep it labled with their names on it and put it in my med box.

[JennyBear]

See??? I have a very weird germaphobe thing. I can't put my fingers into the vaseline and then use it for the next kid. I haven't come up with a reasonable (that I'm happy with ) alternative to use one ointment for all the kids... unless it comes from a tube, or a spray bottle.

I even make solutions that I can put into a spray bottle so I don't have to touch it, then touch it again.

I need to get over it a little bit huh?

They now make vaseline in a tube (not sure how long they've been doing that for) but some of my parents bring that for their kids and I buy it to use on the others.
I also live in Canada (Ontario) so Winter get's wet and cold and little ones get chapped lips quite a bit. I find that vaseline and drinking lots of water helps.

[countrymom]

I say go with the vaseline. Don't know if it's true, but I heard the ingredients in Chapstick actually stop your lips from producing enough moisture of their own and therefore make you more dependant on more Chapstick. Maybe an old wife's tale....but I love vaseline. Put it on the kids at nap time each day. You'll notice a big difference in a few days.

your right, chapstick does make it worse, I would apply vaseline, I just bought some more the other day.

[DCMom]

Vaseline and q-tips here. My middle son had horrible chapped lips when he was young and vaseline was the only thing he wouldn't lick off!

I keep a small cool air humidifier going in the dry winter months. My skin gets very dry, so it's more for me than the dck's but they benefit too.