The Wet Wrap Ahhhhs!
If you have or your kids have food allergies, then most of you have experienced eczema and/or severe dermatitis. In children, it can be especially intense, since the itch can be unbearable. My sons have had bouts with eczema because of accidental food allergen exposures. These rashes can be devastating as most of you know. To help deal with the itching and to help speed up the healing process of the skin, my preferred method is… WET WRAPS!!
OK, I know that most of you think of these being done in a hospital setting, but believe me, you can do these at home and your child will sit back in… Ahhhh!
You will need:
1. AquaPhor – do not use Vaseline… it does a number on your clothes washer
2. Old 100% cotton pillow case, cut in 4X24 inch strips
3. Ace bandage, two or three depending on affected areas
4. One pair of long pant/long sleeve ALL COTTON PJs (and please only use fragrant free detergent!)
5. 2 or 3 towels
Wet Wrapping:
1. First thing first… Take a lukewarm bath, no soap, for 20 minutes minimum
2. When you get out, slather whole body with AquaPhor before drying off, I mean use a ton of it! (Do not use any prescription steroid/tacrolimus product under bandages!)
3. Put on the PJs
4. Lay the towels over the bedding, overlap them
5. Completely soak the pillow case strips in water one-by-one, then wring them out a little
6. Wrap area with wet strip over PJs
7. Then wrap area with ace bandage, secure with safety pins (do not use ace bandage clips, they fall off and can hurt your little one)
8. In the morning, remove all bandages and immediately put more AquaPhor or prescription cream/ointment on affected area
9. Wash/Reuse pillow case strips with AquaPhor soiled PJs
Repeat at nap or bedtime until skin takes turn for the better, but stay on top of daily lukewarm baths with AquaPhor applied!!