I have a few questions. First off, my DD has had what looks like patchy dry skin on her cheeks for a few months. It sometimes gets red as well. I've also noticed it around the creases of her nose. I asked her pediatrician and he recommended that I use Aveno on it. I've been using that, and while it doesn't seem to be getting worse, it also doesn't seem to be getting better. I assume a lot of it has to do with the cold weather, however, does anyone have any suggestions on anything else I could try to relieve this?

Another question I have is DD does not like rice cereal or oatmeal UNLESS I mix fruit with it. This may sound stupid, but is that ok? I know she needs the daily amount of fruits anyway, and it's the only way I can get her to take the cereal. How important is the cereal anyway? I mean, is it really necessary that she eat the cereal at all? Would the fruits and veggies be ok without the cereal?

One last question. When do most recommend introducing a sippy cup? My DD is always grabbing ahold of her bottle when I am feeding her and can hold on to it well, but can't seem to be able to angle it the way it needs to be in order to eat. A few girlfriends of mine started introducing juice in a sippy cup no long ago to their six month olds. Is this something I should do now? I tried juice once with her but she scrunched up her face every time she tried it and pushed it away....indicating to me that she didn't like it. This probably sounds weird, but can you put formula in a sippy cup or are they strictly used for juice etc? Sorry to sound stupid, but I am a first time mom and still learning the ropes. I just don't know how important it is to start a sippy cup and when.

Thanks for any advice you can give. It's much appreciated!!! ;)

Hey Delia!!! Not sure if you remember me from our July Mommies thread on the pregnancy board. From everything I read babies still get the majority of their nutrition from either breast milk or formula. So they don't really need the typical adult balanced diet from the baby food. My little guy HATES all the meat baby food. So I don't give it to him because really his formula gives him all he needs. Before their first birthday the baby food and cereal is just to start learning how to eat and swallow properly and check for allergies and things like that. So if she doesn't like the cereal then I say leave her be or keep mixing it with the fruit. I would rather have apple cinnamon oatmeal instead of plain! :D
About the sippy cup, I got one as a shower gift and on the packaging it actually said 6M and up, so obviously it's not too early to start giving it to her. My DS has used one a couple of times, with my help.
Hope you are doing well. Noticed your thread about having another one, are you really ready to have another one?!? I do miss being pregnant but am no where near ready for another baby. Well best of luck if you do start TTC again!

Hi there,

I'm a first time mom as well, and not long ago I had all the very same questions (my ds is 8mo). DS also has that dry patchy, red skin and his doctor recommended using vaseline on it. I actually haven't tried that yet because it really hasn't been too bad lately, but if it starts to flare up again I just might (even though it seems quite messy--but maybe a really thin layer would be ok).
My ds also hates cereal! I think I may have written a post about this awhile back... But he's quite a picky eater and will only eat it with either fruit or veggies. The only reason I give it to him at all is because I am worry sometimes about his iron levels. They say babies get enough iron in their diet from either breast milk or formula until they are about 6 months, because they still have stores of it from birth, but after that they should get some in their diet to avoid iron deficiency anemia. I know that green veggies are rich in iron as well (and so is meat and poultry) so if your daughter gets a lot of those foods, she might not need the cereal at all.... I give it to my ds though just to be sure (and it's fine mixed with other things!).
As far as the sippy cup goes, I think I introduced it around 6 months as well, but just with water and it still hasn't really caught on. He will drink out of it occasionally, but not really by himself--I have to hold and tip it up for him--otherwise he just bangs it around and the water goes everywhere... The one we have actually came with a valve in it so he has to suck on the spout to get the water out, but we took the valve out because he wasn't quite getting that he needed to suck. I think 6 months is a good age to start introducing it though because then it might be easier to wean her from her bottle if she is used to a cup. I know some kids have a heck of a time being weaned from the bottle.... I don't see a problem with giving her formula in the sippy cup if she likes it that way. And with the juice--just be sure to dilute it with water (maybe 50:50), so it's not so sweet and sugary!
Hope this helped!

Whiskers :angel:

Aquaphor is good to use on dry skin and you can buy it at almost any drug store. It's not as slick and messy as Vaseline. I used it on my daughter because she had dry skin and heat rash a lot as a baby. Also, plain ol' A&D Ointment (the kind you use for diaper rash) is good for dry skin too. Just be careful not to use around the eyes.

About the rice cereal: yes, it's true that you need to give them iron, but i mixed it with fruit for all of my kids because they hated the taste, too, and they're all still alive. I think I even mixed it with apple juice... and you can use formula to mix it up, too. Maybe if you try it very watered down.

Also, the sippy cup comes when they're ready, whether it's 6 months, 7 months, whenever. If your baby is not ready, she won't want it, but it's good to introduce it to her, just not force it on her. My son is 10 months and still doesn't show interest in a sippy cup, but he's a breastfed baby. He's on his own timeline. As long as your baby is getting enough nutrients in formula and baby food, she'll be fine. There's no need to worry about when everyone else's baby is drinking out of a cup. It'll come with time.

Thanks for all the great advice everyone! Yeah, Ella seems to like the idea of the cup itself, although she can't really angle it the way it needs to be, and it does have a valve that requires her to suck in order to get the liquid out. But she likes that because I think it reminds her of the bottle. It's just the juice she didn't like. So, maybe I will try one more time watering it down. I didn't do that the first time because it didn't say to on the bottle, and I even looked to see if I should. Maybe that's why she didn't like it so much...just too sweet.

I will also try the ideas for the dry skin. I am sure something is bound to work.

E1979, of course I remember you. How is your little boy? I just can't believe they are already six months old. It seems like they are growing up way to fast. To answer your question, we aren't technically trying, but we aren't NOT trying either. I never could take birth control....it messed my body up to much, so after having Ella, we are just taking our chances. I don't mind if I do get pregnant, although I am sure it will be rough with how active Ella is right now. But DH is great and such a huge help, and plus I only work 4 hours a day now. So I have much more time on my hands than I used to. So, I guess we will just see what happens. DH would like to go ahead and have another, and I am fine either way. Hope you are doing well and it was good to hear from you!

We have a daily battle with skin problems in my house. My middle child has keratosis, ichthiosis and exzema. My oldest and myself also have skin problems. It could just be some "winter skin" on her face, but it could also be exzema or something like it. Try not using baby washes when you bathe her. Aqaphor has a tear free body wash for children that is much easier on the skin than the Gerber products and so on. Also try the aquaphor on the face like the previous poster suggested. Apply it twice a day. It should help, if it doesn't, bring it up to your pediatrician, they might be able to prescribe a cortisone cream that could clear it right up. In the winter, with drooling and everything, their skin can get very raw.

You can start the sippy cup now if you want to. My youngest is 8 months and doesn't like it yet. So whenever they're ready. And I always mix cereal and fruit, it tastes kinda yucky w/out it.

Delia79-

My DS used to get dry patchy skin on his cheeks, and on his body so I took him to the doctor because I was concerned about it and the doctor told me it was eczema so he prescribed me some hydrocordizone lotion to rub on it and sure enough it went away within a week or so. I also make sure to use lots of moisturizing lotion when he gets out of the bath or comes in from outside when its cold, and that seems to help a lot too.

I am having a problem with my DD right now too, because she won't eat food anymore at all. But with my son I always put cereal in his fruits and veggies, or I mixed it with a little bit of juice, he wouldn't eat it without anything in it!
I also gave him fruits and veggies without cereal too, but I usually put cereal in his food because it would fill him up better.

Sippy Cups! LOL...With both of my kids I started giving them a sippy cup as soon as they could hold there bottles by themselves(DS 5 months, DD 6 months) and I ONLY put water, or juice(1/2 Juice 1/2 Water) in it, and their bottle is ONLY for milk. And I think that is the best thing I ever did, because my DS was 13 months old when I got rid of his bottle and he didn't even care! It was so much easier on me, because I was afraid he wouldn't give it up and drink from a bottle forever, but NOPE he didn't care at all! So I think it's important to try and keep trying, but the more your DD likes her cup the easier it will be for you to get rid of her bottle.

Hope I helped a little bit!

Hey Delia- I was also on the July mommies thread on the pregnancy board, how's your Ella doing? My Ella is fantastic! Also 6 months and growing like a weed :D

I haven't yet introduced a sippy cup, honestly I hadn't even thought abot it until I read your post, and now that you mention it, I may try it...Also, we haven't introduced juice yet. When did you do that (now I feel like the mom with all the questions).

Ella eats fruit with cereal, I don't even try to give her the plain stuff anymore (although she probably would eat it) because she gets fruit at the same feeding, it's easiest for me to just mix them together (and saves time in the morning while we're rushing to daycare and work) ;)

Also- my Ella has dry skin as well, it is worse when it's cold, we've used vaseline since she was about 3 months old. It works really well for her, I put it on every night after her bath (or if it's a no-bath night, then while she's getting ready for bed). I also have to put vaseline on her back and her elbows (they also have eczema (sp?)

Hope all is well. I can't imagine having baby #2 right now, I love Ella and I'm thrilled for her to have siblings, but whew things are so crazy right now...taking 2 to daycare might just be the straw that breaks that camel's back!

Sarah

Delia--

My DD is around the same age (I was an August mommy, but my DD came early!). We have much of the same issues!

The dry skin thing. My DD started getting this I think around Oct. or Nov.--her cheeks were SOOO red and dry. As lotion didn't do ANYTHING, I was convinced it was exzema or something, but the doc told us to just put vaseline on it. I thought for sure it wouldn't work, but no, it works like a charm! And honestly it's not messy, b/c you just put a very thin layer on. Hopefully whatever you try will work, but I've been very happy with vaseline. As long as we put it on every 1-2 days, her cheeks are not red or dry.

The baby food issue. Yes, my DD also hates cereal unless I add something to it. I have also been told if they'll eat the cereal with something in it at least to continue it b/c of the extra nutrients they get in the cereal. Personally I would prefer to eliminate the cereal all together b/c my DD really hates it, and I can barely get her to eat it with even fruit added. I have heard also once you add in meats though that you can do away with cereal, don't know if that's true.

I'm glad you brought up the sippy cup thing, b/c I also had completely forgot about this, and I think I'll introduce my DD to that now! Thanks for reminding me!