Healing and Preventing Children's Chapped Lips

The Winter months are hard on us all in many ways. The freezing cold air is especially hard on children. In the amount of time it takes to wait for the bus, or to play outside at school for recess a child's lips can become chapped. The cold isn't the only cause of chapping. The Winter months are also very dry. The air does not contain the humidity that it does in the summer. Dry lips chap in the cold and dry air.

Chapped lips range from barely chapped, just being a little rough, to severely chapped, cracked and bleeding. Barely chapped lips will become severely chapped lips if care is not taken. Chapped lips can be quite painful for children. Here's how to heal them...

What you'll need to heal your child's chapped lips is a tube of chap stick. If you don't have any actual chap stick you can apply petroleum jelly until you get some. Chap stick comes in a little tube. It contains moisturizers that sooth the chapped lips and allow them to heal. It often also contains vitamins that nourish the delicate lip skin. Some chap sticks are available medicated. If your child's lips are severely chapped a medicated chap stick will work harder to heal them faster.

To prevent children from getting chapped lips use the chap stick regularly. Apply it each morning before they go off to school. Apply it before they play outside, and each night before they go to sleep. Chap stick can be applied several times through out the day to both prevent and heal chapped lips. When used consistently it does a wonderful job.

Children who are five years of age and older can generally be trusted to keep track of their own chap stick. They also have the skills needed to apply it properly. Simply show them how. Children under five will apply the chap stick on everything and their lips too, and are likely to eat what's left when they're done. Do not trust a toddler with a chap stick. Kids who are older should be talked to about the fact that a chap stick is like a medicine. It is only to be used to heal chapped lips and is not a toy. Most kids do well and are quite responsible for their chap sticks. Watch them closely and use it as another little way of teaching them responsibility.

Kids don't mind using chap sticks at all. Most children do use them responsibly. Chap sticks are available in all sorts of kid friendly flavors and colors. Families can buy a five pack of them for only a couple of dollars. A little tube of chap stick will last all Winter long. Little girls love the ones that shine and sparkle. Read the package carefully when selecting a chap stick. Make sure you're getting something for chapped lips, not for beauty. Both chap sticks and beauty products are available in flavors such as strawberry, watermelon, orange and grape.

Chapped lips are not fun for anyone. The long, cold and dry Winter months take a toll on the lips, causing them to become chapped and often to crack or bleed. Use a chap stick to heal and prevent chapped lips. Thanks for reading and take care!