Oatmeal Bath

Poor baby Spencer had a patch of dry skin on his belly that one day last weekend, out of no where, became rash-like and developed into what we found out this past Wednesday at his 6 month pediatrician appointment is baby eczema!  At first we thought it was possibly an allergic reaction to bananas because the timing coincided with when we started him on his first solid food other than rice cereal.  So I stopped feeding him bananas for a few days until we could confirm with the doctor, and he didn't seem too happy about having been given something yummy and new and then having it taken away suddenly!  Luckily eczema's not contagious, or likely something that will stay with him past age 2, but he may have occasional flare ups if we don't keep his skin extra moisturized and use special soaps, etc. for sensitive skin.  The doctor gave us a prescription lotion that has worked wonders in the last 24 hours, and told us to use Aquaphor ointment after that as needed.  It's kind of a pain to grease him up twice a day (the Aquaphor is like a Vaseline consistency and stays all over your hands and clothes), especially because he is so wiggly now and constantly trying to grab anything within reach.  Imagine trying to dress a baby coated in Vaseline into a snug, long sleeved onesie - not the easiest thing to put on a squirmy baby to begin with!  I also got him some Aveeno Oatmeal Bath and that seemed to sooth his skin a bit too (another messy endeavor leaving a brown residue all over the tub)!

On another note - we may only have a couple more weeks of using the whale tub!  Spencer is starting to sit up with support, and can sit himself up in this baby tub, lean forward, and startled the heck out of me when he was suddenly inches from taking a face plunge into the water!  He's been doing that in his bouncy chairs too this week; my inventive method of feeding him in a bouncy chair on top of the kitchen table is over, now that I saw him lean forward and sway eagerly around the chair, held by nothing but the lap strap.  Time to get the bath seats out again!  The question is - can we do all 3 at once now?