those dry, dry hands

one thing they do not tell you about caring for a baby is how hard it is on your hands. i swear, since january 2006, my hands have gone from nice and soft, to dry, crackly, baked-on super glue fingers. no joke! esp in the beginning, you spend so much time changing diapers and washing your hands after, that you lose all of the moisture from your skin. my cuticles and nail beds were the first to go. just constant cracking and splitting. then it started spreading down my index fingers and the sides of my thumbs. even the palms of my hands started to get very dry in texture, like cheap paper. i have this one spot on my thumb (right wear the nail ends) that just keeps splitting. whenever i don't get enough sleep or let my hands get too dry, it splits right there and it hurts like crazy whenever i press down, because it causes it to open up.

so, here are some tips for keeping those mitts in shape.
1-use cold water. this is william's tip. in winter, i hate using cold water, but have to admit, once i switched over, it has helped a lot.
2-put lotion bottles near every sink. make it convenient to reach for the lotion right after washing up. put the moisture back on as soon as you're dry.
3-don't let your hands soak in anything long enough for them to get all wrinkly. this takes out moisture as well.
4-apply a heavy lotion or vaseline right before you go to sleep.
5-get enough sleep. impossible at times, but doable once they establish a set sleeping pattern.
6-take a multi-vitamin. it can't hurt :)

also, that eucerin Aquaphor ointment that works so well on diaper rashes? it is great for patches of dry skin on baby as well as anything dry on you too. back when thomas was drooling so much it gave him a rash, i would put it on his cheeks and chin as a protective barrier. now i use it on the dry patches on his legs in the morning and by evening, they feel much better. buy a separate tube and slather it on. as long as you are not allergic to the lanolin, it is a great product for dry skin. i have heard it also works for mild cases of eczema.