Move Over, Snuggle Bear.

Cub has always struggled with itchy, dry skin. In the winter it takes the form of excema, surfacing as red patches behind his knees and on his ankles. A dollop of Aquaphor mixed with a tiny bit of hydrocortisone cream does the trick for the most part, along with using Dove Nutrium body wash during bath time.

About a month ago, I noticed that his red patches were spreading. Rather than staying contained to his legs, they were now on his arms, collar bone, and lower back. I racked my brain, trying to figure out why in the world the spots would be getting worse. The weather wasn't colder or dryer than it had been--in fact, the temps had soared into the seventies at times with a small boost of humidity, which usually helps his skin. I waited a bit to see if it would go away, and it didn't. I thought over the foods that he eats, entertaining the idea that it could be a food allergy, but we hadn't introduced any new food groups that he hadn't already eaten.

Then, one day, as I was doing a load of laundry, I happened to glance up in my laundry room cupboard to see the Snuggle bear smiling down at me from his picture on a bright pink jug of fabric softener. It then dawned on me that I had switched fabric softeners around the time that Cub's excema had increased. I use a dye-free detergent, but hadn't even thought that perhaps fabric softener could be the culprit. I headed to the store to purchase some of this, my favorite natural non-detergent detergent:

For the past week, I've washed Cub's clothes with this and only this, omitting the fabric softener. Sure enough, his excessive excema has begun to clear up. Crazy!

I'm happy for the days of summer when his skin can finally give him a break, but, until then, I'm glad I found the culprit for our February skin scare. Hopefully March will be much more mild!

Have a lovely day.