By Laura Dolgy (see bio below)
Nothing is more annoying or painful as watching a loved one suffer from eczema and experience relentless scratching. Those of us who do suffer from eczema will agree that scratching provides relief (even if only for a second) but that it also causes a whirlwind of other issues like more itchiness, bleeding and infection. In fact, there is clinical term for it, the notorious “itch-scratch cycle.” Today, we’re going discuss to how to prevent scratching, specifically in babies and children. If you’ve never heard of scratch mittens, you’re going to want to keep reading on…
What are Scratch Mittens?
They are literally the saving grace for baby and eczema scratching. They can be found in both sleeves and individual gloves or mittens and help provide a protective layer between the skin and hands/nails. This decreases the chance of possible skin infections like Staph and can significantly reduce the healing period.
So which are the best scratch mitten options for you? Check out some of our recommendations below:
1) ScratchMeNot Flip Mitten Sleeves
These scratch mittens are a great first step in the healing of your baby or child’s skin. The best feature of these mittens is that they actually stay on and are very difficult for children to remove themselves because of their long sleeves. The soft, silk covered mittens can be worn either open for play and eating or folded closed (specifically at night time when itching is the worst!) to prevent scratching during the worst flare-ups. They also work great for preventing scratching due to post surgery stitches, chickenpox or poison ivy and have been used to prevent chronic hair pulling, rubbing and to stop thumb sucking too.
The Original ScratchMeNot Flip Mitten Sleeves are made out of organic bamboo, cotton, and lycra, which allow your toddler or child to move around freely and with flexibility. For those with extremely sensitive skin, you’re going to want to opt for the Cotton ScratchMeNot Flip Mitten Sleeves which is made out of 100% organic cotton.
Original ScratchMeNot Flip Mitten Sleeves
Interested in finding out more about ScratchMeNot eczema mittens? Check out the video testimonial below about they how were the first step in healing Jennifer’s sons’ skin!
The Eczema Company offers a promotion! Buy 3 or more of the Classic or Cotton style and get $ 5 off each mitten!
2) Goumi Mittens
For the younger one who is currently going through their first bouts with eczema, these mittens work wonders! Goumi Infant Eczema Mittens help prevent scratching and protects delicate skin. These eczema mittens include a Velcro closure system to ensure they’ll stay put. They’re also made of organic bamboo and cotton and are naturally antimicrobial. Each mitten has two prints – just flip to the side you like best or rotate to match your little one’s outfit of the day, or in case of accidents, outfit of the hour, ha!
3) Eczema Gloves for Kids
For children who are a year to 10 years old, you’ll want to go with a piece of clothing that is flexible and not restrictive. These Eczema Gloves for Kids are meant to fit snugly on a child’s hand and help provide a layer of protection similarly to other scratch mittens discussed. Not only do these gloves work well for eczema, they can be used for psoriasis, allergic contact dermatitis and dermatomyositis as well. Because the gloves are made with organic bamboo, many people use them for dry or wet wrap therapy. Haven’t tried dry or wet wrap therapy on your child yet? Find out how to get started here with these two posts: How To Use Wet Wrap Therapy for Eczema in 6 Easy Steps! and Our Eczema Trials: Dry Wrapping.
4) Eczema Gloves for Adults
We couldn’t end this post without giving adults some scratching relief too! These Eczema Gloves for Adults (similar to those for kids) will help prevent scratching, as well as offer protection for eczema, psoriasis, contact dermatitis and more. Because most adults are active during the day, it’s best to use these at night along with a soothing ointment to help speed up the healing process overnight.
Although eczema can be a difficult skin condition to heal or cure, there are easy first steps you can take to prevent further irritation and infection. Scratch mittens are the best first step in healing your skin. Don’t believe us? Jennifer, founder of this blog, swears by them after they radically helped healed her son’s eczema. Want to read more about her and Tristan’s story? Take a look her post: Natural Remedies for Eczema – What Worked For My Son.
Do you use eczema mittens or know of any other tricks to prevent scratching? Let us know in the comments below!
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Bio: Laura is a contributor and content developer for It’s An Itchy Little World. She is in no way a medical professional. Her comments, suggestions, and reflections are not intended to replace any medical advice. Always seek the help of a medical professional before undertaking any diet or lifestyle changes. Please see It’s An Itchy Little World’s disclaimer for information about affiliate links and more.
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