Dry lips in children are sometimes difficult to avoid. This condition is usually caused by a lack of body fluids or dehydration, the habit of licking lips, dry air, or too hot weather. Fortunately, this condition is easy to overcome on your own.
Dry lips can make children uncomfortable when eating or talking, especially if it hurts. This can also make the little one look less healthy. Although uncomfortable, dry lips in children are generally not dangerous and can be easily overcome.
How to Overcome Dry Lips in Children
Here are some ways you can do to overcome dry lips experienced by your little one:
1. Fulfill his fluid needs
Get your little one used to drinking water regularly . This way will keep the child hydrated and relieve the dry lips he is experiencing. In addition, drinking water regularly will keep the skin healthy. Usually, children aged 1-3 years need about 5½ glasses of water every day.
In addition to giving the Little one regular water, Mother can also increase her fluid intake by giving her vegetables and fruits with a high water content, such as cabbage, spinach, mustard greens, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, strawberries, melons, starfruit, or orange
2. Apply honey
Honey can moisturize dry lips and protect lips from cracking. Not only that, honey can also help remove dead skin cells from the child’s lips. However, make sure your little one is over 1 year old if you want to use honey to overcome dry lips in children, yes.
3. Apply breast milk
When the little one is under 1 year old, the mother can apply breast milk to overcome dry lips in the child. Breast milk is able to provide extra moisture to the lips so that it can alleviate the complaints of dry and chapped lips.
4. Apply coconut oil
Coconut oil is an emollient which means it can moisturize the skin, including the skin of the lips. In addition to moisturizing, coconut oil is also anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, so it is more effective in overcoming dry lips in children, Bun.
5. Apply lip balm
Not only for adults, organic lip balm or petroleum jelly can also be used for babies and children. The use of lip balm on a regular basis is able to coat and protect the lips from dryness and damage due to exposure to sunlight.
The method is easy, just apply a little lip balm in the morning and at night. Be careful when applying it, Bun, so that the moisturizer doesn’t get into the Little One’s mouth.
In addition, make sure that the moisturizer used for the Little One does not contain flavorings or fragrances and ingredients that can irritate the skin of the lips, such as menthol, phenol, and salicylic acid.
6. Use a humidifier
The use of a humidifier can be a solution to maintain the humidity of the air in the room, especially in rooms that are often air-conditioned. This can help moisturize the skin and lips of the Little One, so that it does not dry easily.
In order to use it effectively, the mother can place the humidifier in a place where the little one often visits, such as the bedroom or play area at home.
By applying the various methods above, it is hoped that dry lips in children can be easily overcome. However, if the Little One feels pain or dry lips in the child accompanied by bleeding or fever, the mother should immediately take him to the doctor for treatment.