(HealthDay News) — Chickenpox is a viral infection that usually affects children, resulting in itchy red patches that can appear all over the body.
The Nemours Foundation offers these suggestions to help keep your child more comfortable during chickenpox:
- Let your child soak in a lukewarm bath every few hours. Add an oatmeal bath product to help alleviate itching.
- Instead of a bath, cover your child’s skin with a moist, cool cloth every few hours.
- Don’t rub your child’s skin dry; gently pat it with a towel.
- Dab calamine lotion on sores on the body, but not the face.
- Serve foods that can be eaten cold, are soft in texture, and aren’t acidic or salty.
- If your child has chickenpox sores in the genital area, check with your pediatrician or pharmacist about a pain-relieving cream.
- Offer your child acetaminophen (never aspirin) to control pain, particularly painful blisters in the mouth.
- Check with the pediatrician about using over-the-counter medicine for itching.