Full Transcript Back-to-School Transition and Eczema Mindset 0:00 Hey team, welcome back. 0:01 It's August. 0:02 You and your kid made it. 0:04 They survived the sunscreen and the chlorine and obstacle trips all summer long. 0:09 And the skin might be calm. 0:11 That would be amazing, or maybe it's not. 0:14 Daycare and school season undoubtedly bring about another set of challenges, right? 0:20 This season is such a mixed bag of emotions because it is kind of exciting to get all your stuff together. 0:26 and get on a more structured routine. 0:29 But it's also a little sad to say goodbye to summer days. 0:32 And maybe you're at home with the little ones and you are just waiting for it to not be so hot that you can go to the playground. 0:38 So wherever you in your season of life, there's a definite transition happening. 0:44 It's a man-made one. 0:45 I mean, we're still 100% in the thick of summer, but here in Denver, the kids go to school next week and the teachers are already back in building. 0:54 And I know for a lot of you, summer's over and that means there's whole new environment that your child is going to be in for for a good number of hours 1:04 every single week. 1:05 And whether that's daycare or school or preschool or something else entirely, I want you to know there are ways to handle it well and to mitigate as many 1:15 inflammatory assailants as we possibly can. 1:17 So today I wanted to walk you through the things that I've learned to watch out for, and more importantly, the really easy fixes that mitigate each of 1:24 these exposures, because if we're in the healing phase, that's the whole game. 1:29 Eventually, we'll be resilient enough to live in this world and take it as it is, but if you're We really got to do everything we can. 1:38 And I want to everything I can for my kids' environments to just make them as least toxic as possible to avoid further problems down the road, 1:48 you know? 1:48 And this is always top of mind for me. 1:51 I'll never drop it. 1:52 Oh, it's okay for them to be around bleach all day and just throw up my hands. 1:56 Like that's never going to happen.
August Checklist and Emotional Regulation 1:59 And so that's it. 2:00 That's the game. 2:01 We're doing everything that we possibly can to reduce the inflammatory load that our kids run into all day and all night. 2:08 And you'll never be able to eliminate it at all. 2:11 and that is not the point. 2:13 we're just reducing their exposure. 2:15 Their inflammation bucket, if you're listening now and they're experiencing eczema, their inflammation buckets are already full. 2:20 They're already too full. 2:21 They are spilling over. 2:21 they're spiling out through the skin. 2:23 So we're doing everything that we can to dial it back in and none of it requires turning yourself inside out. 2:29 It just takes a little extra care and intention and usually only a one-time ask because everyone at school and daycare gets it.They've been around kids, 2:38 they know and they are on your side and even if you get a side eye that's okay. 2:43 So my goal is here to just help you get through the season with a little less stress and a bit more preparedness so you're set up to actually mitigate 2:50 the school's starting flare instead of reacting to one after it happens. 2:54 So let's get into it! 2:56 Is your child struggling with itchy nights and endless flare-ups? 2:59 I'm Andrea McHugh, mom of four and host of eczema kids. 3:02 Here you'll find natural solutions that actually work so that you can heal your childhood's ectomote without steroids, without the overwhelm, 3:09 and finally see calm, healthy skin again. 3:11 Let's get into it. 3:12 So I've been doing this long enough now that I built a mental August checklist. 3:17 And it's not because I'm anxious about it anymore. 3:20 It's because, I know what to look for. 3:23 Once you know, it stops being scary and it just becomes routine. 3:28 That's really the goal of this episode. 3:29 I just want you walking into the school year ready and not worried at all. 3:34 Today we're going through the big ones and every single one comes with a really simple, simple fix. 3:39 And nothing here means overhauling your life or your child's backpack. 3:42 It's just having the right things on hand and being a little proactive. 3:47 And before we get into the list of physical triggers, I just wanted to talk about the transition and the new environment and new routine and air and faces 3:57 and expectations. 3:58 It's a lot for kids and there's more going on emotionally for them than they have words for yet. 4:03 And I talked about this with Julie Ross last week and she developed a homeschool curriculum.
Trigger 1: Hand Soap and Sanitizer 4:08 So it's very fitting this time of year. 4:11 She spoke about how the nervous system holistically affects these kids. 4:16 This undoubtedly affects their skin and it affects everything. 4:21 Everything is connected. 4:21 I feel like every day is a new day. 4:24 opportunity to learn about how everything is energy and everything's connected all the time. 4:30 And when a kid is regulating a whole new world, their body really, really feels that and sometimes skin is where it shows up. 4:36 It's boiling out through the skin. 4:37 So keep that in the back of your mind as we go through physical triggers because Often both things are happening at once. 4:44 So trigger number one is hand soap and sanitizer by far the first trigger that we have to address every school year in daycare, 4:54 in co-op setting, really anywhere your child spends time outside your care. 4:58 It's the hand, soap, and the sanitizer. 5:00 And this really is the biggest one. 5:03 And I really put focus and intention in here because the classroom sanitizer is very heavy on chemicals and fragrance. 5:12 If your kid is using it five, six, seven times a day, that's a lot of stripping on the barrier. 5:18 That barrier is already compromised and it's just not doing our friends any favors. 5:22 And I remember when my then two-year-old had eczema, I mean, the insides of her wrists were a mess. 5:30 They were peeling off completely. 5:32 So every hand washing was an extra challenge. 5:35 For us, we just send them each with a little bottle of Dr. 5:39 Bronner's hand sanitizer. 5:41 easy to find at all the grocery stores and you just put that in their backpack or their bin or wherever else. 5:46 You can supply it for the whole classroom. 5:48 We've done that because I don't want any of the kids to have to use those gel sanitizers, right? 5:52 It's just not the way. 5:54 And if they have a separate one, the teachers know they And if they're in preschool or younger, sanitizer isn't even allowed. 6:03 So for the younger kids and the older kids too, you have to bring your own soap as well. 6:09 And for that, we also turned to Dr. 6:11 Bronner's in the light blue package and you can combine it in a separate container with 50% water, 50 percent soap, or you just use a mini bottle of the 6:21 Dr Bronners. 6:22 unscented liquid soap and just use it directly as hand soap because the triclosan and all the heavy chemicals that are in the soap aren't doing anyone's
Trigger 2: Classroom Cleaners 6:32 immunity or skin barrier any favors and washing hands constantly in a post-COVID world has made that so much worse for our kiddos. 6:41 And so wherever you land on this, that's fine. 6:44 The schools will absolutely accommodate you We're our child's advocate. 6:48 That's our job. 6:49 I'm sure my kids' past teachers thought I was a little crazy and that's fine because I just couldn't stand the peeling hands anymore. 6:56 And that was even for my non-XMI kiddo. 7:00 She came home with just burning scaly hands just from the amount of pan washing with that really, really strong, So that was my first experience with it. 7:09 That's when this first was brought to my attention. 7:12 And trigger number two is classroom cleaners. 7:16 This is one that not a lot of people think about. 7:18 The desks and the nap mats and art supplies and tables, they all get wiped down with whatever the school is approved to use and that's almost always bleach. 7:27 It's cheap and it's fast and schools have to comply with strict CDC and health regulations. 7:33 Their hands are somewhat tied, but I have found a cleaner that is school approved, that's county approved. 7:38 That's all the powers that be approved it's called Enviro Cleanze A. 7:42 It's a company out of Texas. 7:43 I'll link it in the show notes because it is a genuinely valuable resource. 7:47 You can bring that to the administrator of your school or daycare and ask to use this in its place. 7:54 it does cost for them bleach. 7:55 that part's true, But it doesn't irritate the airway lining and it worsen asthma, and it's also so much better for indoor and outdoor air quality and for 8:08 every living being that is in that space, not just our kids. 8:11 And I have a full protocol for how to bring this into a classroom inside the eczema elimination method. 8:18 It takes a little extra doing, but it is worth it. 8:21 If your child is going into an in-home daycare, it will probably be an easier conversation. 8:25 Definitely less to navigate, they are held to the same standards. 8:29 So, a conversation, no less. 8:31 And I'm focusing on both of these things, and it may sound trite, but this is the tip I really want you to walk away with and possibly share with another parent,
Trigger 3: Snacks and Birthday Treats 8:40 because we can band together and help create a much healthier environment for all the kids and the teachers and everybody in those classrooms. 8:50 preparing to go talk to the teacher about making a change like the cleaner swap. 8:55 About making it change, like, the cleaners swap, you just have to have one of those talk-to-the-teacher moments, which is fine. 9:01 But I know for a lot of parents that conversation feels daunting and, y'know, just keep it short, don't over-explain, and I always come with the solution 9:10 ready in hand. 9:11 So something like my daughter has eczema and this cleaner tends to play her skin. 9:15 Would it be okay if I sent an alternative for her? 9:18 just really short and simple and they care about the kids and you're not asking permission. 9:23 You're just offering a really easy answer to it and every teacher I've ever worked with has said yes. 9:30 Trigger number three is definitely the snacks and the birthday treats. 9:34 This isn't a nutrition talk, but between the holidays and birthdays and early release Friday, there's always a snack or treat or something to celebrate 9:42 with food. 9:43 And most kids hit a lot of shared food this time of year and it adds up really, really quickly. 9:48 You don't need to overhaul anything. 9:50 My quickest fix for this was just keeping a box of YumEarth candy or whatever it is that they like that's dye-free and gluten- free and dairy free, 9:58 and all the things. 10:00 The teacher would keep it in the closet or in their desk and just something with a decent shelf life. 10:06 Then when those treats are passed around, your child doesn't have to say no thank you, and you're not undoing all the work that you've already put into
Trigger 4: Clothes, Uniforms, and Laundry Detergent 10:16 the healing plan. 10:17 And then I also asked for a heads up if there was a birthday that week, so I could possibly send a baked treat if I had enough notice and hadn't had it 10:26 together enough to actually make it, but lean on the backup candy every time I didn't, which was plenty. 10:35 So trigger number four is new clothes and uniforms and laundry detergent. 10:41 New uniforms, and clothes carry that manufacturing residue and hand-me-downs. 10:46 At times at friends' houses means different detergents than you would use at home. 10:50 We have a lot of friends that use very smelly laundry detergent and either one can flare the skin really, really quickly and especially anywhere that there's friction. 11:00 So the fix is really simple. 11:01 Just wash anything before it's worn and keep a travel size soothing cream in the bag for any friction spots or colors or waistbands or anywhere it that 11:09 might rub. 11:10 Trigger number five is sleep and routine disruption, or really the lack of routine and disruption. 11:17 And this one's quick, but I didn't want to leave it out because new wake times and less sleep while adjusting to a totally different schedule is a real 11:24 flare driver. 11:27 parents don't connect to the skin at all and the fix isn't complicated here either. 11:31 It's just a consistent bedtime routine and it matters this time of year more than any other because it's still light out so the kids are convinced that
Trigger 5: Sleep and Routine Disruption 11:39 they don' t need to go to bed and there's so much more stimulation and newness than they've had all summer and we need their immune systems to be as robust 11:49 and resilient as possible and they need nervous systems as calm as possibly and that extra 30 minutes of sleep really, really matters. 11:57 And if you can get your ideal bedtime a week before school starts, even if that's this week, do it. 12:03 I've been trying to get my kids to go to bed earlier and what's worked for us is getting their pajamas on and their teeth brushed as early as possible. 12:11 The earlier that happens, the earlier bedtime happens. 12:14 If you're home for the night with nowhere else to go after the activities or to school, even if that's 3.30, then do the bath. 12:23 Then do things and do pajamas. 12:27 And then have dinner and then brush teeth. 12:29 That's a fine sequence. 12:31 It's probably better for them anyway because then we're taking off the day. 12:34 all the germs and all of the pollens that are still out there and the extra things that they've encountered at school and sports. 12:40 It's a bit of a push in the moment, but it beats leaving everything until the very end, which never gets done on time. 12:47 So a leisurely epsom salt bath helps a lot here. 12:52 And it signals to the body that the day is done and it's time to settle. 12:57 That's the list, sanitizer and soap. 13:00 cleaners, snacks, clothes, and sleep. 13:02 And every one of them has a really easy fix that doesn't mean rethinking your whole routine at all. 13:08 I just want you walking into the school year feeling ready and not on edge and you don't need to catch every single thing perfectly. 13:15 You just need what to look out for, and now you do. 13:20 And if you want a shortcut version of what you actually keep in the bag, that's exactly what the Skin Cover Trio is for. 13:25 It comes in travel size and stainless steel canisters, so it's really easy to send along. 13:31 If you one more thing in your routine before school starts, the Dream Spray and the prebiotic tea are really good fits for this time of year. 13:38 Start baking them in now into your routine before the season really kicks into high gear.
Wrap-Up: School-Year Prep and Helpful Tools 13:43 You can use the prebiotic tea in the morning in a smoothie or on its own. 13:46 It's really delicious and subtly sweet. 13:48 And the Dream Spray is a lovely signal to the brain that it's time for sleep and it'll help with that earlier bedtime. 13:56 Every essential oil inside that blend in that Dream spray blend is very, very soothing. 14:01 Its sleep inducing, its relaxing, and most importantly, eczema safe and ragweed free. 14:07 And it is genuinely beneficial to start with those tools now before you have to play catch-up. 14:13 And if you're in that boat, no problem. 14:15 Send me a message and I'll work with you. 14:17 But that's it, friends. 14:18 I'm sending you well wishes and good luck as you head into this next school and daycare year. 14:24 Even if your kids aren't headed to school or daycare, if you're just home, there's something about this time of year. 14:30 And I hope this has helped you feel calm because that's genuinely steering the ship for everyone else in your home. 14:36 Right? 14:37 So take care and I will talk to you next week. 14:39 Thanks friends. 14:40 Thank you for helping with my eczema. 14:44 Love you. 14:45 Thank you for listening today, friend. 14:47 I know healing your child's skin isn't easy, but you're doing it one smart step at a time. 14:52 If this episode gave you a little hope or a better night's sleep, leave a quick review so more exhausted parents can find eczema kids and finally rest 15:00 easy too. 15:00 Follow, share, and let's help more kids heal. 15:03 Take care.
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