D.B.
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My two-year-old son has been picking at this thing on his chin for a couple weeks now (this morning he tried blaming it on monsters, but I'm pretty sure it's him - lol!). It started out as a little scab, like any two year old boy gets on a regular basis, and has tripled in size because he WON'T LEAVE IT ALONE!!! I've tried talking to him about what exactly he's doing by picking it (including showing himself in the mirror). I have tried punishment. I have not yet tried rewards but don't know exactly how I would go about that anyway ("you got through the day without picking your scab! Here's a jellybean!")The problem is, I don't think he even realizes he's doing it most of the time. It's completely absent-minded.
Any ideas? Suggestions? I'd like this thing to heal before he heads to kindergarten.
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Dawn, That is too funny.
I have a chicken pox scar between my eyes. I would suck my thumb and pick at it. Thank goodness after 40 years you can't tell unless you look really close.
The only thing I can think of is bandaids, get him some cool ones like maybe Monsters Inc.
Can you put a bandaid on it while you're at home? Put some Bacitracin (better then neosporin, find it at drugstores) under the bandaid, and it will heal faster.
My little guy (2.5) lost his fingernail on his pointer finger a few months ago and wouldn't leave a band-aid on it for longer than 5 minutes. It healed fine, thank God, and the fingernail even grew back, but in hindsight I realize I could have used the liquid bandage stuff on it to keep the germs out. I wonder if you put this on his scab since it would feel different he would leave it alone?
It's called "New Skin Liquid Bandage" and it's sold at Target, Walmart, Walgrens, etc. It's anti-septic, waterproof, protects the "ouwie" and let's the skin breath.
neosporin so it doesn't feel so dry and a bandaid (I know it looks ugly on his face, but better than him picking it). You could get some of the surgical tape so it doesn't get irritated. He's too little to reason it out with him.
Argh my 4 year old son has this cut on the side of his mouth (right on the skin just past his mouth)...and it will not heal because he was picking it every day! So I let him see it in a close-up mirror and he agreed it looked gross. I keep hammering it in to him that if he touches it, it will get worse and not better. I think it would be much tougher if he were only 2, so that might not work in your case, but he's left it alone for 2 days now.
