Picking, picking, picking

I'm looking for some new ideas! One of my 2.5 yr old boys has had to face scabs for I'd say 2 months now. I'd have to look back at pictures but it's been a long time. One was on his forhead and was a very small injury and I think the one on his chin was so tiny I never saw it until he started picking and making it huge. I have tried bandaids, no bandaids to not call attention to it, bribes, negative reinforcement (time out but that only lasted two times before I hated it myself!) and currently he is sleeping with a wrap around his head like he has a head injury. He actually fell asleep with it on which was a surprise to me. He seems to pick (either bandaid or scab) when he is bored, in the car or nap/night but will laregly leave it alone otherwise. I will get him out of the car with blood and have to clean him up.

So, does anyone have any other toddler proof ideas to keep a bandaid on?

Thanks!

 

My ds did this for a couple months and thankfully was just a phase... The only thing that helped for us was me putting neosporin on it, it seemed he couldn't pick it as easily and we called it the "medicine". Now when he gets a little scab he'll ask for the "medicine" and he won't pick at it.
Good luck!

 

Have you tried the liquid bandaid stuff? I'm not sure if he'd just pick that off too. Does he have something he can play with in the car to occupy his hands? That's hard at night b/c it's he's not aware he's doing it.

 

Yes, I tried "new skin" and he picked it off too and it was terrible trying to get it on him and not in his eyes. It smelled awful too, it was my first experience with it. I will try the "medicine" neosporin thing and make a big deal about it. I'm considering putting socks on his hands w/ duct tape or something but hopefully we'll take care of it before that! I'm just starting to worry about permanent scars.

Thanks!

 

Lila went through this phase, too. What worked best for us was putting the bandaid on whichever finger she was using to pick at it. That way her nail was covered & she couldn't really pick the scab off of her face.

 

Oh, that's a good idea to put a bandaid on his finger as he seems to use the same finger. Thanks for all the new ideas! The "medicine" thing might be working, he doesn't seem overly impressed but I'm making a big deal about it and I haven't seen any blood so I know the picking is down.

 

We had a terrible picker too! My dd had small circle scabs/marks that kept appearing/multiplying on her cheek. I think it started back in April and the last one healed at the end of July. I bought every cream imaginable (homeopathic, first aid, etc) but the ONE thing that worked was A&D ointment! Apply it ALL the time so that it is too moist and slick for him too pick at it (keep nails short too).

Also, I took my dd to the dr. (too late) after the weekend I tried A&D ointment and he said I already figured it out <_< He did give me a prescription for Bactroban(sp?) that I didn't fill. HOWEVER, had I received this amazing ointment months before, it would have worked a miracle on those scabs! (I filled it a few weeks later when the kids had freak'ish bug bite/boils and they healed amazingly fast as well as other ouchies!)

Good luck!