Toddler with Peeling Toes

I was going to post about this too! My daughter occasionally will get peeling toes and feet and I dont know why! They dont smell bad or seem like a fungus. When this happens I lotion up her feet really good (I dont even rub it all the way in) and stick old socks on over the lotion at bed time. A couple days of this and her feet are usually good as new! Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Definetly take her to the doctor if this dosen't stop in the next 2 weeks or so/First try soaking in Epsom salt in warm water for 15 minutes 2X daily. then after 2 weeeks take her to the doctor, Not to scare you but it could be childhood dibetes. probably not but best to be safe.

My daughter did this too only it was just her big toes and her thumb. It got so bad that one of the toenails ended up having some issues. I have no idea what caused it but I doubt that it was her shoes or anything like that since it effected her thumb too. She does tend to have dry skin but nothing that causes her any major issues. She is all better now but I thought we might have some major issues with the one toe for a while. Luckily it fixed itself. The toes and thumb started to peel right around the nail. I think I just put lotion on more frequently and especially after baths. Baths actually suck moisture out of your skin so if she does have probelms with dry skin, you might try cutting back on the baths a little and then put on lotion all over right after bath time. Try the more intense over the counter lotions like Eucerin for a little while before you take her to the doctor. It could just be that it is getting colder and her skin is just more sinsitive to the change.

maybe some olive oil & socks before she goes to bed. then the bigger shoe thing, too.

my son's toes were really bothering him, and the doctor noticed this peeling look to them. he suggested we put hydrocortisone cream on them. he said it was a little fungal type infection.

My daughter's doctor told us to rub in Eucerin cream. It really worked. That and... canvas tennis shoes.

Hi J.,
My 2 yr old had the same thing...we tried making sure to change socks often, go without and making sure his tennis shoes fit alright, but that didn't work. The dr. said it was a mild form of eczema and said just to put some hydrocortisone on it...we did this for about a week and his toes stopped peeling. Good Luck,
R.

My son has this problem. Here's what I found:
Cheap shoes make it worse, I think it's from poor air flow and causing his feet to sweat more.
Sandals: If there is rubber on inside sole part, it will cause peeling.
Wider toed shoes help keep his toes from rubbing. Look to make sure her shoes arent' beginnign to get small.

He wears the thicker socks, in the summer I'll add powder to the inside of his socks.

At night I apply a good thick lotion and then put his socks on. Clip back the skin that is peeling, this will help her from picking it. Right after her bath, is a good time. My son once picked at his toe to much he actually ended up pulling a chunk of skin... it was painful.

Hi J.,
I had the exact same problem whrn my now 4 years old was two:
There are many things to try, and I am sure you tried almost everything! Have you switch your laundry detergent as well as the soap and shampoo to all natural without harsh chemicals? I am not trying to promote a brand here but trying to help, there are several choices and different brands today.
When my daughter was 2 years old, she had eczema on her feet, it was really bad, at the point that she couldn't stay standing because it hurted and she used to scratched against the floor, at that time I was starting to be concious about the checmicals and I was replacing some products to non chemical ones. I tried diferent creams for fungus that didn't work and the doctor prescribed corticoides and a moisturizer.... I was very concerned with the coritcoids so I remembered that I had a trial size tub of Renew lotion in my purse and showed him the lotion and told him that according to the manufacturers, there is no better lotion than that to help with eczema or dry skin....I was pretty new with that brand back then so I wanted to be sure about it rather than experimenting with my already suffering child. He told me to try it because the ingredients where so good! I started using it twice daily (morning and night) the eczema was gone faster than I would ever imagine, never came back but as soon as I realize her skin is a little dry I apply Renew. Knowing that it is naturally based without any harsh chemical or corticoids is a relief. I never had to purchase the prescriptions. I am also using everything from the same company now, but I am not doing the business side, I can still enroll people in the company if they want to purchase there but don't want to work the business because I do jewelry and I am doing that full time now.
If you would like to give them a try I can help you with that without the sale speech (check http://melaleuca.com/ and follow the tour to know more about them).
This products are the best quality you can find at a great price, they are not more expensive like anybody can think. I have been a customer for over 3 years now!Let me know if I can help.
I really hope you get relief soon, I've been there:)
Mariana

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YES ! I had this problem with my kids.
Turns out their feet were sweating and not getting enough opportunity to air out !
When they are not getting enough fresh air to their little feet, the skin will peel like that.
Cut the feet off her sleeper jammies. If you feel she needs something on her feet at night, use all cotton socks instead. Be sure her feet can "breathe" in the shoes she wears. Meaning try to not use plastic or man made material type shoes unless they have vent holes in them. Use canvas or real leather instead, and let those little feet go bare or in cotton socks as much as possible.
When possible, alternate the pair of shoes she wears daily, so one pair can be completely airing out while she is wearing the other.
Swab her feet with a cotton ball soaked in peroxide once or twice per day until the peeling clears up. This will discourage any fungus (like athlete's foot) from setting in.
Moisturizing her feet is ok as long as you don't close them up immediately in footed jammies or shoes. Let them air dry.

I noticed that when my daughter was 3. I just kept them moisturized and would try and distract her when I saw her picking at it and tell her "no". I determined that it was from either running around the house barefoot on our hardwood floors or her shoes were too small. It healed up pretty quickly and now that I'm thinking about it - when we bought her new shoes, the lady that fit her said she probably had her toes curled at the end of her shoe because we had to go up 2 sizes. Since then I have been more diligent about measuring her feet more often and we haven't had the peeling problem since.

My children have also had this issue. With my 7 yo son it seems to be like many of the others' responses - due to sweaty or wet feet. It comes and goes.
With my 2 1/2 yr old daughter though it was a little different. I actually noticed light brown speckles first on her big toe, then several days later speckles on other toes and bottom of her foot, then her skin was looking wrinkly and red, and then began to peel. I couldn't get the peeling to stop, so I took her to the Dr. and she said it was a type of eczema. A couple weeks of cream and lotion and it cleared up. The cream they told me to put on it was prescription Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream USP, 0.1%. After I bought it at the pharmacy I saw that it was the same cream we had used for mine & my son's poison ivy just a couple months earlier. I stopped the cream and used Eucerin lotion once the redness went away.
I know that you didn't mention anything about speckles or redness, but maybe it will help someone else reading this. :)
I wouldn't worry, although I remember how I worried the first time I saw my son's feet peeling(He was around 4 yrs. old). It was summer time, at church camp and it was nasty looking! LOL
My kids never picked at their feet too much, sorry, I Have no suggestions there! :)

I'd check with the Dr. and make sure you don't have athlete's foot or something. But other than that, why not get one of those foot scrubs? The ones that are really like a spa treatment and rub that into her feet and then put lotion on them...I would think the pumice like effect would exfoliate the extra skin and take care of the problem...of course, you can make it the ultimate spa experience and then put some polish on the tootsies too! ;) If the exfoliating doesn't do the trick you may want to get a trimmer and just cut the dead skin off so she doesn't tear at it...because like you said...it will hurt when she does.

My children often go through this. It was explained to me as they are going through a growth spurt, and it is common for their feet to peel during this time because they are sort of growing out of their skin. It should stop, but it may reoccur. If it doesn't stop then I'd probably take your child in, but from what I've been told it is very common. Hope this helps.

It could be athletes foot. I'd take her to the doctor just to be safe.

She is fine this happens to my kiddos from the friction of their shoes rubbing sweaty feet its just like being in bath water for to long and your fingers and toes get pruned up.Good idea to rub lotion on them if they look raw meaning blister like her shoes may be to tight and causing an infection or athelets foot.

I'd try putting triple antibiotic on the little toes after she falls asleep and covering with socks!
P.