PDD

[Jaylor24]

My 3 year old son was diagnosed with PDD.  Last year he started mouthing his hands and fingers constantly, licking the palms of his hands, licking or mouthing toys...he started in oct and then stopped some time in feb...now again he has started this.  With the exception of his thumb, he constantly has his fingers in his mouth.    Is there anyone familiar with this type of behavior?

[MJIthewriter]

They may have stopped making the natural oatmeal... I haven't been able to find it lately.
In place of it, I use their "Coca Butter with shea" and that works.

I'm impressed with it. It does have a fragrance, but it's a FAR cry than their coca butter lotion they had in 1996...  I still get a nasty feeling when I think back to some of the fragrances some lotions have...

That said I noticed that this Suave product as well as another product called Cocacare have a mild pleasant scent. I can tolerate it.  Cocacare products so far seem to be relatively cheap. They sell them at our Walgreen’s for $.99 and they work surprisingly well. I like their chap stick.  What I don't like though is they have no protective seal to know if the product has been opened or not.  I like to look inside to make sure it looks unused, or grab from the bottom or the back...

Another product that works nicely (especially for rough elbows/knees and itchy legs) is Udderly Smooth. I've used their foot cream and found it pretty good. I have used their lotion that was placed on a countertop of a pharmacy in the building I see my psychologist.  In fact I would make it my point to pump some when I entered the building and when I left. =P

White petroleum based lotions work pretty well too, but I dislike the grease stains it leaves on paper and the smears it leaves when I touch things.

Avoid anything with strong fragrance, Avon lotions, etc... I find them not only to have an overpowering odor but also leave an even _worse_ gritty feeling on my hands after it dried.

[MJIthewriter]

I'm glad that my reply helped. I never thought about the yucky taste being a deterrant... For me it was learning about germs and viruses... Each time I licked my hand automatically I felt a bit grossed out...  Putting the lotion does relieve some of the roughness.

I also notice when I'm nervous, my hands will feel more like sandpaper than when I'm distracted... I will lather on more lotion those times... I do believe there is a physical basis, at least with me... My skin tends to get dry, itchy and flaky.  I seem to notice it with my hands the most, but my legs can also get itchy and dry.

Maybe that occurs with many people I don't know. Not many people talk about their dry skin if they have it. I just know when I'm agitated or anxious, I will notice any discomfort more than if I am calm and focused on something else. Lotion seems to help with the chapped part. Same thing with chapstick and my lips. Without chapstick I tend to pick at and scratch the rough areas of my lips. They itch... Putting chapstick over them relieves that itching and helps prevent me from picking further.

[sally888]

I found this forum by chance and reading MJLthewriter reply really relieved me. Long live the forum.

My daughter started licking her finger tips and palms for a whole week and took the matter seriously and with MJLthewriter´s solution I gave my daughter moisturising cream and she was very cooperative. Since we did not have the cream that morning, I gave her sweet almond oil instead. When she unconciously licked her palm she told me it tasted yucky. She quite liked it as it helped her to be aware of the licking and to stop it she said. She is now on constant supply of moisturising cream where ever she goes.

I do notice that she started licking due to a nervous situation when she wanted to join into a conversation of a group of people as she is a very shy girl. She hasn´t been licking and I hope it will stop there. Fingers cross.

[Jaylor24]

It is very possible that THAT just might be the reason being that he seems to start in about early november and then last year stopped sometime in february.  His hands dont feel dry to me but maybe to him they do.  Thank you for the information.  I will also try the suave natural oatmeal.  I have been looking for a cheaper one other then Aveeno that I use on him now.  I have read alot of what you have written, I would like to keep talking to you.  Have a great day.

[MJIthewriter]

I did that, as a child, with my hands because I could not stand the dry, chapped feeling. Eventually I substituted the behavior by running water over my hands, and then later by using hand lotion.  I use hand lotion frequently and that seems to keep my hands from feeling dry.

I'm not sure if that may be you son's reason, but it may be worth a try considering hand lotion and encouraging him to use it whenever he starts to lick his hands. This may have to be a gradual process though because it took me a while to stop licking my hands.  If you do, go for the unscented kinds. I've found Suave Natural Oatmeal to be one of the best. It doesn't leave a yucky gritty feeling on the hands and it also helps relieve the discomfort of dryness.