Supply ?s: anti-chafing and ice packs

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  • #42845
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hello everyone!
    We are on Day 3 and learning about all the things we don’t know :). Hoping to get some ideas on:

    – treatment for chafing: inside thighs, under arms, etc.

    – how are people doing cold packs? We have small Ziploc bags filled with ice, but the environment-destroying aspect is really nagging at me. Any creative ideas?

    Hope everyone is doing well and getting a modicum of sleep.
    Thanks so much!
    Joanna

    #42859
    Amanda Cook
    Member

    Hi Joanna,

    Oh, heat rash, our old nemesis! We’ve had good success with Gold Bond powder for early management in the sweatier zones. We’ve also had very good results with zinc oxide cream overnight in armpits and anytime on larger, less sweaty spots, like backs, shoulders, thighs that have broken out. It cut down significantly on the need for hydrocortisone cream. We save that for the kids who are really miserable.

    As far as behavioral suggestions, make sure the kids are wearing new shirts/shorts/undies each day. If they’re particularly sweaty kids, we sometimes ask them to change out during rest period or another halfway point. We’ve also tried to minimze the time they spend doing other activities in their swimsuits. For years, they would put on suits at the beginning of the day if they had a water activity in their schedule. They might do the lake activity, then move to horsemanship with jeans over wet suits. Our ‘pot rot’ numbers dropped dramatically when we asked that they only wear suits when at the lake.

    We don’t have a great answer for ice packs. We do ask the kids to reuse their same bag for ice refills until it gets a hole or is otherwise unusable. That at least cuts down on the same camper using multiple bags.

    Hope you have a great summer!

    #42860
    Mary Marugg
    Member

    Consider using re-usable cold packs. As an ACN member you can order from BoundTree medical (you’ll find information on how to set up an account here: https://www.allianceforcamphealth.org/bound-tree-medical-supplies/

    You can find non-toxic gel packs for about $2/each (ACN member price). You can heat or freeze, and are re-usable.

    Best,

    Mary

    #42875

    Amanda is right. Keeping the skin dry as much as possible. then apply desitin (zinc oxide) to the DRY skin. This is a great barrier cream and will improve the situation greatly overnight. Don’t wear wet bathing suits all day.

    Best of luck.
    Tracey

    #43045
    Jennifer Costello
    Participant

    Hello! This doesn’t save on the plastic bags but I buy kitchen sponges, get them wet, then put them in the freezer. They return them when they melt, I change the bag and can reuse.

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