Chapped Face Is Red

I am a big fan of Aquaphor for things like this. Put it on at night and it does wondrous things by morning! My daughter gets chapped cheeks all the time and Aquaphor never fails us.

It is red and chapped & flaky because it is dry.
Scrubbing it, will only irritate it more.
Vaseline, may clog pores.
And it does not absorb... into the skin. But rather, it is a 'barrier' type cream.

Try products by Burt's Bees.
That would be safer for a child's delicate young skin as well and you can use it too.
Or Aveno products.

Yep, what they said. Exfoliating is making it worse. I know you want that "dead" skin off but you're just drying it out more. As for prevention, Gerber makes this stick. It's called "Grins and Giggles." Stuff works like a friggin charm! Safe for your little treasure and you. It's like a big thing of chap-stick almost. You just put it on and it'll clear right up. My girlfriend even used it on her lil girl with eczema and it worked for that better than the steroid cream from the doc! Good luck! :)

My doctor recommended Lubriderm lotion specifically because it is fragrance free and hypoallergenic. It worked for my son's chapped face and looked nothing like Vasoline.

Stop using the exfoliating wash. Don't scrub it with anything. It makes it flake more.

Use a soap like Dove if you must wash your face with something. Otherwise just use a creamy facial cleanser like Noxema or some cold cream. Those work like a lotion and are not harsh on the skin. It is already irritated and scrubbing it makes it worse.
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Just a thought...Doris Day, she was an actress way back when, almost before my time, anyway.

She had beautiful skin, perfect, very few wrinkles, etc...and when she was asked her secret she told that she put only Vaseline on her face to clean it and she wore it to bed each and every night of her life for as long as she could remember.

Don't use an exfoliating wash! You're taking away all of the protective oils that your face makes if you do that. Instead, use a really gentle cleanser (Cetophil makes a good one) and then lotion. You'll feel weird leaving the flakes on, but it will help and your skin will clear up faster.

Also, I wouldn't put Vasoline on a four year old's face. It's full of a lot of chemicals. How about a natural lotion instead? Lubriderm, Berts Bees and Alba all make really nice thick ones that you could use for both of you.

Try coconut oil on your faces. You can get it at Whole Foods or similar places and it comes in a tub. Put a little bit in a cup surrounded by hot water to soften it up a bit. It won't sting your child's face like some other lotions could, and it won't cause any clogged pores or anything like that.

Don't exfoliate - you're actually making it worse. I'd go the vasoline route for a few days and weather the strange looks. You'll heal faster.

I don't think that exfoliating is a good idea right now - your skin is healing and you might actually be making it worse. Maybe during the day try some kind of face moisturizer (like Oil of Olay) on a regular basis and then use Aquaphor on the chapped spots at night before you go to bed? If it doesn't get better by Monday or so, you might want to see a doctor.

I just started using Restoraderm by Cetaphil on my baby for her eczema. It is like a miracle lotion!! It's an "over the counter" lotion, but I had to ask the pharmacist at Target to order it. They do also make a body wash, but the Target pharmacist couldn't find it. Anyway, I highly recommend it for you and your kiddos!