Do any of you parents use a cover up with your children? I found this organic self tanning lotion that I was going to use on myself. The thought occured to me that my daughter if she chooses to can use this down the road. My daughter is only 6 and her spots do not bother her. In my opinion I think that it would give her a complex to try and cover them up. I don't know though. My daughter has it around her ankles really bad and for her to wear flip flops it is very noticable. As a parent you want to do everything you can to avoid people staring at her or asking her questions. I would love your feedback. Thanks
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thanks becki i'll look for it! we live in london but i will be in NY for work for 2/3 weeks in september, I'm thinking about taking the kids with me and maybe renting a huose in the hamptons...does any of you live close to NY/hamptons? it would be gr8 to meet up with the kids!
Although I'm still at war with the spots-it has been only a month, last sunday at the playground i realised that maybe I'm being too tragic about it..there is a sand pit and lots of water so all kids had just swimsuits..my biggest fear was that other mums would take away their kids from diego thinking he had some kind of infectious disease..how would have diego reacted? guess what: nobody did that.. yes few mums were staring..I approached with different excuses few of them and:1 has a son who had just being diagnosed with vit and was trying to figure out if diego had the same, one explained to me what her daughter goes through because of diabetes age 6 and told me she would swap places anytime (i felt lucky), 3 were just curious...the one i liked the most told me "maybe because of this he will be really focused on his studies, become a researcher and find a cure, or maybe he will just be a more balanced person because he will not loose himself in all the nonsense our society is about!"..maybe it's not the end of the world after all...
Lia, I love the responses you got at the park! It truly can be looked at in a different way with different perspectives! I know that I've already had the thought that it's so important to foster the things that she truly loves at this point because of the strength it will lend her later. My daughter loves ballet and has been taking lessons now for three years...I want this to be something that she can have as an outlet later in her older years as well (assuming she still enjoys it). That and reading and building fairy houses is where her interests lie now! :)
An idea: Rash guards are great for our kids. They protect their skin better from the sun and Diego's tummy spots wouldn't show. My derm recommended them for my daughter. I don't know about where you live, but they are popular here anyway. So fashionable and sun protected!
I really like Becki's reply about how hiding her spots would teach her that something is wrong and our children are more than their skin.
That being said, one morning when I was applying tanning lotion to hide my own bathing suit tan lines, I applied a bit to one of my daughter's most visible vitiligo spots (I was applying her sunscreen at the same time so she didn't think anything of it.) By the end of the day I could not see the vitiligo at all.
And, you know - I really missed that spot! I adore my little girl's face vitiligo and all. I hope she grows up feeling the same way, but if there is a time when she asks if she can cover these areas, we can approach it. But, for now, I am so glad for this time when she is happy in her own - very unique - skin :)
Very nicely put, Stacey! I will absolutely walk with my daughter down the path of "cover ups" at some point. But right now she is 7... I used to look at her spots and be so pissed off that they were there, I was obsessed by them. Now I just look at her, spots and all. She was diagnosed last July. I, as her mother, have come along way since then.
My daughter just turned 7 and has the spots that resemble raccoon eyes around her eyes from Vitiligo. She was diagnosed just last month with it towards the end of her school year. Towards the end of the year friends started asking questions and my dd started getting frustrated and upset. We talked about what she could say now that she's been diagnosed and we know what it is. This summer has been no big deal... play-dates with her closest friends have allowed for us to share what she has in a very matter of fact sort of way and Zoey (daughter) doesn't even think about it. I've tried some tanning cream on her spots just due to curiosity mostly and while it doesn't cover it completely, it does even out her skin somewhat due to her tanning in the summer months. We've probably applied it a total of 3 times this summer. I really don't think it's a big deal and either does she. I think that now that she knows how to address what she has to people it makes things a whole lot easier and less scary. If in the future she wants to use tanning creams or make-up I have no problem with that...she is her own person and I will support her in any way I can. When she's seven or 27! :)
I agree that it is hard to see others' stare at your child. My daughter has a ton of vitiligo spots that show. I've been fighting the spots that have shown up on her face, but she is covered so much elsewhere... hands, feet, ankles, knees, elbows, armpits and new spots growing in between... I do NOT cover them up, nor do I ever tell her to wear clothes that would cover them. On a hot day, she wears tank tops, shorts, flip flops... whatever she wants. I have to teach her to be happy with who she is now. If she wants to cover up later, then I will support that. But by allowing her spots to show, she is afforded the opportunity to learn how to handle others questions etc. Hiding them would only teach her that something is wrong with her. And she is more than her skin... :)
Replies
An idea: Rash guards are great for our kids. They protect their skin better from the sun and Diego's tummy spots wouldn't show. My derm recommended them for my daughter. I don't know about where you live, but they are popular here anyway. So fashionable and sun protected!
I really like Becki's reply about how hiding her spots would teach her that something is wrong and our children are more than their skin.
That being said, one morning when I was applying tanning lotion to hide my own bathing suit tan lines, I applied a bit to one of my daughter's most visible vitiligo spots (I was applying her sunscreen at the same time so she didn't think anything of it.) By the end of the day I could not see the vitiligo at all.
And, you know - I really missed that spot! I adore my little girl's face vitiligo and all. I hope she grows up feeling the same way, but if there is a time when she asks if she can cover these areas, we can approach it. But, for now, I am so glad for this time when she is happy in her own - very unique - skin :)
Very nicely put, Stacey! I will absolutely walk with my daughter down the path of "cover ups" at some point. But right now she is 7... I used to look at her spots and be so pissed off that they were there, I was obsessed by them. Now I just look at her, spots and all. She was diagnosed last July. I, as her mother, have come along way since then.
I also agree with you. I hope child heals up later but if certified doctor recommends some cream then that should not be a problem.
gr8 feedback thanks!
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