Before I had a baby, I imagined that babies had perfect skin. Isn’t that why there’s that expression, “smooth as a baby’s bottom?” But it turns out that babies deal with a ton of skin issues. Some of them are mostly cosmetic (like baby acne and cradle cap), but others require treatment (like eczema).

Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair Body Lotion is a mainstay of my bedside table. It’s the lotion I use every night before I drift off to sleep (and the lotion I reapply every time I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, ha). I don’t think I can fall asleep without slathering it on my hands first…the sleep association is that strong. It’s not an expensive product, but I’ve always been curious about the store-brand dupes I’ve seen at…

I never quite know what’s going to trigger an eczema flareup, but I do know that treating the early signs of a flareup makes a huge difference for me. Whenever I start getting small cracks in my hands, I know I can’t just follow my regular regimen (slathering on Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion at night and rarely moisturizing throughout the day) and expect things to miraculously get better. I need to up my game so that my skin doesn’t start to freak out.