Clothing

    Kumfy Cotton-  Has clothing that is perfect for a child with ichthyosis.  All clothes are 100% soft cotton, free of scratchy/thick seams/tags that can tear skin, scratch proof (mittens, buttons in back).  The lady that owns Kumfy Cotton is wonderful too:)  If the prices look high, just remember that they are in NZ dollars... we have been VERY pleased with these clothes!   http://www.kumfycotton.co.nz/index.php

Kumfy Cotton Pictures:

Things to consider when selecting clothing:

    Itching:  Look for clothing that your child will have difficulty getting to skin (mittens, snaps instead of easy-on necks, buttons in back--esp good at night)  If clothing is 100% cotton, they will be less itchy too.

    Rubbing/Comfort:  Look for very SOFT cotton & thin seams.  Thick seams/weaves (i.e. denim) can rub your child's skin off.  (Since Ethan has started walking, he has been able to wear softer denim occasionally or if we place inside-out long johns on underneath)  Brushed cotton knit is the best we've found for Ethan.  Organic cotton is the softest, but as often as Ethan ruins clothes (after just wearing them a few times) it's too expensive to be very practical.

--> You may want to look for pants with belt-loops to use with a belt when the elastic wears out.  Elastic doesn't last long for us.

Underwear:

    Regular training pants and briefs are better than diapers in our experience, but they still rubbed blisters on Ethan's inner thighs.  We have switched to boxer briefs, boxers, or inside-out long johns as underwear.  I'm very glad that Ethan wanted to potty train early because it seems to have helped his diaper-area tremendously.

Crawling: 

    We tried using knee pads, but they just slipped off.  We had to keep Ethan in long pants.  Expect some skin problems when your little one crawls.  We aquaphored him up well on his knees to help:)

Caring for clothing:

    You are in for a real challenge.  Nothing totally helps, but here are my suggestions:

    1.)  Purchase a washer with a heated sanitize cycle (Bosch, Whirlpool, & Maytag all make them & they run about $1,000)  This will help melt the aquaphor & kill germs/fungus. 

    2.)  You may have to boil clothing before you wash it if you don't have a super-heated cycle.  I added the Dawn power foam to the boiling wash water.  It's sort of fun because you get to see a thick film of lotions on the top of the water when it cools.

    3.)  Add Simple Green & a free & clear detergent (we like: costco brand free & clear, tide free, cheer free, seventh generation)

    4.)  Add 1 cup white vinegar for colors or 1 cup bleach for whites to kill bacteria and fungus.

    5.)  Make sure that the clothes are clean enough to be safely put in the dryer.  Petroleum is flammable.  Even if it doesn't catch fire in the dryer, it may spontaneously combust in the clothes basket (see FIRST's archived newsletters!)

Socks

    Look for 80% cotton+  If you find 100% or 90% even cotton socks, please let us know!  Note: Buster Brown does make 100% cotton socks for older children.

Shoes

White Baby Shoes:

   Jumping Jack Shoes-- available at zappos.com for about $55   These come in triple wide!  They are more flexible than Stride Rite, and offer a lot of support.

    Stride Rite-- these run around $45.  They come in extra wide.

    Answer2 Shoes-- these are orthopedic shoes.  They come with three different inserts that can be rotated as skin cycles (more room when rubbing hurts, more support when skin is better)  The shoes can address problems that can be caused by ichthyosis (in fact, Ethan was casted for AFOs July 08 for some continuing issues)  They now come in wide, which is comparable to triple wide without AFOs