The Kid vs. Poison Ivy

Sometime last week, during one of our three hikes in the woods, my son came in contact with poison ivy. I think I have narrowed it down to one specific area since it was on that hike in which he deviated from the path and spent more time romping in the woods than his sister or I. He also wore sandals that day (not my choice of hiking wear but he is 8 and more or less in charge of his own attire), where as my daughter and I wore running shoes and socks.



Poison Ivy symptoms, small blistery, oozing bumps or welts, can take up to 72 hours to show up, which gives the persistent plant oils plenty of time to rub off on hands, clothes, bedding, you name it. My son's condition has been complicated by a handful of mosquito bites he also had, which became itchy. And being a kid, he scratched them all over and spread the oils to 75 per cent of his body. He was completely covered before we knew there was anything wrong.



We have been using Benadryl to dampen the itching and After Ivy cleansing lotion to get rid of the remaining oil. His bed has been stripped and the bedding washed numerous times. The last few nights have been a haze of medication, cool baths and hugs. He has been in a tonne of pain and there is very little I can do to help.

He has a prescribed medicated ointment now and seems to be doing better. I, on the other hand, am exhausted. Please tell me this is a lesson learned and my kids will be more careful the next time we are in the woods.