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I’m in the middle of writing down my entire NICU story and it’s getting pretty heavy, so I wanted to take a break and write about something that’s been on my mind lately.
Drool.
Yeah, my life has pretty much been all about drool for the past 11 months. My daughter has a cleft palate so it seems like the stream of drool flowing from her mouth is never ending. I thought I’d share some ways I’ve found to deal with this issue and make the best of it.
(If you’d like to learn more about Josie’s condition and why she has a cleft palate, check out my previous post, What Is Pierre Robin Sequence? Josie’s Journey, Part 1.)
1. Cloth bibs
My number one ally in the battle to keep the drool in check is cloth bibs like these. Before Josie was born I figured I’d get a couple cloth bibs for the early drooly days and a couple silicone bibs for eating solids. But Josie is a whole different situation. With a cleft palate baby, you need as many bibs as you can get your hands on! My kid goes through at least 5 drool bibs every day!
I have bought bags and bags of cloth bibs really cheaply on Facebook marketplace. Since these bibs are just for wearing at home, I don’t really care what they look like. Believe me, we have some really random ones in there – including a State Farm bib and a Bob Marley bib!
I store these cloth bibs in a bin in our living room for easy access. When I notice Josie’s current bib has been soaked through, I simply grab a dry one and switch it. It’s not glamorous or particularly cute but having these bibs really helps to keep her dry and comfortable throughout the day, and prevents drool rash on her neck and under her chin.
2. Bandanna Bibs
As much as I love using drool bibs at home, they just aren’t that cute. When we leave the house, I try to dress Josie up in the cutest outfits I can find. The dang cloth bib just blocks the whole outfit and usually doesn’t match very well either.
I’ve found that a better “going out” alternative is a bandanna bib, like these. I have several of these in solid colors and neutral colored patterns to match Josie’s outfits. Because of their shape, they don’t hide Josie’s cute tops, but still manage to catch most of the drool.
3. Frequent Outfit Changes
With a cleft palate baby you kind of just have to roll with the punches. I always make sure to put a bib on Josie after her naps, but lately she’s taken to pulling them off and throwing them on the floor during playtime. This leads to a lot of soaked shirts and onesies!
The best thing I’ve found to do in this case is to change outfits frequently. It’s tedious and not fun and I always have tons of laundry… but you gotta do what you gotta do.
4. Aquaphor For Rashes
We went through a brief period of time where Josie’s drool was so bad that it caused drool rashes around her mouth. Her skin is very sensitive to begin with (she also has eczema) so I try to take a proactive approach when it comes to her skincare.
When she started getting rashes around her mouth, I began to apply Aquaphor to the red areas as a barrier against moisture. This allowed her skin to heal within just a few days.
Once the rash was gone, I decided to incorporate Aquaphor into her nighttime routine to prevent further drool rashes. Now, before I read her nightly bedtime story, I simply dry her face well and apply Aquaphor to her chin, mouth area, and cheeks. Josie hasn’t had another drool rash since I added this step to her routine.
5. Just Roll With It
Most importantly, you just have to learn to be flexible with a cleft palate baby. You WILL have drool on every surface of your house. Floors, toys, your shirt, your hair, the family cat – everything will get wet eventually.
But the good news is that it doesn’t stain, it dries, and most importantly this stage is temporary. Honestly I barely notice my kid’s drool anymore, and I don’t know what I’ll do when I no longer have to wipe spit bubbles off her goofy face 100 times a day!
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