Anti-Itching Bath

This weekend my daughter woke up with itching bumps from head to toe. Chicken pox? It looked close, but not quite. She'd had the vaccine, but it is possible to still get the illness if you have had vaccine, the chances are just much lower. So we went to the doctor, just to see. (For the next few weeks we happen to be double covered on our insurance, so luckily it didn't cost anything.) As it turns out it's not chicken pox, but had an allergic reaction to her antibiotic. I swear I heard a dozen times in nursing school that antibiotic reactions usually happen in the first 24 hours, but as it turns out it is fairly common for children to develop an allergic reaction to amoxicillan 8-10 days after they start taking it. Sometimes even 3-4 days after they finish a 10 day course. Chicken pox or allergic reaction, the itchy bumps have to take their course and the best thing to do is ease the itching. I found this effective and simple recipe for a bath that eases the itching. (Some Benedryl helped too.) Supposedly it works for poison ivy, poison oak and any kind of itchy rash. I don't remember where I got it to give credit to.

Anti-Itching Bath
For each tub of water add
2 cups of oat flour
1 cup of baking soda


If you don't have oat flour handy, just throw some rolled oats in the blender or food processor and grind until powdered. I will warn you that this stuff makes a yucky film in the bath tub.