Chapped lips have many causes and can occur in any season. Seasonal wind and sun can contribute to the problem as can dryness in the home. If your child is a "lip licker" then chances are you've dealt with chapped lips plenty.
To prevent chapped lips, You can:
Up the moisture
Keep the air in your home moist with a humidifier, which can be purchased in any drug or discount store. Make sure you clean the humidifier often and place it out of the reach of young children.
Stop the licking
Remind your child regularly not to lick her lips. The constant wetting and drying that occurs with this causes chapped lips, and fast. So every time you see your child licking, give them a gentle reminder to stop, and take that opportunity to apply some lip balm or give your child something else to do with her mouth.
Cover that face
In the winter, especially on windy days, make sure your child has a scarf or hat with a mask. One of the best ways to make sure chapped lips don't happen due to wind is to keep the wind off lips all together.
Use lip balm religiously
But, make sure that the lip balm you use doesn't have any flavoring — this can encourage lip licking that will only make the problem worse. Use a petroleum or beeswax based product or plain petroleum jelly (which only costs about $1). If lips are especially chapped, try to find a medicated balm. In addition, the sun can cause chapped lips and make already chapped lips worse, so try to find a brand with a sunscreen if your child will be going outside.
Keep clean
Make sure that your child washes her face after eating or drinking and reapply lip balm. It's a good idea to make sure your child care provider is aware of the issue and has balm on hand as well.
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