My toddler woke from nap with a fever one day this last fall. By the next morning, she had sores in her mouth and red spots over a good portion of her body. A quick visit to her pediatrician confirmed that she had hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD).
Unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one in our family who developed the disease. Within less than a week, my younger daughter (who was just 3 months old at the time) and I also came down with it!
HFMD is relatively innocuous and doctors will tell you that there is little that can be done to treat it (here is an overview of the disease from the CDC). This is true to a large extent—HFMD is caused by a virus, so it’s not like you can take an antibiotic to cure it. However, you can enlist a number of home remedies to help manage the symptoms of the disease. This is good news because it can be quite uncomfortable!
Here are 6 approaches that helped us cope with the symptoms of HFMD.
Home remedies for hand, foot, and mouth disease
Oatmeal baths
The first couple of days that my toddler had the disease, she spent a lot of time sitting around moaning and crying. It was heartbreaking to see her so uncomfortable! I understood why she acted this way as soon as I came down with the disease. Each blister I developed felt like a paper cut that was being tickled. Pretty awful, huh?
Knowing what I do about the anti-inflammatory benefits of colloidal oatmeal, I decided to put my miserable toddler in a warm (but not hot) oatmeal bath. This helped her so much! Once she’d been soaking for a couple of minutes, she calmed down and actually began playing. I continued putting her in oatmeal baths each day until her blisters crusted over. I also used oatmeal baths on my infant and took one myself.
I made simple oatmeal bath infusers for our oatmeal baths. I added a couple drops of lavender and tree tea oil to these. They were perfect!
If you don’t have the supplies to make your own, you can simply grab some oatmeal bath packets (like those made by Aveeno) at the store.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil has some antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and even analgesic properties (source), so it is a soothing substance to rub on the skin when the blisters of HFMD are present. I slathered it on the girls after their oatmeal baths and whenever they were trying to scratch.
It seemed to bring immediate comfort. This may be due to the beneficial properties of the coconut oil or may be more psychological (i.e., placebo effect). It brought comfort either way, and that is what matters!
Soothing foods
The mouth sores of HFMD are just as uncomfortable as the blisters that form on the hands and feet. Thus, it’s a good idea to avoid spicy foods, citrus fruits, and anything else that might irritate the sores. We found soft, bland foods (either warm or cold) to be soothing.
Which foods are best will vary from one person to the next. My toddler preferred cold foods (yogurt, chilled applesauce, etc.), but I preferred warm foods (tea, chicken noodle soup, etc.). My infant wasn’t eating solids yet, but I did prepare some breast milk freezer pops in case she became fussy while nursing or refused to nurse.
Comfortable clothes
In order to reduce irritation to the blisters that form on the skin, it is helpful to wear loose-fitting, breathable clothes. Cotton clothing seemed to feel most comfortable. Though it wasn’t particularly cold, I did dress my kiddos in shirts with long sleeves and in pants. There were two reasons for this. First, my toddler got very distressed at the sight of the blisters. She was too young to understand why there were red “owies” all over her skin. Second, covering the blisters kept them clean and free of irritation from things in the environment.
Distractions
Finding something to focus on instead of the painful blisters or sore throat/mouth was very helpful. This was easy for me to do, but took a little work for my toddler. One thing that worked well was to pull out a couple of new books and toys that we had hidden in a closet (we’d set these aside for Christmas). The novelty of the items kept her attention. Also, we did let her watch more TV than we usually allow. This wasn’t my first choice of activity for her, but she really needed the distraction and it worked well.
OTC pain relievers and mouthwashes
Our pediatrician recommended we administer over-the-counter fever reducers/pain medications (e.g., Children’s Tylenol or Motrin). These were needed for my older daughter to treat a climbing fever. Our pediatrician’s other recommendation was that we combine Benadryl and Mylanta in equal amounts and then give my toddler a sip of it before meals to help soothe the sores in her mouth and throat, allowing her to eat. She never refused food or drink, so we didn’t try this (though I see how it could be helpful in a child who isn’t eating and drinking).
Many parents want to avoid giving their kids medications if at all possible. If this is you, then you might consider trying a variety of herbal teas and broths (read more here). I can’t vouch for the effectiveness of these, but they’re worth a try. As always, check with your healthcare professional if you have questions about their safety.
Concluding thoughts
The symptoms of HFMD will go away in several days regardless of if you try to alleviate them or not. However, those days will be much more bearable if you find some relief. I hope these strategies will be of help to you and your little ones!
Have you or your children experienced HFMD? What home remedies did you find most useful for coping with the symptoms?
Shared at the following:
Coffee and Conversation, Monday’s Musings, Healthy Living, and The Art of Homemaking.
Wow! I had a childhood disease as an adult and it was pretty horrible! Glad you guys found a way through it!
Hi Helene,
Sometimes they are worse for adults! I’m so grateful that simple remedies like these can help us make it through.
My son had this twice when he was little and I caught it once. It can be so uncomfortable. Your ideas are excellent and I’m sure will help others who catch it. Found your post at the Healthy Living Linkup
That must have been awful. I hope we don’t get it a second time! Thanks for stopping by, Nicole.
My little guy has it. Whole day home has it. Bad fever even seizure followed by rash that evening. No sore in mouth but all over his little body. Tried the oatmeal in bath then natural aloe on the rash. sound asleep tonight, fingers crossed. Thank you
That sounds awful! I’m so sorry he is going through this. It WILL get better with time, and hopefully some of these remedies will help alleviate the discomfort in the meanwhile.
I have h.f.m.d. it helps me to use Ice for the itching.
Thanks for sharing this, Cole! Others may find this strategy helpful, as well.
The oatmeal bath and coconut oil have really helped my 4 yo son today with his discomfort and itching. Thanks for the ideas. Fingers crossed the other 3 kids, and adults, don’t get it, too.
I’m so glad to hear these two strategies have helped, Sarah.
I pray the rest of the family stays healthy!
For the adults who contracted HFMD, where did you see the rash first and what areas were affected if you mind me asking? My 12 mo old contracted this and I’m worried my son and I may get it as well. Just wondering if affects most adults in different ways or not.
I first noticed it on my hands. I had numerous blisters there and I later had some (very few) on my feet and in my mouth. It wasn’t anywhere near as bad for me as for my kids. I never developed a fever.
If I understand correctly, it is often milder in adults because we’ve likely been exposed to it before (even if we never developed it) and have some antibodies formed against it.
Husband has it horrible not sure where he got it from. Hands feet and face and mouth behind ears and now thighs and legs. Feet swelling bad
It sounds like a terrible case of it, Kim. I hope he has recovered fully!
Thank you for sharing this info. My 21 month old has it for the 2nd time. First time only on her mouth this time mouth feet and bottom so far praying it stops there. It’s super late where I live while reading this but soon as the sun rises I’m going to get the oatmeal bath right away. I tried just the coconut oil alone because I had some on hand but it doesn’t seem to be working. Must be the combination of having the oatmeal bath then applying the oil. Using pain meds , lots of easy to eat foods and lots of liquids and prayers.
How awful, Sally. She must be miserable.
I hope the oatmeal bath helps her!
My daughter (20 months) just contracted it. She isn’t in daycare, so my son (6 years) must have brought home just enough from school to give it to her. She is broke out EVERYWHERE !! Our pediatrician was stunned why she is red all over, but definitely has the blisters on the tops of her hands and feet and her diaper area. Buying oatmeal bath packets today and hope that gives her relief !! She is very irritable and has been scratching a lot. Thank you for your recommendations !!!
She must be very uncomfortable! I’m sorry she came down with it, Jennifer.
I hope the oatmeal bath helps!
So glad we found your post after drawing blanks everywhere else including the GP, a pharmacy and 111 (UK health service). Bought some colloidal oatmeal for my son’s bath and then smeared him in coconut oil. He is feeling better already, still moany but nowhere near as bad as he was.
Thank you!
I’m so glad the colloidal oatmeal and coconut oil helped your son. I hope he continues to improve and gets back to normal soon!
My teen sons have this now. They started with sore throats and then 2 days later the sores are on their feet. My 11 yr old could not sleep last night do you the itching. I will be heading to the store for colloidal oatmeal, coconut oil, lavender, and Benedryl to try and get him some relief.
They sound very uncomfortable, Christy. I hope these remedies work for them!
My daughter caught HFMD for the first time. The pediatrician reported she is seeing 2-3 confirmed cases a day. For my toddler she responded better to Motrin to reduce her fever. She had a fever for 2 days. I made the oatmeal bath solution at home and followed it up with a homemade solution for her skin. In my household we always have fresh aloe plant on hand as it has so many benefits. I used avocado oil, dried calendula , vitamin E and fresh aloe. There is a specific process I used when making it. After the first application she did not scratch again. I really really hope she does not get this again.
Thanks for sharing what worked for you, April. That cream you made sounds absolutely wonderful!