Don't know much about the medical stuff...but our doctor recommended Cetaphil lotion for the excema that my son has...we just started it so I don't know if it will work or not.  She also said you could mix it with hydrocortisone and put it on to help. 

The toe walking I think is a concern.  If she is doing it on a continuous basis, she runs the risk of shortening her achilles tendon.  If she physically cannot place her whole foot down on the floor, I would ask the doctor to see a physical therapist who can work on it with her and give you excerices and stretches to do at home.  The only really pediatric based PT or OT in town is at TerrioKIDS.  Hope this helps.

Sonya  - you need to watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding :)

Okay, I'm intrigued...what do you mean, Heather?

"one word - Windex." 

one word - Windex.

Okay, I have finally found the paper on croup - have scanned it and cannot get it to copy over - UGH!  So, I will attach it to an email and send it to you...I hope you can open it and read it!  For the rest of you...Croup is a distinctive cough that occurs with infections of the voice box - or larynx.  The cough is tight, low-pitched, and barky (like a barking seal).  The voice of your child will usually be hoarse or raspy when they talk.  

This is usually caused by a viral infection of the throat or vocal cords, lasts 3-5 days, and usually worsens at night.  Inhalation of warm mist will make the breathing better and help the stridor (difficulty breathing).  If the cough and difficulty breathing gets worse or does not go away, call your pediatrician!  I hope the handout helps ease your mind, or to copy and take to your pediatrician for reference...;)

I watch the kiddo like a hawk when she shows any little symptom!  She had bronchitis once, and yuck!  I'm sorry to say I don't have any words of wisdom for you other than folllow your mommy instinct!

Dry skin - dermatologist once told me to use Eucerin cream - you might want to check it out.

I know the frustration you feel - have encountered that before!  The pediatrician we switched from took the wait and see approach wtih my youngest son's asthma one too many times....so, we switched when he said he wouldn't give his maintenance medication any longer, or refer him to be evaluated further.  Once we switched to the new pediatrician's group (Dr's Shah and Santiago) we have been thrilled with the treatment we have received.  If the kids don't need an antibiotic - they will tell me why and give me a full explanation.  If they do, I also feel that this is the best route of treatment and get the explanation.  I am a question and research person, like many of us are....and it's important that if you have a kid with tubes in his ears, you pay attention to the warning signs (repeating things, saying "huh" frequently...)  Our oldest had excema when he was young, but has outgrown it.  I have sensitive skin (stress makes mine act up) and the pool chemicals are another factor.  If you have a pool of your own, hubby found a tablet to add to the skimmer basket to help condition your skin while cleaning the pool - I'll get the name if you want it.  My suggestion...bathe the kids immediately after swimming, with conditioning soap of your choice.  Slather the lotion on them and see what happens.   As far as the croup cough - I also agree with CheezieMommie.  That's how my youngest started out with his asthma symptoms.  Croup can be serious; however, some doctors don't think it's a big deal.  If you notice the cough becomes worse, call your doctor back.  If they refuse to see your child again, I would change doctors....The cough is a sign of another issue.  If she is asthmatic (sounds like it runs in the family...ours does too!) then, maybe a simple allergy medication would help.  Caden has allergy induced asthma - but, this past winter was hell on earth for me!  He ended up with Bronchitis, then Pneumonia (which took nearly 2 solid months to clear completely!)  We have done the steroids in oral form when it gets bad, but, I keep his daily dose of singular going every day (which is a Godsend!) and a humidifier/air purifier in his room next to his bed.  Now that it is warm, we have not had many issues.

If Kaitlynn continues to cough, it gets worse through the night, or she appears to not be able to breathe normally - call the pediatrician's office.  Google the word "Croup" and do some research.  The pediatrician's office gave me a handout to read (can't find it) but, you can find the same thing online.  If she is wheezing, or having difficulty breathing, check her tummy/rib area - if you notice her skin being "sucked in" when she breathes, she's most likely having issues similar to an asthmatic and you need medical assistance to help her.  

Until I started researching asthma, I was pretty passivein the treatment process.  Once I read the lung associations website, web MD, and did my own research, I started getting proactive and became my child's advocate.  Asthma, if untreated or only treated when you have flareups, can leave long term scarring on the lungs - making it more prevalent down the road for the kids....email me if you want to vent more....or need more info.   

Sorry to hear about your toe, but, it is better to NOT be broken or fractured....is it still swollen and sore?  What is your doctor's explanation?  You do need some sort of explanation!  ;)  Hang in there....

In situations like these I usually do my own research and compare/combine it with what I get from the doctor and go from there. My kids have all had issues with the things that you're experiencing and I know what we have done in those situations is definitely not just "wait & see". We treat the runny nose & croup cough like we treat allergies because unless it's accompanied by fever and other cold symptoms, and because you live here LOL it's usually allergies. I did a paper on CROUP for a class last year and in my research I learned that once you have croup the more susceptible you are to get it again and it is also a sign/precursor to asthma. To me that's not something to mess around with because the more she coughs the more her vocal cords become distressed. I also new a couple different kids who did the tiptoe thing for multiple years and they ended up having to have their tendons cut and casts on both feet for weeks. They were both over 4 though so maybe you have to wait till then? Do you correct her walking? We had to do that with my son's intoeing. And the eczema, well unfortunately bathing and swimming isn't good for it (or for the allergies if the chemicals are imbalanced). It sounds like you're doing the best you can though without a prescription cream (which you could request maybe?). This looks like a novel but like I said I've had extensive experience in this with my 2 kids and my daycare kids. All this to say that yes they are doctors and they have degrees that we don't have but you are still their mother and sometimes that can trump the degrees. HTH :)

I actually appreciate our pediatrician for not medicating.  He's been around a while.  I don't know how old he is, but he looks like he'd be a really cool grandpa.  Anyway, I think the younger generation of doctors DO want to prescribe something for everything.  We do get prescriptions when it is obvious they are necessary, but I've been sent home several times with "Call us in a few days if the symptoms persist."  They usually don't.

BUT, that doesn't mean I am not frustrated after piling the kids in the car and spending half the morning at the Dr.'s!  :-)  But until we all get our own medical degrees, we'll have to continue playing our part in the pediatrician office circus.  Hands are tied with that one.

Now was that 90 minutes of actually seeing the doctor or waiting to be seen? I get frustrated when I go to the doctor's office and they just rush me in and don't really listen to me.

If the doctor is really paying attention and tells me the problem will resolve itself on its own then I'm OK with it. When the doctor doesn't actually see me for that long I get really frustrated and wonder if I really need this antibiotic or if my problem really is nothing worth medicating.