How do I get medical tape off a toddler?

August 16, 2010 4:54 PM

Tape off a toddler?

How do I get white medical adhesive tape off of my toddler's leg? It's the kind that sticks to those non-adhesive gauze pads, and it's stuck on her thigh real good. It's much bigger than a bandaid so "ripping it off quickly" is out of the question. Is there something I can use to dissolve the glue that won't also dissolve her leg? Thanks!

posted by staggering termagant to Health & Fitness (15 answers total)

Rubbing alcohol applied to the back of the tape should dissolve the adhesive. I know it works on most tapes used by physical therapists and surgeons, as well as on most other adhesive types found on tapes of all sorts.
posted by strixus at 4:56 PM on August 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Baby oil should loosen it up. You'll just have to work it under the edges of the tape and pull it off a tiny bit at a time.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 4:58 PM on August 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

If it's just the tape, I'd leave it there for a little while. A couple of days and a few baths later, it will come off fairly easily.
posted by antiquark at 5:06 PM on August 16, 2010 [2 favorites]

There is a medical adhesive removal product called Medi-Sol. Your pharmacy might carry it.
posted by shiny blue object at 5:15 PM on August 16, 2010 [3 favorites]

Also: nail polish remover.
posted by SLC Mom at 5:27 PM on August 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

The skin cells it is (are, am?) attached to will die and it will just come off as antiquark says. Same goes for super glue.
posted by Max Power at 5:32 PM on August 16, 2010

2nding baby oil.
posted by nuffsaid at 5:37 PM on August 16, 2010

Peanut butter could also work, but might give toddler bad ideas of what one can/should do with food. (ie rub it all over yourself)
posted by TishSnave at 5:50 PM on August 16, 2010

Response by poster: Rubbing pnut butter all over yourself is a BAD idea, then? Man, 2 questions answered for the price of one! Thanks, guys.
posted by staggering termagant at 6:00 PM on August 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

Does soaking in water help? That would seem to do the trick, although it might take longer.
posted by elder18 at 6:19 PM on August 16, 2010

I would not put nail polish remover on a toddler (gods that stuff stinks) but an alcohol-based hand sanitizer might be easier to handle and "work in" than just straight rub alcohol.

Also works on marker + skin ...
posted by tilde at 6:55 PM on August 16, 2010

Best answer: Have to agree with baby oil! After my son and I were in the hospital for over a week (when he was born) we had messes of adhesive stuck all over us (me especially). The nurses told me to use baby oil, and it worked FABULOUSLY. Better than anything else I tried, and we tried a lot of different things!
posted by I_love_the_rain at 10:12 PM on August 16, 2010

Best answer: Nail polish remover and alcohol are both much harder on young skin than baby oil. I wouldn't use either of those.

If it's cloth tape, soaking it in baby oil and leaving it for half an hour should make it fall off. If it's plastic tape, the baby oil will have to get in under the edge and it will take more time and effort to shift. In that case you're probably better off just leaving it to loosen by itself over a few days, occasionally trimming off sticky-out bits to discourage catching and pulling.
posted by flabdablet at 11:11 PM on August 16, 2010

Mineral oil from the pharmacy also works.
posted by futz at 5:09 AM on August 17, 2010

Response by poster: Baby oil did the trick. Thanks!
posted by staggering termagant at 6:29 AM on August 18, 2010