Nancy, in the past year I've found out that I am diabetic and part of the education was about foot care. Cracked heels can be dangerous for us.
We were told NOT to use Vaseline (petroleum jelly) on our feet because long term it actually makes the cracking worse. It's something about the petroleum drawing moisture out of the skin. There are several creams that you can get from the pharmacy without a perscription that are great. Ask a pharamacist or look at what's recommended for diabetics. Before this class I would have done the same thing you did. You may need to wear shoes with socks for awhile to let your feet get back to normal. Then don't go barefoot.