Bad Baby Eczema

Look up Coconut Oil...I've been hearing lots of great things about it helping Eczema! And a TON of other things too!!

Definately sounds like an allergy (my 5 year old had eczema from 9 months through 4 years until they FINALLY had me go to an allergist!!) I know Elidel is a black box drug, but it was the only thing that worked to soothe her eczema. That, paired with her daily allergy meds, cleared it right up... and taking everything she's allergic to out of her diet (peas, peaches, peanuts, LETTUCE [wth?!] and eggs)

My daughter also started with eczema around 8 or 9 months, it went away for a long time abut came back with a vengence in the past year. It was so bad a few weeks ago her leg swelled. While I agree it can be related to some type of allergy, not always. While I was nursing, I cut out milk (which was very hard since I would end up eating dry cereal or no milk in my oatmeal and no yogurt), then I tried other things. We have cut dairy with her and wheat etc. None of that made an impact. She started breaking out big time last fall. Anyway, about 2 weeks ago I found Dermarest for Eczema at the CVS near work. It has Zinc and hydrocortizone in it. I figured nothing to lose so bought it. My daughter's legs are almost clear. She is not scratching any more, and her tummy is totally clear. My husband puts it on once a day now but had been twice. I know hydrocortizone is not the best thing in the world but I think with it matched with the moisturizer in the lotion and the Zinc it really has helped a LOT. If cutting out foods does not make a difference, it's worth a shot.

Stop using burt's bees. Give him an oatmeal bath and only bath him with Avenno products or Mustela for very sensitive skin. Cut his nails short, always keep them short so when he itches the areas won't bleed and if the problem in his knees, keep him in long pants till it heals. It may take a few days. Ask your pediatrician for a prescription called Cutivate.

the ointment cream: "Florasone" which Amazon has or Whole Foods.
It is all natural and an alternative to cortisone creams. Look it up on Amazon and to read the reviews. It is for Eczema and itching.
DO not use Cortisone creams, too much. I affects the skin, after prolonged use.

As an aside: Eczema is triggered by different things, per the person. Each person being different.
For my Mom, for her eczema, Oats and citrus, triggers it. Anything with those things in it.

Your baby may also be teething.
MANY things can occur at the same time, which tweaks a baby's sleep.
Also, you might try putting breastmilk on it, if you are nursing.

ALSO, go to this website:
http://www.nationaleczema.org/
It is the National Eczema Organization

me and both my girls have it. First, limit the baths ( it drys the skin worse). I baught eucerin and cetifil lotion and washes for my daughters. When you use regular baby washes and lotions, the perfume drys the skin out. You could also use baby oil. If all else fails, get your MD to give you an Rx cream, i had to do that with my youngest...

EUCERIN CREAM AND LOTION: costs about 10 dollars a bottle, but it was worth it to help my kids

I sent some other moms some before and after shots of a baby with eczema that used Arbonne's baby wash and lotion and/or oil. This is the only product that helped my son when he was little. My sons doctor said to use Dove soap and Aquaphor....what a mess that was. They did not fix the problem and my son was miserable. I accidentally ran into the Arbonne products and I could not believe how it cleared up and softened up his skin using botanically based products with no chemical dyes or fragrances. Great stuff. If you want me to send you the before and after pics, PM your email address...I don't know how to attach them onto here.

FOOD ALLERGIES!! I went through the same thing with my son, he's now 2. I stopped eating dairy and peanut butter while I was nursing him, that helped to a certain degree. I later had him tested (skin patch test at the allergist) and found out that eggs and wheat were a problem too. He's doing great now and I found out what his blood type is and we follow the eat right for your blood type diet (it's a miracle). Good luck.

Eczema means that the child is having an allergic reaction to something, probably food. Use a non-fragranced soaps him and cut our common allergens like dairy or wheat. You might also get him allergy tested. Do it now since if its on his skin you don't know what else its doing to him on the inside.

Have you talked with your pediatrician yet?

My son gets bad outbreaks of eczema too when it's really bad the doctor will prescribe a lotion with a steroid in it which works wonders and gets the whole condition under control fairly quickly. Once it reaches the point of bleeding you really need to get the doctor involved b/c over-the-counter isn't strong enough to stop the swelling and itching.

When he's not experiencing the outbreak, that's when we do the following:
- bathing every-other-day
- Aquafor lather twice a day
- Nails clipped SHORT!
- loose clothing that he can't get into (meaning one-piece jammies so he can't scratch in his sleep)
**This is all to keep him from having the dry patches, not to make them go away**

L.,

My daughter has mild eczema that doesn't itch. Apparently there are different types? Anyhow our doctor said to use straight Vaseline | Petroleum Jelly on her as did the dermatologist for her cousin who used to have bad eczema. They tried all the medicated creams on her and saw several dermatologists and the last one told them to toss everything (as obviously it wasn't working) and just use the vaseline which seems to have helped tremendously. My understanding is that most do outgrow it by the time they are 5 years or so as their body adapts more to being out of the womb.

eucerine worked best for my child when she had it

Don't have personal experience with eczema, but the one baby I knew that had it bad (looked almost like a sunburn) turned out to have several food allergies. Including common ingredients in most baby formulas: dairy, soy, and corn.

Hi L., this is what I have learned ... taken from Dr. Sears -
Eczema is a mixture of dry skin and allergies. The cause is mainly genetic – an inborn tendency toward dry skin and allergies. There is no way to change this genetics. The important issue is not what causes eczema in the first place, but what allergies and skin irritants is your child exposed to that is triggering the flare-ups.

1. AVOID DRY SKIN – moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! This is the single most important step in minimizing your child's eczema. Do not underestimate this! This needs to be part of your daily routine with your child.
o Luke warm baths – hot water can dry the skin. Let your child play and soak in the bath. Do not let him soak in soapy water. It used to be felt that frequent bathing made eczema worse. Now we know that lukewarm baths allow water to soak into the skin.
o Towel off gently by patting the skin. Do not rub dry.
o Do not use plain soap – soap dries the skin, even liquid baby soap.
o Use a moisturizing soap with no perfume – unscented
o Daily moisturizing lotion – this is very important. 2 to 4 times a day apply a moisturizing lotion or cream to the whole body, especially the affected areas. A really good one that we use is Renew from Melaleuca (www.melaleuca.com) One good time to apply this is right after the bath – it locks in the moisture.
2. AVOID SKIN IRRITANTS – this is the second most important aspect of prevention.
o Cotton clothing is best. Avoid wool and synthetic materials; they can be more abrasive and irritating to the skin.
o Use cotton sheets and soft, cotton blankets.
o Wash new clothes before wearing them – this will get out any chemicals from the manufacturing process.
o Do not use any perfumed or scented lotions.
o Do not use bubble bath.
o Laundry detergents – use a mild, dye-free detergent. Liquid detergents rinse out better.
o Double rinse the wash to get out all the detergent.
o Shower or bath after your child plays in the grass or engages in sports that make him sweaty.
o Maintain humidity of 25-40% in your home. Buy a humidity gauge. During the dry winter months, use a humidifier in your home. During the humid summer months, the air conditioning can keep the humidity stable.
o Suntan lotion – use one that doesn't irritate your child's skin. PABA free is better.
3. AVOID ALLERGIC TRIGGERS
o Food allergies – if your child has any food allergies, then they will play a major role in causing eczema. The problem is, you may not know if your child has any food allergies, and if he does, which foods is he allergic to? Thankfully, there are six common foods that make up nearly 90% of possible allergic foods. These are milk, egg, soy, peanuts, fish and wheat. Eliminate all 6 foods for 2 to 3 weeks. If you see dramatic improvement, then re-introduce each food one at a time to determine which is causing the allergy.
o Environmental allergies – these include dust, mold, pets, and seasonal outdoor allergies such as pollens. These environmental allergies are more likely to cause nasal allergies and asthma rather than eczema. However, they can contribute to the eczema. Identifying and preventing these allergies is a very complicated process. Click on nasal allergies for a detailed discussion on preventing environmental allergies.

Once eczema is really red and inflamed, it is infected and you will need a perscription from the pedi to clear it up. I urge you to make an appointment for him asap. The medication will clear it up quickly and completely. then continue to slather on the Aquaphor after every bath. My oldest son had eczema as an infant. He started suffering from seasonal allergies by the time he was one and was diagnosed with asthma last year at 5. His pedi, who I trust and respect, says that eczema, allergies and asthma go hand in hand. Now I'm not saying all babies with eczema will have allergies and asthma, but there is a chance.

Hi. My son has had eczema since he was 3mo. He's now 2 yrs old. I recently started.using Babyganics extra gentle bubblebath/body wash. There's the baby wash but its not the same. The bubble bath has not irritating ingredients. He loves it and we have had no flare up or reactions with it. I also started using Cruel lotion for eczema. We've had positive results with it too. Good luck with your little one.

Be careful with the Burt's Bees. My son is actually allergic to that product and it made is his skin worse!!

Hi L.,
My 17 month old son has had eczema since birth so I can relate. First of all, while allergies and eczema do often go together, it does not mean he has a food allergy. We had my son tested and they found nothing.
Secondly, go to a dermatologist. My son's dermatologist was WAY more helpful than his pediatrician. Here is what all she suggested:
Change your soap to Dove Body Wash for Sensative Skin. She said that it is actually better than anything out there, including the Aveeno Eczema soap. Our pediatrician had originally prescribed Aquaphor but she changed that to a lotion called VaniCream (you need a prescription) because she said it is just as good but is less messy. (We were very happy with that change.) We put the VaniCream on him after his bath every night. She said that the redness and raw spots behind his knees and under his armpits were probably yeast infections so she prescribed something called Nystasin (sp?) for that. It cleared it right up and now that his is older and does not have his legs in a bent position as much, that is rarely a problem. When my son got one of his first really bad outbreaks that looked like open sores, I ended up taking him to the ER because I couldn't get in with his pediatrician. They prescribed a steriod lotion for his bad spots but our dermatologist changed that to a steriod oil because we were not supposed to use the lotion on his neck and face but we could use the oil there. Finally, she prescribed an antihistamine for us to give him at night when he was having a really bad outbreak to deal with the itching.
I know that sounds like a lot but by using the lotion every night, he has very few outbreaks. When he does, we simply spot treat with the oil. We have not used the antihistamine or Nystasin for probably the last six months. And when we go in for his check ups with the dermatologist, she always asks us how much of the steriod oil we have left so she can make sure that we are not using too much of it on our son.
So.....to sum it all up, go to a dermatologist. Because a lot of kids out there really don't have eczema, just dry skin, a pediatrician does not always think it is a big deal but a dermatologist knows the difference and will be more helpful. Good luck.

Check out the food allergy route. My son had a milk protien allergy and it really affected his skin. There are prescription steriod ointments for really bad eczema as well. I'd see your pediatrician and start there.

L.,
Not personally, but one of my best friends had a son who had horrible eczema. I think around the time he was one, they discovered an allergy to gluten and a few other foods. Once my friend got that figured out, his skin cleared up and his chronic stuffiness and runny nose also went away.

Best of luck to you.

T.

One of my friends had a baby with bad eczema. He ended up having major allergies, to the point of there were so many foods that he was allergic to, it was shorter to list what he could eat instead of what he could not eat. If you have not seen a dermatologist yet I would see about doing that. If you are breast feeding then something in your diet could be affecting it. Children usually need to be at least 2 years old before traditional allergy testing but if he is exclusively breast feed with little to no solid food then you could eliminate everything and just eat a few foods to see if the eczema improves. If it does then as you add foods in keep a diary of what you eat and if the eczema gets worse. That can help you narrow down what foods or types of foods could be causing the problems. Good Luck!

My son had eczema on his cheeks and it started around the same age. The doctor gave us a prescription, but I didn't feel comfortable using something with steriods in it on my baby, so I very rarely used it. We use the humidifier every night during the winter (dr says dry heat in the house can make the eczema worse). What I finally found that worked is Triple Cream (or maybe it's Triple Paste... one of them is for diaper rash - it's the other one - in a tube - that is good for eczema). It's very thick so I didn't have to use a lot. My son seems to have outgrown the eczema (is that possible?). Every once in a while his cheeks get red and I use the cream on them and it disappears overnight.
The dr also recommended Eucerin, but it was so expensive, so runny, and I didn't think it helped at all. You can probably find the Triple Paste in Babies R Us, Wal-Mart, or any drug store or grocery store. Sometimes there are coupons for it, too. Good luck!

Yep- my baby girl (now 3.5) had horrible eczema to the point of bleeding behind her knees and elbows her entire first year. No one suggested food allergies until she ended up having an allergic reaction to something in a bag with peanuts at age 1 year 1 day! Turns out she was allergic to MILK and EGGS (and fish) as well....we got her allergy tested after the reaction to a piece of chex mix in a bag that also contained peanuts (which was a mistake made by her daycare -- they were on strict limits for no nuts or peanuts till age 3). She had been breastfed for the first 4 mos and I ate all of those things then on milk-based formula for the rest of her first year and NO ONE SUGGESTED FOOD ALLERGIES. Her pediatrician even gave us cortisone creams, etc. and we were already FREE everything including her laundry detergent, shampoos, etc. Ridiculous! If you have a good reason to suspect food allergies, you should see a pediatric allergist (ask your pediatrician for a referral) and have your baby tested. They did my son at 6mos because my daughter's are so bad. Luckily he is not allergic to anything! My husband and I both have seasonal/environmental allergies but none to food -- we never suspected that our kids could end up with food allergies but apparently allergies can manifest themselves in different ways. According to statistics, we have a 20% chance of having a non-allergic child -- just don't have any idea what kind of allergies until they manifest themselves. Best wishes and good luck! (but do the testing) -- her skin cleared up IMMEDIATELY once we switched her to Rice milk, Silk Live Soy Yogurt, Better Than Cream Cheese by Tofutti, Rice Cheese, no eggs, etc. BUT, you shouldn't change your diet unless it is "for sure" allergies -- it isn;t worth the extra price in groceries, etc. Back scratch test takes like 30 minutes at an allergist. Milk takes about 2 weeks to fully leave the system of a breastfeeding mother and her baby.

eucerin is what helped my son. took the excema away completely. haven't had a problem in years