12 Week Old Has Bad Skin and Scalp...

Hi,
I don't know if this will help but here goes.

My daughter's skin was the same way, issues all the time. Baby oil and baby lotion, mineral oil, all made it worse. Now I only use Aveeno on her skin and I found a wonderful conditioner for her hair online -- kinda pricy but it's the only thing I can use on her hair that keeps her scalp clean and clear. It's at www.californiababy.com. They actually have a wide variety of skin and hair products -- the one I use in her hair is "California Baby® Super Sensitive™ Hair Conditioner", but they also have "California Baby® Super Sensitive™ Shampoo & Bodywash" and "California Baby® Super Sensitive™ Everyday Lotion". Honestly, I had so much trouble with her skin and hair, it was terrible, I wish I could attach a picture here, the poor kid looked awful. The Aveeno worked for her skin so I didn't have to get the California Baby lotion but you might want to try it if nothing else has worked...

The good news is, you can find some of these products at Target and other places. The web site will tell you what retail stores carry them, then you can buy the rest online...

Hope this helps,
J.

Hi...a few ideas...

What is she drinking/eating? Are you breastfeeding? If so, what are you eating? Are you getting enough oil/fat in your diet? You may want to change your diet for a couple months to try foods that soothe eczema flare-ups (see website listed below) & be aware that it takes a few weeks for skin changes to really show up...Is she having formula? If so, does it have EFA's (essential fatty acids) in it?

What products are you using on her skin/hair/head? Are you using soap? If so, I would stop that immediately. It is very drying...You can use a little olive oil for massage, both on skin & scalp. Another very healing oil is calendula oil---usually a carrier oil like olive or grapeseed oil, infused with calendula flowers & then filtered. You could try derma-E sensitive skin products, in addition to the ones the other 2 posts mentioned. I have had great luck with them, they are all natural & some of their products are organic, so they are safe for babies.

You might even research taking a vitamin E supplement (yourself, if you are breastfeeding) &/or Omega 3-6-9 supplement (fish oil, or flax oil, or the like) & decide if that might help.

I would recommend checking the website www.healthyhealing.com for ideas, as many natural healing methods can be used along with western medicine quite nicely. I like this website since you can also write to the naturopathic dr. who has the site, & ask her for specific instructions if you have a specific situation not covered in her health topics.

I would avoid steroids until you have tried eveything else, because of the side effects...they can cause your baby to have anxiousness & inability to sleep, among other things.

I had some skin problems a couple years ago (allergic reaction & eczema outbreak--first & only in my life) and healed it with natural methods after trying some steroids & having horrible side effects, & very little relief from the steroids themselves.

Hope this helps, H.

Our pediatrician reccomended Aquaphor lotion. also, the Mustella line of products for eczema is good.

I think you're right about the eczema. My daughter had a bad patch of on her elbow and nothing seemed to help until one night on a whim I tried the Lanolin sitting next to where I nurse her and the next morning it was all-but GONE. I put more on durring the day and again the next night and it was completely gone. It comes back, but the Lanolin keeps it at bay if I use it regularly.
Also as for her scalp - try brushing her hair regularly. Use a baby brush and press firmly. It won't hurt her, but it will simulate the glands in her skin that aren't yet fully working.
Good luck!

My baby girl had the same problem at 3months of age; severe dry itchy skin, cracking in the skin folds, and redness around her cheeks. It was eczema that she had. I tried every lotion and cremes. Finally, I tried the Disney Baby Eczema Cream from Target and it's about the only thing that helps moisturize her skin and minimizes the redness. Although I was very religious on putting that on, maybe 3 to 4x day, especially immediately after her bath when her skin is still a little dampened. My doctor recommended steroid, but I think it's just too strong for babies. If you do use steroid get the over the counter 1% hydrocortisone ointment (not cream but te ointment form) and only use it sparingly no more than twice a day. I actually only used the ointment at night when she itched so bad. Eucerin Aquaphor actually helped moisturize her skin too. The other thing that I found out was that my baby's eczema was also due to allergies from cow's milk, which many formulas are derived from. So I switched her formula to Similac Alimentum which is made for baby's who have milk allergies. Well, my baby is now 7 months and thank god her skin is finally healing. So I suggest looking into what formula you feed her or take dairy out of your diet if your breastfeeding (i had to do that as well). Anyway, good luck to you and hope all goes well. please contact me if you have any questions- ____@____.com

I know this is hard to hear, but it will go away on its own. Especially the skin rash. I had it (my dad was embarassed to take me out in public it was so bad) and my son had it. I didn't find anything that worked, but it just cleared up on its own in a couple weeks. The scalp crustyness is probably cradle cap. Cradle cap is just excess skin that has to come off. Most babies get it and my son had a really bad case. I put baby oil on his head, let it soak in for about ten minutes and then combed his hair out with a comb or tooth brush. It is probably going to take several sessions of this, and you may have to pick the big pieces off with your fingers. You will also want to wash your baby's head afterwards because she will be really oily! I know it sounds really gross, but it works like a charm.

have you used baby oil?

Now this may be of some comfort, but our awesome pediatrician who cared for my sons (now 27 and 19) reminded me that my babies had been in water for 9 months...they're just drying out!! Good luck!!!

Hi, maybe pure glycerin and/or cocoa butter for the baby? Something in your diet may need changing or adding to?? C

HI J.,

Have you tried melaleuca products. A friend of mine gave me the lotion to try and I love it. My boys both had very dry skin my oldest would get dry patches all over his body. I have changed the lotion, body wash, clothes detergent we use and my boys and I have not had any skin problems since. All natural products seem to work the best.Steroid creams only seemed to work for short periods of time.

D.

Have you tried Aquaphore? It is by Eucerin. That is what our pediatrician reccomended for eczema.