4 y.o. With Bad Case of Eczema

K., my daughter had terrible eczema trouble between about 4 months and 9 months. The good news is that it's been much better for her since then, and our doctor said that a lot of babies improve as they get older.

We had our pediatrician recommend a dermatologist, which was the most help. (Our pediatrician was just not used to seeing such a bad case of eczema and really didn't know how to treat it.) The dermatologist put Clara on a combination of Vanicream moisturizer (which is expensive, but definitely worked best of all the lotions--they sell it at Walgreens or at pharmacies) which we put on her every time we changed a diaper, and a hydrocortisone prescription which we alternated with another cream called Elidel, which works on the immune system. She also had a staph infection on her skin because of all the itching, and so he treated that as well with an antibiotic. We also started bathing her every other day and just slathering her with Vanicream when she got out of the tub.

I also cut dairy out of my diet for as long as I breastfed (up until about a year) and we didn't give her any dairy because she had an allergic reaction (hives) to yogurt at around 6 months.

I hope that helps. I really feel for you--our baby would get so itchy at night that she had trouble sleeping, and I hope you're not having that problem!

2 moms found this helpful

Have you tried putting bsby lotion on it after a bath and during the day. When my son who is now 2 gets the eczema that is usually what i do. Sometimes when i brush his hair i put lotion on his hair first then brush it. I have used johnson's baby lotion and the bath ones. AS FOR THE RASH BETWEEN THE LEGS I ALWAYS USED PINK SALVE (6.00 AT DDM)IT WORKED GREAT.

1 mom found this helpful

K.,

My son who is now 9 had horrible breathing issues and was diagnosed with asthma when he was 2. He started having eczema issues when he was 4. We used the creams prescribed by the pediatrician and lotions. What finally seems to have cured him is using homeopathy. My son has not had any breathing issues for almost five years now and no eczema for almost 3 years. I had a good homeopathic physician and also kept in touch with our pediatrician (who did not know much about homeopathy or take much stock in it). The asthma can be tricky to deal with and required trying to not use traditional meds and sticking with homeopathy. We were not homeopathic purists, but eventually got to where we didnt need the traditional meds for him. You will need to find a homeopathic physician in your area. For the eczema you can try using the homeopathic remedy called sulphur. It is the most common remedy for skin conditions such as eczema. You can find it in the health food store. I would start with at least a 30c dose. If you can find 200 potentcy that would be best. It is extremely safe and can be used at the same time as the other meds. Hopefully if you are near a large well stocked health foods store someone can help you with information on handling and dosing. With homeopathy it will either help or do nothing. If your daughter is using any steroidal meds, the homeopathy will not work until she is off of the steroids and they have cleared her system. Of course whatever the choice in treatment continued use of good moisturizing lotions is important. I wish you the best of luck these things are difficult and draining to deal with. I know you will receive lots of advice and I hope you will find what will work best for your daughter.

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If I was you I would go and see a Pediatric allergist. My son goes to a great one downtown cleveland and your insurance should cover it. They will help you find the reason and give you some suggestions as to how to handle it.

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K., many adults and children have great results curing or managing eczema with Arbonne ABC baby care products and Arbonne conditioning oil. Arbonne's products contain no artificial dyes or fragrances, no mineral oil, and no animal byproducts. They are hypoallergenic, dermatologist tested, and botanical. If you'd like to know more about the products, let me know. I use them on my own children.

Hi K. - my niecs had this problem and she did grow out of it - and it always appeared on her legs and around her behind. All the lotions you have been recommended are very good and do work. Another thing I did not see recommended for you to do along with a good lotion is an oatmeal bath. It will help.

Hi~

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Hello, I myself have a daughter that has eczema, she is 5. I took her to the doctor and they prescribed an expensive lotion that seemed to make it worse. So I bought aveeno lotion and it took care of it almost imediatley. So give it a try, I also use it and it makes my skin supper soft. Well I hope this helps you.

Hi K.,
My husband and daughter also have eczema and I know how awful it can be. I also highly recommend the Arbonne products, as well as coconut oil from a whole foods store (it can be used on the scalp as well and also for cooking...what a bonus).

Whatever products you choose, make sure to avoid sodium lauryl sulfate as it strips the skin and is found in TONS of American products. Also, avoid fragrances and dyes as these are not only irritating but studies are showing that babies absorb those chemicals into their bloodstreams very easily and it can have affects on hormonal development. Finally, avoid vaseline/mineral oil products. I know they seem to be decent at preventing chapping...but they are also occlusive products..meaning they sit on the skin and keep moisture from getting in (which can further exacerbate dry skin). There are other non-mineral oil alternatives to seal in moisture but if you use some good natural products in the first place you may not need to use any sort of skin barrier.

Good luck mama!

My son has eczema also and i found that aveeno eczema cream works really well for him. Good luck!

Hi K.,
My first daughter (she is now 9)had very bad exzema, in the winter,and even had allergic reactions to the snaps on p.j.'s but since switching to Arbonne's Baby care line not one single flar up. I am a consultant for Arbonne and have samples if you like but I would have told you this whether I was a consultant or not. I highly recommend it. My pediatrician told me to use Aveeno when she was younger and it did control it for a little while but made her skin dry, Arbonne has never made both my daughters' skin dry. Hope this helps!
~L.

Have you tried any of the Eczema baby bath? I think it's from Aveeno. They have lotion too. I would think the doctor could find something to cure it. Has he tried all prescriptions meds?
I know Aveeno bath works wonders. Maybe the baby Aveeno would work too. I hope you find something!

This may be a repeat response, sorry! (my toddler is requesting hide and seek and I don't have time to read all of the responses :)-)

When nursing, my daughter developed eczema and I had to give up all dairy, eggs and nuts. It may be worth a shot. I have also been told by another parent that their child's trigger was milk so they switched to soy. They also recommended Gentle Naturals baby eczema cream-- I don't know if they have a cream for older children as well. The box has winnie the pooh on it. Good luck!

My 4 yo son also has bad eczema and Aveeno cream works very well. He also gets a Rx for some stronger cream for the very rough patches which we use until it clears up but continue the Aveeno all year round. Good luck!

My 2 yr old also suffers from eczema. A helpful resource for us has been www.groups.yahoo.com/groups/eczemaparentscircle .

My 3-year old has Eczema too. I do 2 things. One is, I wash the area while she's taking a bath with Regular Noxzema (not sure if that's how it's spelled). And 2nd thing is, I use Aquafor in the morning and night. This always seems to begin to clear her Eczema within 24 hours.

A friend of mine has Eczema and swears by Burt's Bees foot cream.

My eczema and my 4-1/2 year olds eczema responds well to Nutragena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream. Crazy thick stuff in a 4oz tube for $3.50 or so. Only stuff that keeps mine and my sons eczema at bay. Use it on every part of the body that it is needed, not just hands. Even safe for faces. Get the unscented. Wash her with Cetaphil (or store brand of it) and rub her down with cetaphil lotion. Keep baths short and only when she is actually dirty. Use a humidifier. Aveno was never anywhere near strong enough. I think Eucerin and Aquaphore have lanolin in it which many people are allergic to (I am one of them).

my daughter has eczema also & we use an over the counter hydrocortisone cream & then top it off with aquaphor. that usually helps within a week maybe. the best has been prescription stuff, though! i know what you mean about going to the ped all the time...it never ends. hope this helps.

Try giving her an OTC allergy med. like Zyrtec or Claritin. The ezcema may also be related to a food allergy. I've done a lot of reading on food allergies since my daughter was diagnosed with one (We also found out that she has asthma around the same time). Ezcema could be the only sign or symptom if the allergy is really mild. As far as creams go we use Aveeno Baby soothing relief moisture cream for an OTC. For a prescription cream we liked & worked very well is Ellidel. It is strong & has some potiental side effects so we used it sparingly. You may also try running a cool mist humdifier if you're not already. It will help with the dry air so it will help with her asthma as well. Good luck & hope things improve!

I know that this is a little late but I just wanted to let you know about a great product that I use on my son. It is jojoba oil and you add 2 capfuls to thier bath then follow-up with lotion while they are still damp. The website I get my oil from is www.sensaria.com and it is an all natural product which is why i love it so much. My son has bad excema and after treating him with hydrocortisone cream got ring worm because the cortisone cream changed the ph levels in his body. Just an idea of something you may want to try in the winter, which is also the only time my son has a problem with his.

My daughter has this condition as well, and her ped reccommended Eucerin lotion-it is sold over the counter and is AWESOME! I use it for myself now too, because it is very moisturizing. The reason it works well for kids with eczema is because there is no alcohol in it, which causes discomfort and worsens the rash. Has she ever been prescribed Cortizone? That is a steroid lotion that helps also.....Hope this helps :)
A.

Hi, K.! I've heard multiple times that Arbonne's baby line is great for excema in kids. Check www.arbonne.com and look at their ABC line. Best of luck and happy new year!!

Hi K. - My four year old daughter also has battle with eczema. The advice that has worked for us has been to bathe her body and hair with Cetaphil (and I use the generic version from Wal*Mart), use Licoid Lipocream on the bad patches (Rx required), keep her nails short so she doesn't scratch herself raw, avoid anything perfumed or scented including hand soap and laundry detergent and dryer sheets, and limit sugar in the diet. Try to stick with cotton clothes and sheets, too. Lastly, I would follow up with an allergist. Hope this helps.

S.

my kids both have bad eczema & are in the midst of really bad flare-ups right now. I use gentle naturals eczema cream normally, found it at kmart. It works pretty good & doesn't seem to have any side effects.
Their doctor said also to not give baths too frequently in the winter & when they do get them, to immediately dry them thoroughly & put a thick lotion on all over the affected area.

My 4yr old also has eczema and has had it off and on since she was 5mo when it covered her entire body. Once we cleared the major episode (the first one) I started using Aveeno Baby unscented or aquaphor. She only gets it in the winter now and usually not that bad. This year is worse than normal though for some reason and the usual lotion is not working so I have had to use her perscription which is triempsalone (sp?). I try to limit bathes and un-necessary soaps such as bubble bath.

Call the doc and see if they will call in an RX for you without making an office visit since it is a reoccuring problem for her. It's worth a try :)

Maybe you should have her tested for food allergies. Our pediatrian said alot of times that's what causes the crusty stuff on the head.

My child is now 12, she's had eczema since she was born. She doesn't have asthma and it isn't linked to asthma. My oldest had asthma but never had eczema. It is a skin condition that is brought on by change of weather. I try to keep her covered in lotion but that doesn't help. I have found that Neem oil helps. It stinks but put it on at night and it will help. It is good for so many things. Look it up online and find out what it is it's good for. Also, the Dr. doesn't mind if you keep coming back that is how they know how bad your child has it. It isn't a reflection on you as a mother.

Dear K.,

You need a good detective and the best is Dr. Merkle. He will take the time to figure out what is going on. He is in Dayton but does it by blood work so don't let that throw you off. Could be an allergy to a lot of things but don't switch to soy anything as it is not what it cracked up to be.

www.3000health.com
office is ###-###-####

They don't know me but they have helped several friends. If they ask how you fond them tell them a net friend gave you the link.

God Bless & Happy New Year,

S.

My son (20 months) has Eczema. I use the Baby Aveno Cream...not the lotion the cream. It works great! I put a ton on him all over after every bath. Good luck!

I suggest that you call the doctors office and see if they will perscribe the cream again, then you can just pick it up at the pharmacy without having to go through another doctor visit.

Once you get it cleared up, you should use a good lotion like Aveeno on her thighs.

Does the eczema come and go by any certain season? My daughter's only flared up in the summer time. Hers was on the back of her legs, behind her knees. After we saw the pattern and figured out what to do, we made sure to put lotion on her as soon as it started to turn to summer. Our doctor told us that eczema is very dry skin - the drier the skin the more it blisters and bumps up. She also told us that if there is someone in our family that has eczema or psoraisis that is why she has it as it is usually genetic. My father'n'law has a bad case of psoraisis, so we know where it came from.

She's 11 now, and hasn't had a flair up in quite some time. Anytime her legs get itchy she just puts on lotion herself and we have no problem.

I hope something helps and you find it soon. Good luck and God Bless you and your family,
M.

K.,

Eucerin or just plain Vaseline have worked well for us. Good luck!

My daughter (5) gets ecezma and we use Eucerin cream or Burt's Bee Rescue Oinment. That is the only thing we have found that does not burn her. And they both work like a charm.

Try Eurecin lotion (not 100% on spelling)my 8-yr-old has bouts and this is a calming cream and does help - one thing that does irritate the skin is anything with scent and also anything antibacterial - I also continue to use baby shampoo and wash

K.,
Hello!
Sorry to hear about your challenges with your daughter's Eczema. Has anyone introduced Arbonne products to you??
If not, I would be happy to share some samples with you b/c I have seen many success stories where the child has tried EVERYTHING possible and the Arbonne products work. Arbonne products are PURE SAFE and BENEFICIAL. I will be happy to share the testimonials with you and also connect you with other Mom's who have shared your challenge.
I have been apart of Arbonne for 4 years and I promise I share this only to help you as Arbonne is a Gift that was given to me and I share this Gift with you. Happy New Year!

I agree with a couple of the other posts that you should REALLY get her tested for allergies, ecspecially since she also has asthma. It can be as simple as a blood test.

I was told to use vacaline (sp?) My daughter just started getting small patches of it. We have yet to try it but when someone suggested it there were several people in the room agreeing with it. They said to put it on at night. Also Eucerine

HI My son has Prob with this and we were told to use vitimin E oil, and it works for us.

You might go see April Dunnington in Centerville--she has a holistic approach and would have some good advice. Her number is ###-###-####. Good luck!

K.
My two kids have eczema. And I take them to a dermatologist. My daughter eczema wouldnot go away with what the pediatrician suggested, so I went ahead and took her to the other doctor, she had a prescription medicine that helped so much and in a few days it went away. The dermatologist recomended using also CERAVE lotion everyday ( i have only been able to find this over the counter lotion at WALGREENs, i think we pay $12 or so), a few people we have met over the years have used it and it's helped alot..so that will be my suggestion.

Hope that helps!
Have a happy new Year
A.

K.- My daughter had eczema from the time I brought her home until she was two months old. When I finally asked the Doctor what it was she said it was eczema and she recommended Cortaid. I rubbed it on and it disappeared completely within a few days. Hope this helps.

My 2 yr old son has eczema and we use Aquaphor - it's heavy like vaseline, but seems to work. We also mix the Aquaphor with a prescription steroid cream for the really bad spots. Many times the prescription steroid doesn't have the moisturizing component that the dry skin needs.

One other thing to consider is allergy testing. My son was tested recently and found to be highly allergic to peanuts, cats and eggs (and moderately allergic to many others). As we decrease his exposure to known allergins, his skin improves.

Other tips our allergist gave were to keep bath times under 15 minutes and quickly apply moisturizer after bath (within 3 minutes) to help lock moisture in the skin.

We do two things for our daughter. We giver her baking soda baths which calms the skin. When she has irritated patches we use creams, no fragrance, instead of lotion. The thinkness of the cream really seems to help a lot. We've been able to control her eczema very well with this and haven't had to use steroids or perscriptions for a long time.

Good luck!!

My 6 y/o has had excema since he was a baby. We finally found Dreamwash by Lush (Beachwood Mall or lushusa.com) and Dream Cream for after bathing. They are all natural, vegetarian, not tested on animals, non-steroidal, the whole package. For him, it works much better than Aveeno and Eucerin (we tried both). Good luck!

I'm no doctor, but I've heard that if you use a baby wash that is pH balanced it helps too. Most products are not balanced, meaning they strip the skin of good conditioning oils. When a friend of mine tested children's body washes most of them scored close to a 14 on a 0-14 pH scale.
Let me know if you want a sample. Good luck!
____@____.com

My ds is 19 months and also has Eczema, although it is not bad enough to require an RX for anything. Our ped suggested Aveeno for baby's. I lub my little guy up realy good with it before bed time and his skin is so soft in the morning. The good thing about it is the scent is very lite so it should not bother your little one's Asthma.

I used to work for a Derm and he always recommended apricot oil for the little ones. You can get it at Whole Foods. Good luck!

Hi K.! My dd (now 17) had horrible eczema as a baby. It started at 6 months of age and soon was covering her from the neck down. There is a soap called Basis - for sensitive skin. Not sure where you are but I get it at either Walmart or Meijer. Also after you bathe her, put hydrocortizone 1% cream on the patches. It worked wonderfully for Andrea! HTH!

Have you had her tested for allergens?
My grandson had it but is better now that he is avoiding those foods that he is allergic to.

My son had horrible eczema. We stopped using anything scented for him... took away the scented drier sheets, shampoo, body wash... We also switched him to soy milk instead of whole milk and have been giving him yogurt. Since I'm slightly allergic to milk I figured his was a result of a milk allergy. And since I have sensitive skin as well removing the scented things helped with the irritation. Adding yogurt was a suggestion from a family friend. I guess that in some cases probiotics help with eczema.
Eczema is a symptom from something else that's going on within her. Sometimes it's hard to pinpoint but we really wanted to prevent the eczema instead of just treating it with a prescription.
However, cortizone cream and vaseline (combined) really help.

K.,
My daughter is less than 1 year old so I'm not sure if the medicine is just stronger on her. But, hydrocortisone is what my doctor recommended, and it works well. We put it on twice a day. For really bad cases, we also use an antifungal such as lotrimin AF. We put that on once a day. If this works for you, great! If not, I hope you find something that does.

Hi K.,

My daughter has excema related to food allergies. I recommend mixing vaseline and hydrocortizone together. It works wonders. Good luck!

My 5 yr old has had problems with this since he was tiny. We tried prescriptions, aveeno and just about everything else. The one thing I can tell you is don't use anything that has fragrance in them, in ex. huggies or johnsons lotion or body washes. In August, I had a baby and they sent home a sample of Aquaphor body wash and lotion. I haven't bought any of the body wash, as of yet, but I do use the vasoline type of lotion. It has worked wonders! I also would suggest a humidifier being ran in her room all the time. The moisture in the room helps a ton as well.

GOOD LUCK and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My son broke out with eczema the last two winters. I read that it is related to bowel issues so I wanted to treat it from the inside out. We of course prayed him over first. Then last fall we found out how beneficial acai juice was for digestion & put him on it right away. Also he was on raw goat's milk all summer & hasn't broken out this winter. It is also great for digestion.

I have found using dove soap to be helpful when my daughter was that age. But now I go to Whole Foods and get a soap that has Neem oil in it. Neem is from a tree in India. Neem is GREAT for the skin; for eczema and acne, dandruff, etc. I really prefer a soap that has both neem and tea tree oil, but the only one I know of so far, I have to order online. I really helps with my hand eczema and my DD's eczema flare ups (she's 13 now).

K., my son suffered from terrible Eczema when he was small, still does at age 20. However, we found that when we stopped using commercial soap (Dial, dove, etc...) and switched to soap made from honey. I like the soap from Hoosier Honey in Martinsville.

Our son has battled with eczema since he was about 3 years old (now 6). The pediatrician wanted to put him on a steriod cream along with an additional prescription. We searched for a more healthy option than prescriptions and found that Aloe juice (bought at GNC or Whole Foods) works great and is perfectly healthy and good for the entire family. If your daughter does not like the taste, just add it with her juice. We give this to our entire family as an overall health additive. Aloe is like a pharmacy in a bottle and will help with many things. Hope this helps!

Hello!I did not have time to read all the responses ,so sorry if I repeat. My daughter had terrible eczema and she also has asthma. Our daughter"s allergist told us to switch all of her laundry soap to scent and dye free detergent (all and era have fragrance free in a white bottle) and no fabric softner. We washed all clothes including towels, washcloths, bed clothes in seperate loads with this detergent. He also said make sure to wash any new clothes before wearing. He said to give her a bath or at least let her get in water to get wet twice a day. When she got out of the bath we would pat her dry , put the prescription cream and then top with Auquaphor or Eucerin. He also said no bubble bath and told us to switch to fragrance free shampoo and body wash. (Huggies has a fragrance free wash in a white bottle.) It was a pain at the time to go through all these steps but after about 6 months our daughters eczema was gone and I have since been able to go back to washing our clothes together and using regular soap and she has not had a flare up in a very long time. She is now 5 and it could be she is outgrowing the issue some? I am not sure but these steps sure helped at the time to get rid of the ezcema. Best wishes!~!! P.S. I bet the doctor would not make you come back in for a refill on cream if he precribed it the past. You should call the office to see if he will call something in.

I had eczema as a baby, and now it has flaired up for the last 13 yrs. I have it on my hands. The last 10 yrs were horrible and I was seeing a dermatoligist trying to find a way to get it under control. Among many things like extreme itching, scaling, and redness, it would swell so badly that it would split open and bleed everywhere. The swelling so bad that I may as well have just cut off my hands because I couldn't use them, or bend my fingers to grasp anything, or touch anything because they would split and bleed. So, long story made short - IT WAS BAD and terribly painful 24/7.
In all the years of seeing a specialist, and trying tons of prescriptions, I eventually figured out that prescriptions were the worst thing for it. I will never go back to the cycle of prescriptions after spending a year weaning myself off of them.
The last 3 yrs have been the best. It is still a problem, still flairs up - especially in winter, but instead of searching for a way to get rid of it, I focus on managing it and accept that I have to work with it.
I think people turn to prescriptions looking for it to make it disappear. Eczema is not something you catch, it is in your genes. You can't get rid of it, you can only try to keep it under control and hopefully get it to go into recession. I understand diet plays a big part, as well as stress, hormones, enviromental agents such as soaps and cleaners. You find a way to work with it while it's an issue.
I keep my hands dry - no more air drying after washing - I use a towel and dry them completely and then use Eucerin hand cream (not lotion - it's too runny) all the time. Sometimes at night I slather my hands with bag baum and sleep with cotton gloves on, hoping to soften and moisturize them all night.
I try lots of things, many of which I'm sure others have listed, but in the end, the most helpful info I have figured out is stay away from prescriptions - especially steriods and cortizone.

I have had really good luck with a cream by Gentle Naturals- It's Disney Baby, it has Pooh and Piglet on the front. It's just called Baby Eczema Cream. I've gotten it at Walgreens and Walmart. There's a bath wash too that goes with it, but I've been using Aveeno's bath wash on my daughter and her eczema has quit coming back with the combination of these two things.

Good Luck to you! I hope your little sweetie gets better!