Baby Eczema - Knoxville,TN

Hi L.,

I am 30 and have had a severe case of eczema all of my life (my mom says it was diagnosed at 3 mos). I read through all of the responses and you were given some good advice, so I won't repeat those. Just a couple of things I wanted to add:

* Ask your pediatrician for a referral to a pediatric dermatologist. They will be more on top of the newest research, products, etc when it comes to eczema. For example, while I was always told to bathe infrequently, I understand that some doctors now believe that frequent baths are more beneficial.
*After you bathe Sean, do not rub him dry with a towel. Pat dry only where you must and IMMEDIATELY slather on a thick cream. I can actually feel my skin drying out after a bath until I get cream on it, so it is essential to apply it before his skin dries.
*I saw that you didn't have luck using Eucerin, which is the cream I prefer, but whatever you use, steer away from the thinner lotions and lighter creams that absorb into the skin quickly - it just gets dry again.
*One possible reason for his skin getting worse is the weather. My skin becomes even more dry, itchy, and cracked as soon as we put the heat on in the house. If you don't have a humidifier on your heating unit, you might check into getting one, or at least run a humidifier in Sean's room at night.
*Someone mentioned the cellophane wraps. My mom did this to me when I was young, and from what I remember, it worked to hold moisture in but was very uncomfortable to sleep in. There's gotta be a better way. One thing I can suggest is to put soft cotton mits or socks on his hands to keep him from scratching at night, as well as to hold moisture in if his hands/arms are problem areas for him. Tube socks work well. Slather on the cream first.
*NO FABRIC SOFTENER. None. Zip. Zilch. My dermatologists over the years have told me that using a fabric softener is one of the worst things you can do to your skin, eczema or not, but especially those with zemers. I've seen these little plastic balls that are chemical free that are supposed to work in the place of softeners, but I haven't tried them yet.
*You could try Pampers Sensitive baby wipes. They're fragrance free and are a lot softer than Huggies. Also see if changing diapers makes a difference. My kids broke out to Pampers Baby Dry, but were fine with Pampers Swaddlers/Cruisers. Something about the chemicals they put in the Baby Dry, I guess.
*A lot of people with eczema also have allergies and asthma, so be on the lookout for symptoms of these developing. Most pediatricians don't recommend allergy testing in young children, but you can treat him as if he does, just to be safe. For example, if he's outside for any length of time, particularly when the pollen counts are high, bathe him, change his clothes, etc. Do not expose him to wool. Change the sheets on his bed often, and get one of those mattress covers that prevents dust mites. Do not have stuffed animals in his room, and definitely not in his bed. Avoid exposing him to peanuts and tree nuts as long as possible - I've read until at least age 4 or 5 (I have a severe allergy to tree nuts, which is supposedly related to the eczema and asthma as well). Watch how he reacts to animal exposures - hives, watery eyes, runny nose? Eating citrus fruits, especially oranges, makes my skin breakout. Avoid fragrances in the products you use on him, but don't forget about those that you use yourself and therefore expose him to. Keep one of his blankets between him and others that hold him to limit exposing him to their perfumes, detergents, lotions, etc. Allergies ALWAYS make my eczema worse.
*Don't know if you plan to have more children or not, but you might consider breastfeeding if you do. They say its the best thing a woman can do to avoid severe cases of eczema, allergies, and asthma for those that have family histories. My 4 year old has a very mild case of asthma, but nothing like what I had when I was young - I nursed her for a year. My 7 month old developed some skin problems when she was 2 1/2 months old that the pediatrician diagnosed as seborrhea, but said could develop into eczema. Now five months later, she isn't showing any more signs of these skin problems. I plan to nurse her for at least a year as well. I can't say for sure whether these ailments are better because of the breastfeeding, but I believe they are.

Good luck, and I hope you're able to get Sean's skin under control soon! Let us know what works and what doesn't.

J.

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Hi L.

My 3 sons have Eczema.The oldest ones has it the worst so we have tried everything. Elidel now works that he is older but, when he was a baby I hated the screams all those creams caused.
We took him to Flordia and spent 3 days doing nothing but playing in the ocean (he was 4 months old) and he was clear for the rest of the summer.After speaking with his doctor she didn't see any harm in trying sea salt from a herb store in his bath water we tried it and I promise it works.We stopped all creams/ointments EVERYTHING but,the sea salt.We just sprinkled it in his bath water and let him play. He only breaks out ever once in a while now most summer months after spending to much time in the pool.

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Definately see your doctor first.
Warm water dries the skin, that is why you should give short infrequent baths.
Bounce Free fabric softener.
If the All free and clear didn't work try Ivory.
Also, plain liquid IVORY Soap for bathing the skin.
Maybe your doctor will have some advice to help the rest of us.
Good Luck,
R.

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Do NOT use corn starch or any other powder. My son is 4 months and developed baby eczema just a few weeks after he we born. It started as cradle cap and spread to his face, neck, behind the ears, and the folds of his arms and legs. I have learned a lot since he first got it.

(1) It's yeast-based. So I use an infant probiotic (acydophilus for infants). It's a powder form with no taste, and you simply add 1/2 a tsp to one of his bottles or to his cereal per day. This helps stabilize the yeast and bacteria in his body, decreasing breakouts.
(2) NO POWDERS. Yeast multiplies in powders and makes the problem worse.
(3) Your doctor may recommend a hydrocortisone cream. If so, use the over the counter strength first. Only use it for about 2-3 days, 2x/day to get it cleared up. After that, it's a matter of maintenance.
(4) Only bathe about 3x/wk. Frequent bathing and contact with the soap dries out the skin, causing more flaking and breaking out. In between, just wipe with a warm wash cloth, making sure you clean all of his folds.
(5) Apply a cream 2x/day, indefinitely. I am using an herbal cream with a blend of Calendula and bees wax. There are many out there, and these are the most common ingredients. I would suggest going to a local herb store and getting suggestions. My doctor suggested Aquaphor, but it didn't work very well. In the event of a bad breakout, Desitin clears it up pretty quickly.

Hopefully, these tips will help get it under control before it gets so bad that you have to use a prescription. Try to stay away from steroid creams other than the initial application above. They are horrible on the body and skin, especially in an infant.

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My youngest two children had eczema, the middle child had it the worse. At that time our Ped. gave him a perscription to Elidil cream. (not sure about the spelling) At that time, it was approved for children as young as 6 months. Anyway when my yougest came down with the same systoms, I took her to the doctor. He agreed that it was Eczema, but because of FDA changes he could not give her a prescription and he explained to me why the rules were changed, which were crazy....I told him I already had some at home, for my son and he said "if it were my child and I had the stuff at home, I would use it" I did and it really helps. So, if you know someone that has the product, see if they will try it, see if it helps.

I hope this helps.

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My doctor prescribed triamcinolone actonide and it cleared my daughters excema up in a couple days

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Hi! I'm a SAHM of 4 and my 2nd child had eczema. Elidel (Rx) cream is expensive and my son screamed in pain when I applied it. Aquafor was our solution (several times a day and IMMEDIATELY after bath). I have since then used Selsun blue for bathing and Arbonne (recommended by my sis-in-law who is a Pediatric NP) baby oil & lotion and shea butter. Good luck!

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My son developed ezcema when he was 7 months old, when I started suplementing with formula. It has never gone away(4 years), and is MUCH worse in the winter. My doctor prescribed a cream to use when the outbreaks are severe, but to prevent severe outbreaks this is what I do: I use Arbonne baby oil RIGHT after he dries off from the bath, and then follow that up with Arbonne baby lotion. I also use their baby bath for his hair/body. This seems to work best. I have also used JoJoba oil(pronoinced hohoba) that I bought at the Rainbow Co-op for 3 years, and that works ok. I really see a difference when I forget to oil his legs and arms, he gets an ourbreak right away! Hope this helps,
-M.

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MY son also developed eczema at about the same age. He is now 6 and his condition is much improved but here are the things I did. First, in order to treat the sever spots, I had to use a cortizone cream prescribed by the doctor. You don't want to use this too often because it tends to thin the skin and possibly cause some scarring. However, unless you use it religiously to improve the most problematic areas, it won't work. I tried this. The trick is to not have to treat the same areas too many times. Treat it until it is well, then do preventive maintenance. Since the "bad" spots looked weepy, I thought I needed to dry it out. Unfortunately, that is the opposite thing to do. It needs moisture, so get a good lotion for after bathtime. Your doctor can recommend which ones and a special bath soap as well. I also did a search online and read what other parents did. Some children had such severe cases that they would do treatments of wrapping their little bodies in celophane to hold in the moisture after a bath. Not over their head of course. The other solution that has helped is limited bathtime. Even though he absolutely loved it, shorter bath time and even reduced his baths to every other day if possible. (Keeping his hands, face and bottom clean of course between baths) I also found a detergent that works for him and I never switch and I wash new clothes before wearing. Currently, we use Dove for sensitive skin in the bath, but Eucerin products work well also. One more thing, for the wipe problem, I ended up purchasing really soft paper towels (a little pricey, but worth it) and cut them in half. I put them in an old wipe container that I washed out with some water to keep them moist. I only put a few in at a time so they didn't grow any bacteria or anything. This worked well for the convenience factor. I hope this helps and good luck!! K~

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L.,
My 11 month old has Eczema also. She really developed it when she was 1 month old and it got really bad a 2 months. I took her to the pediatrition and he gave her some medicine to help her. After she finished her meds it came right back. So then he gave me some cream and I put that on anytime it flares up and also put vasaline on her everyday after her bath. I found giving them a bath every day is better cause it gets any chemicals off their skin and also found that any cleaning chemicals that are on the floor also irritate her skin. I wash her whole body with baby shampoo and that is it. If I use anything else it flares up. Let me know if you have any more questions or need more details.

Thanks,
J.

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hey my sisters month old went to the daocter today for the same thing. The doctor told her to make sure that the bath is no longer than 10 minutes because the skin loses its moisture totally. She also side if she wanted she could try the old fashion creso that comes in a can. Don't use anything with linolin( sorry of the miss spelled word) in it because it comes from sheep who have wool. And wool is not good for the eczema. My sister is going to try the cresco. My son has it and it is weather related also. he is 15 and it comes and goes. Good luck i hope this helped.

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My son had eczema as a baby and we bathed him in Gentle Naturals Baby wash for babys with eczema and used their lotion cream as well and that cleared that right up. how do you dress him? do you keep him all bundled up? if so he might be gettign too hot and that may cause it. I had it as a child and mine was agrivated by heat ( summer in the south was hell lol) .

hth,
B.

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My youngest son has eczema. After fighting it for several months I took him to a dermatologist in Nashville. I was informed that t isn't just what you wash clothes in... but everything you use around your house. Febreze, scented candles, cigarette smoke, animal fur, and even carpet fresh... even if you vacuum it up. All of these things can cause the rash to get worse. Then he prescribed him some lotion with a steroid in it to put on him after his baths. Don't give your baby a bath every day, and if you do, don't use water. All soap dries out the skin.... use plain water every other day for a bath. Talk to your doctor about Protopic or Elidel. The Elidel didn't work for my son, but it may for your's. I would also use Aveeno... it did help my son... and so did Eucerin Cream. You can buy it in a lotion too, but the cream is thicker therefore it doesn't rub off as easy.

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L.,

I had a friend who also had a child with eczema and the only product she was able to find that worked was Arbonne International's Baby Care Line. I am not sure if you are familiar with Arbonne, but they are all natural products. My friend said that within 2 weeks her daughter's skin cleared up and now her daughter's ped is recommending this line to his patients. You can either order it online or find an Arbonne consultant in your area. Hope this helps.

https://www.arbonne.com/shop_online/showCatalog.asp?categ...

S.

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Hi L.,
Daisy Blue Naturals has a great baby line (Calendula-n-honey) that will help with eczema. Any product that has chemicals (mineral oil, other petroleum derivatives, phosphates or sulfates) could irritate his skin. It's worth a try...
There's one consultant in TN, you should find her at http://3906.daisybluenaturals.com

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Take him to the doctor. It is a skin condition he will probably have for the rest of his life. I have suffered with it my entire life. It won't just go away. He needs topical medications that will help it get cleared up.

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my husband and i found out my oldest had eczema when he was 2 and our doctor prescribed hydrocortozone, its worked great clears it up within a few hours and stops the itch. it also helps not to give the child a bath daily, just a few times a week unless the child gets dirty alot...my child is allergic to mosquitos so he's inside alot and hates being dirty.

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my little girl had a little bit of eczema - we got it cleared up with aveno baby lotion. i applied plenty every night. we also had luck using a cream called Aquaphor on the really bad spots. Aquaphor is great for diaper rash and redness in the diaper area also.

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L., my baby has eczema also, but not as severe. I had to get a perscription from the doctor to control it. My baby has it on the creases of his arms. I put the cream on and then I seal it with vaseline. His arms really look good too. I also use All Free and Clear. That is a good idea. Another thing about the perscription cream, I use it on his knees also. It help keep them smooth since he is crawls. Check with you pediatrician about the eczema cream.

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My son had horrible eczema from birth until about four months- that's when I discovered Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Moisture Cream...I use this cream every day and I use the corresponding bath wash and my son is free of eczema. It is the miracle treatment.

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dear L., my son also developed eczema and we found out why he got it he had to have a allergery skin test done this past month and he is allergic to eggs and once we found that out we cut out all egg product and his eczema went away so your son may be allergic to something also

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Hi L.,

My oldest, who is now 3, also had Eczema as a baby. We used Aveno baby wash and lotion, plus, we were prescribed Elidel. It did work, however it is really expensive. I have found a product, Daisy Blue Naturals, that has an all natural baby line that is said to help clear up Eczema. My youngest, 6 months, does not have Eczema (thank goodness) but I use the Daisy Blue stuff on her...maybe that's why?!?! Anyway, it is cheaper than Elidel, so you may want to give it a try. I love it and it smells wonderful. The website is www.daisybluenaturals.com. Good luck and congrats on being a new mom!

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hi my kids was fortunate and had clear skin although i have heard that if you wash them in dandruff shampoo that helps, i am not sure on that but i am sure if you see your child in discomfort you are willing to try anything.

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I have had eczema since i was 6 years, (I will be 22 tomorrow). My daughter had it on her arms, legs, and back for about the first 3 months of her life. Her doc prescribed triamcinolone, which is the mildest eczema ointment, which is mild enough for babies. After I used it, her break out was gone in 3 days. I think she only had 1 other break out since then, she is 19 months now. I use it also. It is the only thing that has every controlled my break outs. I put some on my break out areas maybe once a month. Also since we both have very dry skin, I use Petrolium Jelly 100% on our skin. The key is to stay moisturized and do not use any type of lotions or creams with any type of fragrence. Also if u can, do not use scented baby wipes on your baby. That can also flare up the eczema and also cause diaper rashes if they have very sensitive skin. Hope that helps. Ask her doctor about triamcinolone.

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Hi L., I am also a stay at home mom. I work for a Wellness company that has a few products that you can use to help with eczema. If you will give me your email address I can send you some info about this. Our laundry detergent and renew cream is guaranteed to help with Eczema or you can get a full refund. We have so many people that switch to our company for just these products. Its worth a try you has nothing to loss and everything to gain if it works. Check out my website listed below:
http://www.stayinhomeandlovinit.com/cgi-bin/team.cgi?id=S...

I hope that I can help you

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My son ended up with baby eczema when he was a baby too. Try A&D ointment, just be careful around his eyes. If that doesn't work you can take him to a dermatologist and they will prescribe a cream. That is what I ended up having to do. And he is 2 years old now and it still flares up sometimes.

my daughter also has it. she is 14 months old. it is only on her left cheek, but it seems to get worse. try an anti itch cream. That is what her doctor told me to do.

Glad to hear that little Sean is doing well. My baby had eczema as well, I think I noticed it at 5 or so months, but she did not have but a couple of spots, and I knew what it was from keeping my best friends little boy when he was a baby. Just keep what you are doing, most of all loving him, and he will be fine!

If you haven't gone to a dermatologist, start there. Then try a humidifier, infrequent bathing with Aveeno baby bath, and Avweno baby lotion. My son has a similar condition and it has improved with these. Good luck!
K.

Hello my daughter also had excema but in one month the dry skin and marks were completely gone....But we saw after the first week of using the lotion. We started using this fabulous lotion and its not prescription, but if I didnt tell you, you wouldnt be able to tell.... I use the lotion all over my daughters body(diaper rash, her face and even her arms and legs) this lotion is wonderful.... And to make the situation even better this company also makes less toxic cleaning products so they want harm your baby physically or mentally... If you would maybe like to hear more about the lotion that I have been using please feel free to email me ____@____.com

My girl friend has had trouble with this condition with her children and she use to bath them in Oatmeal Baths. You can buy these in stores. They come in packets and you just put it in there bath water. She also used Eucrin Cream it's really thick. The Parenting Magazine had a really interesting article on Eczema. I not sure on the month, but I'm sure if you go to there web site then you could type in and find it. Parenting.com. I hope I have helped.

L....my daughter had a terrible case of eczema. what helped her was baby aveeno eczema lotion. usually walmart carries this. even now at three she still gets little spots and this clears it right up. good luck....T.

Corn starch want work for some Eczema's. My neiece had this really bad. She would scatch until it was bleeding. Her baby doctor sent them to a Dermologist and that was the only way to clear it up for her. They also tried not bathing as often, only using certain kinds of soap to bath in.
Don't use fabric softner. That makes it worst. Some diaper brands make it worst. Hers was in the bends of the arms and legs. It got worst the older she got. A special kind of cream was what worked best.

my son had the same problem.his started when he was 2.it started with a little place on his face.then it was all over him.i went from doctor to doctor and they just kept giving me different medicines.ive even tried aveeno cream,which only helped for a litlle while.i finally got him to a doctor that could help it.ask your doctor for Betamethasone Dipro(generic for Diprosone cream).its working so far and he finally got a referral to a dermatologists.but that cream is working great.hes 4 now and he finally goes to the dermatologist dec 14.so ive been dealing with it for about 2 yrs now.

L.,
I definitely know how you feel about your son's eczema. Like your son, ours also developed eczma around the same time. My little boy is now 18 months old. We have tried everything and finally found something that works for the eczema on his face. At our last doctors visit we saw a different doctor who recomended a cream called Atopiclair. It is not a steroid cream and she said it is safe to use on his face. We have really noticed a difference. I hope this helps.

Hi L., I have two boys of my own. I have heard of severe Eczema. My hair dresser actually has if very bad. I have found a company called Melaleuca, Inc. All their products are all natural and have been proven to fight eczema in children. The shampoo and lotion is safe and contains no harsh chemicals like those from the grocery store. You will also have an opportunity to earn an extra income with Melaleuca if you wish. The products and medicine you have gotten from the doctor actually contains Steroids to help clear it up. Another thing you can feed the baby is Soy milk instead of formula. Please visit the website www.kristies.fourpointmoms.com for more information.