Baby with Eczema!

I have excema and so does my son. I avoid high fructose corn syrup. I know other things bother my skin, but that is the only thing I am sure of right now. We use plain old organic virgin coconut oil. It is safe if he gets it in his mouth, so you can put it anywhere. You can look up info on coconut oil online. I don't have any websites handy, but just yahoo coconut oil for excema and you should get plenty of info.

A.

1 mom found this helpful

I would check with his doctor, but we used Aveeno products and Cetaphil in the bath--absolutely no soaps or bubble baths. Eucerin lotion is helpful. Wear only 100% cotton clothing. (It's hard to find cotton PJs, but they are out there.) He should improve during the summer. The cold weather and dryness of the winter months definitely exacerbate eczema. My husband had his worst winter of eczema ever this winter. Good luck.

Get him allergy tested as soon as earthly possible. Sounds identical to my first son. Turns out he is allergic to dairy, tree nuts, coconut and peanuts. My diet while breast feeding was aggrivating his eczema terribly - primarily dairy. Make an appointment with an allergist - not just your pediatrician. If you've already tested for allergies, then....... what helped for us was oatmeal bathes (put oatmeal flakes in a nylon or knee-high in the bath, lots of lotion - we use vanicream cream (not lotion) and my son ended up with prescription topicals for really severe episodes. Also over-the-counter anti-itch and he had a prescription for the itch at night to help him sleep. (which I used very rarely as I try to stay as "natural" as possible). I tried EVERYTHING prior to resigning myself to the prescriptions - turns out he really needed them for about 1 year and gradually out-grew most of it. He's now 6 years old. It started when he was 6 months. Good luck. Be careful about using almond butter etc. until you have him allergy tested. I learned the hard way.

Arbonne baby care! Great lotion and essential oil that is safe for babies! And I would cut down on the # on baths, that will dry him out. Also, make sure you're not putting any products on him that have mineral oil. Mineral oil actually pulls moisture out of the skin and blocks the skin so it can't breathe.

oh my, it is so horrible to see your little one suffering. our 7 month old baby has mild eczema, we got a cream from our doctor, also we use aquaphor after every bath and it seems to help! good luck

Poor baby - I feel for both of you! I know of some other moms who have had success in coping with eczema incorporating these ideas:
1. problem foods could include dairy and acidic foods (oranges, tomatoes, etc.)
2. use only laundry products that are free of fragrance, dyes and chemicals as they can irritate the skin (be careful here; even some that are marketed for babies do NOT meet these conditions)
3. use a cleanser that is the same pH as skin (not soap!) and the coolest water temp possible
4. getting more essential fatty acids into your diet (and therefore your son's) may be key; many children benefit from a supplement program that includes these

Feel free to contact me if you have questions about implementing any of these ideas or would like more detailed information. Good luck!

We also had a baby with bad exzema, and he is 7 now. We found something that has worked very well for him, treatment-wise. Triamcinalome (probably spelled wrong) ointment and aquaphor. Dietary chanages, etc, etc, etc didn't make any difference. He still has it, but it is very easy to control when it flares up. We had tried many different prescription and non-prescription creams, and a nurse in passing asked the doctor to give us ointment instead of cream. The doctor balked, but gave us the ointment. I don't know why ointment works so much better, but I now have another boy with excema and it clears his right up too. I hope this helps.

I would give him a bath before bed and then gob him with aquaphor without completely drying him. This will help to keep the moisture in. Try putting the socks over his hands at night too after putting on the cream.
This worked for my daughter who had it bad too.

My son is 17 months, and he's had eczema since he was very small. Our doctor suggested using Hydrocortizone cream 1%. Also, he said to drench him in Aquaphor right after a bath, while he's still wet. We haven't tried the Aquaphor yet (it is pretty expensive). But using the 1% cream on the irritated spots seems to help clear it up more quickly than with lotion alone. Good luck!

My 3 year old started with eczema when he was 4 months. It got really bad around 8 months. His face looked raw and his ankles and behind his knees were scabby. It finally took the 3rd doctor we saw to look into it. The others tried to give us steroid creams that only masked the problem, didn't cure it. We did testing and found out that he is allergic to wheat. When we stopped that the eczema on his face cleared up. We have tried EVERY over the counter lotion and the only one that worked was Eucerin calming cream. It's not in the baby isle, but it's safe for kids. They also make a calming itch relief treatment that worked wonders. Aquafor never worked for him. We have used cortisone cream, but that thins the skin. For immediate comfort we put instant oatmeal in a nylon and put in his bath. Best of luck to you, we had a lot of trouble with my poor son, but it seems we finally have it under control.

Hi,

I read somewhere (I think it was in the Baby Bargains book, but I'm not sure) that switching from laundry detergent to laundry soap can make a difference. I didn't know this, but apparently detergent is synthetic and even the frangrance-free kind can be irritating. The author said that soap flakes don't work quite as well, but any kind of detergent triggers a flare in her child's skin. Sorry I don't remember more--we don't have this problem but I remember reading about it and being surprised.
Good luck.

Hi H.,

There are several questions you should ask yourself first.

1.) what's causing the excema?

Is it the foods? Start keeping a log of what he eats.
What kind of laundry soap are you using for his clothes,, bedding?

What kinds of cleaners are you using? any that might irritate him.

What about the soap that you're using for bath?

What kind of moisturizers are you using for him?

Check out the surrounding environment. They say that allergies and excema go hand in hand. My daughter has had it since she was a baby. Fortunately, I found out that by simply swithcing over the cleaning products and soaps and laundry soaps that that's what helped hers. And the lotions.

Here's a website that I just got from a friend of mine:
www.safecosmetics.org

Hopefully you can get some answers.

We've been using Melaleuca products for 10 years now. I can't recommend them enough.

Best wishes. J.

Hi H.,
I agree the Melaleuca is the way to go. I have been using it for 1 year now and it WORKS!! I am very experienced with the eczema for all my life. Mine is not an allergy but something hereditary and I had to learn to live with it. I spent many years spending money on dermatologist and over the counter creams & ointments. Since I started with Melaleuca products I don't even get dry skin anymore.I can't say enough about the product. If you're interested in finding out more you can contact me at ____@____.com
Good luck. Nan

HI H., My grandson has eczema as well. He had it so bad that it turned into a skin infection. We were concerned about foods, materials, lotions, etc.... Eczema is not an allergy, it's not anything you can change with your foods. Nolan was taken to a specialist about 2 months ago. Make an appointment right away, because it takes at least a month to book in to one. We were told to bath every day, I know that is opposite of what they use to say, but now, to avoid bacteria, we bath every day. After bath, he is lotioned, really really slick him up, lots of it. TWice daily we lotion with a blended combination of Vanicream and 1% hydrocortizone cream prescribed by the specialist. For the bad spots we use 2% hydrocortizone. We use cetephil in his bath, you can use an equivilant. Dreft laundry detergent or another Gentle brand detergent. Nolan has come a long way with his eczema. We still have some trouble, but this is so much better than what we thought he would have to live with.

PS We've tried the fish oil, soy, etc... to no avail, Nolans eczema is hereditary, not allergy induced. Yes alot of website will say allergys and eczema go hand in hand. I believe some of it, but watch out for sales gimics. I know you want to do EVERYTHING you can for him, and they are counting on it. Allergys are usually because he has eczema, not the cause of it. Seeing a specialist is what I recommend first and foremost. Because believe me, we tried absolutely everything. Nolan does have a peanut allergy. He's never had a peanut, (8 mos old.) lol. Also, we were told he's not likely to grow out of that particular allergy, and he may later develope asthema, those are traits of children who have hereditary eczema. (Arbonne has methylparaben, propylparabens....those are parabins. I'm sorry, but I was sold on it as well because someone said they don't have parabens. Read the labels before you buy) Other recommended products would be vaseline, aquaphor, and vanicream recommended and developed by the childrens dermatology dept at the Rochester Mayo Clinic. Good luck

My friends son and several of my friends have exzema. The one thing my friend did for her son was to give him room temp baths and not use any soap as she never could find a kind that wouldn't make his problem worse. As for keeping him out of the sun....sunlight actually helps exzema though due to his tender age you will want to be sure to talk to his pediatrician about proper exposure. Every one of my friends who have exzema stand outside and expose problem areas to the sun for at least 5 minutes a day in winter, and try to do a maximum body exposure in the summer for about 15 minutes a day. In fact, you will notice that his exzema will improve in summer and worsen in winter (dry, cold air). As far as lotions, aquaphilic works for some of my friends(any pharmacist can show you where it is, they use it as the base for cream medications....at least, that's what I was told by our local pharmacist), goats milk lotion and goats milk soaps help another, Burts Bees products helps yet another (it's mostly natural)...you will have to try a few things out (one at a time as suggested earlier) to see what works for him. Good luck to you hun! :)

H.,

Eczema is an allergic reaction. I would first start with the soaps and lotions you use. I would stop using soap in the bath and just use water. Eucerin cream or cetaphil is what was recommend to my by an allergist. Next I would cut out cows milk from your diet. After that, if you see no changes I would cut out egg, then wheat. I have 3 boys and my middle child suffers from milk, egg and seasonal allergies. I know it may seem scary to think about food allergies but it is managable. Good luck to you!

I could write your post!
I have three girls. A Three year old and two year old twin girls. My Miriam (one of the twins) has eczema. As an infant she had "sensitive" skin. Her skin got worse when solids started at 8 months ( For background comparison) I exclusively breastfed my children to 8 months and then introduced solids. She began weaning right around her 2nd birthday and has never had breast milk substitutes/formula. At 17 months she was nursing 2-3 times per day and as her nursing dropped off - the skin got worse and worse. This last month she is down to nursing just once a week or when she sees a baby nurse, her skin is awful. As her breast milk intake has decreased the inflammation has increased. I have spoken with our doctor about it. Eczema is an outward expression of an inward problem. I use lanolin extensively (see below). I pulled her off dairy and it's better, although I expect that there is another underlying food issue. (I think it's citrus) We are completely dye and food coloring free in food as well as household chemical. Everything is natural based with the exception of toilet bowl cleaner. The other big culprit though can be Chlorine in the water. I KNOW this is a problem with Miriam. I don't have the funds to put a whole house filter - so we purchased a bath ball at our health foods store that takes the Chlorine out of the bath water. I have to be VERY careful about soaps with her. I often just bathe her in water and I limit her baths to once a week (sometimes longer in the winter) You can begin by cutting dairy out of your diet (Not eggs just dairy). You need to give it about 2 weeks to see if he improves. A common treatment is Hydrocortisone cream 1% and there are some scripts out there for creams. My doc won't do them. (Well she will if I insist - but she doesn't recommend them - she believes in finding the source and not band aiding the problem). I have tried Hydrocortisone. It didn't help much the lanolin was MUCH more effective. The lanolin is the same thing for nursing moms with sore nipples sold in the baby isle. The lanolin gooped on real good works better. I do it faithfully twice a day and at diaper changes. Breast milk squirted on and allowed to dry is good too in addition to the lanolin to trap the moisture in. I was told recently by a doctor about Borage oil (taken internally) to decrease the itch and inflammation of eczema - but I don't know if an 8 month old is too small (my gut says: most likely). I just started Miriam on it. Miriam has it all over her arms, and legs - particularly the thighs on the outside and behind the knees and in the elbows. When she flares up SUPER bad I have resorted to Benadryl. Most children outgrow it in infancy and almost everybody outgrows it by adolescents. The good news is for children with allergies the research indicates that breastfeeding is one of the best things we can do. In addition to building the immune system breastfeeding allows an infant small parts of various proteins through the mother. So the body can slowly learn to tolerate it. Dr. Sear's is an advocate of going on a total elimination diet. My doc suggested just dairy first and then take more things away. The common progression of irritants is: milk (Whey and Cassin), egg, soy, peanuts, fish and then wheat. You didn't mention in the article if you have introduced solids and what he may be eating so I couldn't address that. Like you, I keep her clothed to stop her itching. I am looking forward to the warmer weather - but I am dreading her contact with the grass! Congratulations and well done nursing him. That's a fabulous thing you are doing for him.

I'll put some articles below. Hope this helps!

Erika
Allergies and the breastfeeding Family: http://www.llli.org/NB/NBJulAug98p100.html

Dr. Sear's and eczema
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/t081800.asp

about Borage Oil (GLA gamma liniolic acid) for future reference http://www.fatsforhealth.com/library/libitems/skin.php

http://ezinearticles.com/?Natural-Treatment-of-Baby-Eczem...

Good morning H.,
The ABC baby line from Arbonne has been helping many(adults included) with eczema. Pure,safe and no parabens.My daughter is a nurse and loves these products! J.
www.jvoss.myarbonne.com

I had the same thing with my first child. Avoid eating anything acidic, peanut butter, and dairy as eczema is a form of allergy. Also, use unscented SPF, and try the vaseline lotion that is in the tube (I think it's instensive care - but it's unscented) Cetaphil lotion is good, and so is Aquaphor(it's like vaseline - good for the cracks). When you bath him, use baby oil, even though it's messy.
The key to eczema is staying on top of it and keeping it moisturized. You might consider what laundry soap you are using and move to Dreft or something, no dryer sheets for his clothes.
If it's really bad, your pediatrician can prescribe an ointment that has a small amount of steriod in it. I was leary of using it, but it only took a few applications to get it under control - then I went back to the other moisturizers. My son is now 8, still has some outbreaks on the back of his knees, face, and groin. We still use the steriod lotion for this. He has also developed some seasonal allergies (which is normal for kids with bad eczema).
Hope this helps!

My 9 month old son has mild eczema, I tried eliminated the "offending" foods for 2 months without any improvement. My doc had me eliminate milk, soy, dairy, and wheat. didn't improve his skin at all. We switched to Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Cream with Aloe, and his skin has been really good. It is really thick and very gentle!

I second what Anne Marie says about the fish oil. Our older daughter had terrible eczema that cleared up nicely with the addition of fish oil to her diet....since you're breast feeding it should help if you take it. If your comfortable doing so, you could also give it directly to your son. (I've been giving fish oil to our 6 1/2 week old daughter almost since we brought her home.)

Hi H.!
Are you taking fish oils? Your son would get the Omega 3's from your breastmilk if you took fish oils. It should clear up the exzema. Nordic Naturals and Carlson's are the best fish oils. You can get them in orange or strawberry flavored capsules- no icky tastes involved!
Otherwise you can buy kids fish oil caps and squeeze them into whatever baby food he is eating.
I hope you find a solution that works for you!

The best thing I have found for eczema is Renew lotion. It takes the itch away and is all natural. Another thing that might be aggravating it is the laundry detergent you are using. If you are using detergents with additives in them it might cause it to itch more also. Using harsh chemicals in your home can cause many different issues. If you would like to know more contact me. Getting the harsh chemicals out of your home it definitely worth it for you and your children.

My 7-month-old son has the same problem. I have removed milk protein and soy protein from my diet and that helps tremendously. We use Vanicream on his skin, including his scalp. We also dose him with baby Benadryl and baby Zyrtec to help with the itching.

Both of my children have eczema. Eucerin works for them. Watch out for food allergies. My son has a peanut allergy and my daughter has a milk and egg allergy. Eczema can be a sign of the possiblity of food allergies.

Good Morning!
We had the same issue with our little boy his first year. The doctor recommended hydrocortisone cream. 5% on his face and 1% on the rest of his body. We did this twice a day with lotion for about a week and it cleared right up. Now I only use it when I notice his skin is getting dry. I still use lotion daily before bed. Hope this helps!

Arbonne Baby Care line or their Skin Conditioning oil. Look on their website to get more info or contact me through here. I am an Independent Consultant with them. Their products are all plant based and WONDERFUL!

I'm on my second eczematic child, and the first thing is to take him to your pediatrician. All of the suggestions below of things to avoid and products to try are great suggestions - you should change one thing at a time, though, or you won't know what made the difference (and may be needlessly avoiding a food or using a product.) But your ped should definitely take a look at him. When eczema gets very bad, those really bad patches can develop a low-grade skin infection, and until that infection clears up, the eczema will not get better, even if you've eliminated the trigger. Your ped will probably prescribe an antibiotic cream (in addition to the hydrocortisone.) The things that worked for us: lukewarm baths (really, really not hot, not even truly warm, crank up your bathroom heater.) First kid was on cetaphil/aquaphor/eucerin calming cream. We've now switched to California baby super-sensitive body wash/shampoo and lotion. Lansinoh (yes, the stuff you put on your cracked nipples for breastfeeding) is *amazing* for healing all sorts of dry skin issues - a little messy, but it all comes out in the wash. Especially for the baby faces, when you know they're going to eat whatever you put on there - I liked using something I knew it was safe for them to have in their mouths. We've used free and clear detergents, first Tide, now Seventh Generation. But it's worth a trip to your pediatrician - especially if you do end up dealing with food allergies, you want your ped in on this from the start! Good luck!

My daughter has very sensative skin and has flare ups of eczema once in a while. We have a prescription for Elidel (spelling?) and it works awesome! It heals up usually within a day or 2.
Another thing you can do is give your little boy oatmeal baths, Aveeno makes a great oatmeal bath and has several other products to soothe skin. I used Aveeno products on my daughter when she was only 18 months old, so it's safe, dermatologist recommended.

Hi H.:
I'd be happy to send you some complimentary samples of L'Bri Pure n' Natural's body wash and Intense moisture cream, both very effective for eczema. The neat things about these products is they contain organically grown aloe vera as the very first ingredient (not water like most companies use which dilutes everything) and it's loaded with vitamins, minerals, herbs and botanicals. No parabens, no artificial colors or scents (which can aggravate eczema), no harsh chemicals, no oils (so it can really penetrate into the skin) and it won't burn the eyes at all. Be sure that whatever products you try on your precious baby has ingredients that would be safe to eat because everything you put on his skin is absorbed into his bloodstream and organs. Check out my website and if you're interested in some free samples to try, let me know.
suenelson.lbri.com

My daughter's have eczema and we avoid alot of dairy products and their's eczema seems to clear up in the summertime no problems at all.

I can't help you with what foods to avoid BUT I can with the cream. My first child had very bad eczema as a baby. His Allergist told us to use Aquaphor (it's water based) and that worked great. It can make a mess of things tho. I kept it by the changing table and would reapply it at every diaper change and the bad spots, to stay on top of it. We were also told that when we bathed him, we could use Aveeno baby soap products that are unscented b/c they are good for those with sensitive skin & allergies. Then we HAD to put Lubriderm Extra Dry Skin formula (dark pinkish red bottle) all over his body after every bath. This would help lock in the moisture. Blot him dry after baths too, instead of rubbing the towel and drying him out. Aveeno also has an oatmeal bath/shower oil that is AWESOME!!! I use this myself when my skin gets dried out from tanning or winter and it works instantly to provide moisture and stop itching. Our Dr. said a thick lotion like Lubriderm will moisturize much better than something thin & watery like Jergen's or Vaseline Intensive care. And we weren't stingy with it - we rubbed it in well. I was pretty intense about that part. :) He was allergic to grass at first so he had to wear pants in the yard, or his eczema was bad. Int he spring & summer I had to buy cotton pants OR try to keep him out of the yard. At times the Dr. would prescribe a topical steroid ointment or a cream to treat VERY bad problem spots. We kind of figured out that the bath daily (to wash off allergens) and the lotion after baths was the best regimen for our son. It kept him clean and not irritated (along with Aquaphor on the bad spots). He also used an antihistamine to control the itch so he wouldn't dig. They recommended OTC meds but none worked so he was prescribed Hydroxyzine. He still has a lot of enviro allergies (& asthma) BUT no more eczema. He's 7 now but we started all this around 4 months. By 2 yrs he was not using anything to control it but Lubriderm after baths. And, I did use Aveeno lotion for him too. Lubriderm and Aveeno worked great. I would buy the generic of either sometimes and those worked too. Around age 5 we no longer had to put lotion on him at all. We experimented with the thought that laundry products bothered him, but they didn't in our case. My son was tested for allergies too since his was so bad. I don't remember when they did it but he was under age 1. He had cat, grass, & weed allergies. Every year he gets tested, every year his allergies grow. He is on Nasonex, Hydroxyzine, & Singulair daily but has NO symptoms now. He's outgrown the eczema. Hopefully soon he'll plateau on the allergens and start to outgrow those too. Lubriderm, Aveeno & Aquaphor are expensive but they really work. If he hasn't already, I would take him to an allergist. They are very helpful in educating you on what is going on, why, and how to fix it & hopefully prevent it. They have a ton of ways to deal with allergies. Good Luck!!

My 2YO has had eczema since he was a few months old. It it the worst on his thumbs and behind his knees, but he gets it all over. I use gentle soap and dr. recommended lotion, but we had to get prescriptions to get it under control. He started with a prescription hydrocortizone, but have recently moved on to something more concentrated (I can't find the tube at the moment to tell you what it's called- sorry). It's the only way he gets real relief.
I'm not sure about how you should change your diet to help him, but I know that strawberries cause flair-ups in my little guy.

I would say almost without a doubt it's a milk allergy. It happened to my girls... they just have to avoid cow's milk. You can have your Dr give you a perscription for hydrocortizone onitment...works a little better then the cream. If you have him tested just because he's not technically allergic doesn't mean he doesn't have an intolerance. I would take cow's milk out of the diet... so go to soy based formula or if breastfeeding you stop drinking it. Give it about 3 weeks. you should see a difference.