Eczema Baby Sleep Tips?!

Updated on May 04, 2012
N.D. asks from New York, NY
5 answers

I am having serious trouble with my 5 month old's sleep.
He wakes every hour or two scratching and the sleep deprivation is taking it's toll on me and my family's sanity.
His atopic dermatitis has improved immensely with a strict homeopathic regime. i am on an elimination diet (he's exclusively breastfed) no milk products, no eggs, no fish, no dried fruit.
But... every time he has a little cold it comes back with a vengeance and while i am very pro teaching babies how to sleep and CIO (i have done it with my 3 yr old and it worked like a charm)i just can't bring myself to do it with him because as soon as he wakes up he starts clawing at his little face and neck and rubbing his feet and legs together because they itch. i still swaddle him as much as possible and that helps a little but he usually manages to free himself and he takes of the mittens/socks we put on his hands. i give him a luke warm oil bath before bed and smother him in cream. still the only thing that will give us/him a break at times is 4 drops of Zyrtec in the middle of the night. i often pull him into bed with me so i can hold his hands and avoid the scratching.
At this point we have a mix of eczema itch and sleep association problems i think. His naps are fine, they used to be only 50 mins but now i go in a few minuted before he wakes and pat him and he continues sleeping, takes 3-4 50min - 2 hr naps a day and is a happy gentle little soul when he is not in agony from the itching.
Any tips from you smart mamas would be so much appreciated!

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M.P.

answers from Raleigh on

First, with eczema, no creams or oils. These just aggravate eczema. It's not dry skin, it's an allergic reaction. Do plain, soapless baths and no creams. I only used hydrocortizone ointment on my son's flareup spots, and that seemed to help.
Another big help is to cut out all fragrances or dyes. This means free and clear detergents, dryer sheets, baby shampoos, etc. All those fragrances and dyes compound the problem. He may not be allergic to dyes and fragrances, but they make the itching worse during a flare-up.
Also, you didn't mention nuts. Are you also eliminating all nut products or foods processed at plants that also process nuts? That's a big one to cut out. My son had nut allergies, and me eating nuts would throw his eczema into a frenzy.
Finally, make sure you keep those fingernails as short as possible. This will minimize any scratching that breaks the skin.
The most important part is to keep the eczema flareups contained. Sleep will be so much easier to tackle once eczema isn't ruling the roost.
Hope this helps!

2 moms found this helpful

A.L.

answers from Dothan on

MamaDuck has it ALL right! My youngest daughter has suffered all her life & now her DD has suffered since birth. MamaDuck said all the right stuff! Also, I would get a Ped Dermatologist.

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H.P.

answers from Houston on

Aveeno oatmeal bath helps mine (with the nanny during the day). When I bathe him, I use only natural lavender soap. He does fine with that. Starting today, he'll have no more oatmeal baths (removing the oats from his life for now) and will only have lavender oil and lavender castille soap.

To keep his skin from getting too ugly, I use Nivea and Lubriderm lotions.

C.M.

answers from New York on

Hi,

Have you tried castor oil on the eczema? It is a wonderfully healing oil for skin problems.

Sure hope you get to nap when your baby does to help compensate for the nighttime sleep loss.

Good luck! Perhaps he will soon outgrow the eczema.

"Grams"
from the Pocono Mts of PA

M.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

My son has super dry skin since he was little. The dr always said dove soap and eucerine cream. That was horrible. It did not help him, it only made him miserable. Not until I ran across Arbonne's baby line did I finally see results. That's the only product that helped restore his dry skin to normal. It has also helped so many people with really bad eczema. I can email you some pics if you want.

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