My 6 Month Old Son Skin Is Soooooo Sensitive!!

I think it's a great idea but due to cost you can prioritize what you can afford.

For skin care, I currently use Burts bees and California baby but when my girl was younger simple grocery solutions worked too (i.e. potato flour for diaper rash, olive oil for lotion). All Natural.

Laundry detergent - nontoxic and no fragrance! No drier sheets.

Name brand diapers have a lot of chemicals that can cause rashes. I buy no name and it reduced outbreaks (my daycare and pediatrician clued me into this).

I try really hard to feed her all organic/all natural but I don't care if others that care for her feed her junk food. And if my finances are short I prioritize the organic and try to cook most meals home cooked (and then I freeze bulk stews, soup, etc. for future use).

I also moved to all natural cleaning solutions such as vinegar for my home.

I tried not to have parabans in my shampoo and lotions while I was breast feeding but have gone back to some of my favorite products that are not all natural now that I am not breastfeeding.

If breastfeeding watch what you eat or what you feed your son and keep a diary of when he has outbreaks. You may see a pattern.

A group of moms in my area meet once in awhile to discuss things we do for our childrens health and the health of the earth.

Ultimately, I try to do the best I can which isn't always ideal but then I don't sweat the small stuff.

Favorite Book: Healthy Child Healthy World; creating a cleaner greener safer home by C. Gavigan

Favorite vaccine info: The Vaccine book by Robert Sears

I'd love to hear your successes and ideas. Feel free to contact me at any time. It's a process to discover what is right for your child and your family. Best of Luck.

2 moms found this helpful

My son's skin is very sensitive too. I use nothing with a "fragrance" every thing is fragrance free or unscented. Soaps, laundry detergent, NO bounce sheets or fabric softeners at all, etc.

I had to make my own baby wipes as the unscented ones even broke him out in horrible rashes. (I have the recipe if you im me).

Anything my kids consume in large quantities I buy organic...milk, fruits and veggies. Except those that really don't make sense to buy that way...you can google organic foods and find out which are worth buying organic. The organic fruits and veggies have to be washed extra well because bacterias that don't grow on things covered in pesticides can grow on foods NOT covered in pesticides.

Read consumer reports on items that are worth the money to go organic and items that are just robbing your pocket book...good luck!!
HUGS!!

1 mom found this helpful

Going organic is always a great idea, although it can be costly and difficult to really get going. In the meantime, you should stick to basics with your son ie; only use dreft or dye free detergent on his clothes, and wash all of his stuff seperate. Only use baby soap that you can see doesnt irritate his skin, and lotions. my little guy has sensitive skin too, and if we veered off of any kind of soap, detergents etc even diapers, he would have bad eczema all over. He is slowly getting better, so stick with it!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi Kourtini,

My 7-mo daughter had a similar skin condition on both cheeks. The areas were very red and irritated. My daughter constantly scratched the areas until there was slight bleeding. Her pediatrician recommended Cortizone (0.5%). This did not seem to improve her skin condition. Therefore, I consulted with other moms who experienced the same problem. They recommended, Curél Itch Defense lotion which is gentle enough for children and it helps heal the symptoms of eczema on children as young as 6 months. I also topped the affected areas with a small amount of Eucerin Aquaphor Healing Ointment to reduce dryness. Do this twice a day after cleanse the affected area. Within 7 days or less, my daughter's skin irritation completely cleared up. She has not had any skin irritations since then.

I think it sounds expensive!

But also, I have heard that for something to be labeled "organic" .... it is not regulated by the FDA. So it may or may not be actualy organic. I know most foods say "Certified organic by the California Organic Society" or something like that, but not by the FDA. Just keep that in mind.

My MIL buys everything organic for herself and for our son. Sounds good to me, but I don't want to spend that much money. I do think that the organic or 'cage free' eggs that have a lot of Omega 3s are worth the buck. They're a good protein plus the Omega3s.

ps. I clicked on this question thinking you'd want advice on lotions or something. I've heard Eucerin is great -scent free/dye free. My son used Lubriderm scent-free/dye-free when he was a baby.

For the record, organic produce DOES USE pesticides. They just use ones that the EPA has certified. Check spinosad by DowAgroSciences, B.t. (bacillus thuringiensis), etc. They're naturally occuring compounds that have an effect on different "pests" for gardening, agriculture, etc. SOME organic farmers choose to use nothing, but most have some kind of agent used to help protect crops and harvest as much yield as possible.

Our daughter has sensitive skin. We haven't had to do much to protect her, but it's getting worse, so we'll likely be switching to fragrance free detergents. She currently uses Vanicream to manage her eczema, but with MRSA recently, we'll likely have to start doing bleach baths.

Have you taken him to a Dermatologist to find out what he's sensitive to so you can avoid those items? Anything can be an allergen or an aggravant. Just by using organic items doesn't mean you're avoiding the source of the irritation completely.

Good luck!

My son had the same issue, extreme case of sczema on his cheeks and chin area. We changed his milk to Enfamil Nutramigen and started putting Aveeno hydro on his skin. Worked wonders! Now I'm going to start adding diapers for sensitive skin.

Well, what is the problem with your son's skin?

I will definitely not go organic, by means of buying all the organic advertised products, cause I think most of them are scam and way to expensive for my budget.
However I do try to buy fruit and veggies at the Farmers Market or directly at the farm and with other groceries I am as selective as I can be on a tight budget. I try not to buy processed foods like ready-to-eat stuff.
I think you can do very well, if you just make a lot of things yourself, like bread (breadmaker) or Mac'n Cheese etc.
AS for skin, I never used any lotions for my son and I only used the unscented baby soap until he was about a year old. The less you use the better- unless your son has a skin condition that requires treatment.
HTH!

Eczema is an indication of imbalance of the liver. That reflects on the skin. Many times this is due to diet issues. I'd agree with others about food sensitivities and/ or allergies. Biggest culprits are: dairy, wheat, soy, tree nuts, shellfish, corn. I'd look for a good naturpath or nutritionist who is familiar with this issue.
Secondly, organic does NOT have to be difficult. Some things are more costly.
It might not be too late to join a CSA. Shopping @ MOM's(My Organic Market), is a good choice as far as price. Avoiding chemical in skin care products such as parabens will make a difference.
I have been buying mostly organic food and body care for 20 yrs. Just a different way than the majority of people.
Check out: ewg.org .That is the environmental working group website.
They have great info.

L.

A lot of skin products and soaps contain lanolin which comes from sheep.Burt Bees etc has lanolin. Thats what I found i was allergic to.
Also bleach ( chlorine) Read all the labels before you buy. Organic dosen't mean no lanolin. good luck!

Hi K.,

It definitely helps! I use a line of non toxic products that help with sensitivities. When my 87 year old mother moved in with us she would tell me it was the first time in her life that she DID NOT itch. Up until then I don't remember a time when she wasn't complaining or mentioning it. She also thought she was allergic to some fabrics....which she wasn't. It was simply the soaps and detergents that left residues.

let me know if you're interested, the line I use is as cheap as Wal-mart but very high quality. These days, every penny counts!

God bless,

M.

You'll want to keep an eye on his digestion. If his BM's are variable, or if he experiences digestive disturbances, that can be an early indicator of lactose or glucose intolerance or food allergies.

Skin is the largest organ, and absorbs chemicals like a sponge.Sensitive skin often signals other sensitivities, as well.

Expensive skin creams are seldom needed. Most babies do well with a simple vegetable oil patted on after baths or diaper changes. Organic olive oil or almond oil both work well – if he seems sensitive to these, you can try others, like jojoba or grape seed oil. But olive oil is very compatible with human skin.

One other thought: All cotton clothing is safer in general than cotton-poly blends, which fabrics are stiffened for handling when new with a sizing that includes a formaldehyde preservative. I first learned about this when my grandmother worked in a fabric store, and broke out in horrible eczema on her arms. This sizing never washes out completely, and for those of us who are extremely sensitive, staying away from those fabrics is a good idea.

I think it is great! For me it's a process. I am pretty green, but not 100%, and not everything is organic, but I try to stay as close to "natural" as possible. I'm careful about what I buy.

A few years ago I began this journey and became a Shaklee Independent Distributor. The products are natural and I completely converted skincare, soaps and shampoos, etc... The difference is pretty amazing. I keep furthering my education and taking new steps towards a natural lifestyle every year. I try to buy organic foods, but sometimes it is pretty hard. Right now I am sticking with the expensive meats mostly at Whole Foods that are organic........the difference in taste is unbelievable.

You could try one thing at a time, instead of a dramatic shift in everything. It will be easier to see if you can figure out what is causing the problem. I know several moms with this issue. They starting shopping with a "green" company, and using chemical free laundry and bath & body products - they hardly know their kids have eczema anymore!!! The Renew lotion is superior to Eucerin. Happy to provide more info, if you'd like. Good luck with your little guy!