Toddler - Itchy

I had allergies and eczema growing up and into adulthood. For the most part it's gone, but remember, as a child, itching terribly at night when I was tired or at other times when I felt irritable. Must be a nervous thing. And, the more someone wanted me to stop scratching, the more I wanted to scratch. Very warm water on a washcloth or bath always felt good. And, Aveeno lotion immediately after is soothing (original). Stay away from scented and oily type lotions. That always seemed to irritate my skin. As an adult I realized that eating too many junk foods in a day/week was also causing me to have breakouts. When I cut way back the rashes were gone. Also, each time I was pregnant I got rashes. All seems to be connected to the nervous system. It's a miserable thing to have to live with. Hope this helps.

my daughter does that too what i do is when i see her start to itch like that i take her in and lotion her heavily (as part of her bedtime routine). do you give her allergy meds before bed? if so it could be the time where her meds are wearing off before the next dose kicks in. the creams i like to use are -- baby aveeno, gentle naturals eczema cream (and bath wash), and aquafor (for the areas that bleed and crack). GOOD LUCK!!!

Please - please - please try ShiKai Borage Dry Skin Therapy (Children's Formula). You can find it at ShiKai.com. I use it on my son morning and night (more often when the weather changes), but the stuff is AMAZING! It was our miracle when dealing with eczema and really soothes his skin.

L.,

My 21 month old is covered in eczema. We've known he's allergic to dairy and soy since he was tiny but the eczema is new and appears to be an environmental allergy. Grrrr. By evening he's hot, sweaty and itchy. I just had my follow up appointment with the allergist/immunologist and she said to bathe him in tepid water once or twice a day and then absolutely slather him with cream (aquaphor, cetaphil or eucerine CREAM not lotion). Use the hydrocortisone only on really inflamed patches and sparingly. I've been giving him oatmeal baths (you can buy it in pharmacies or your can grind you own - so far I've been buying it but I'm going to try grinding some this weekend because the prepackaged stuff is pricey). And you want to leave them in the water as long as possible - preferably until they start to look "prune-ie". When you get them out of the bath, rinse them with clear water and then pat dry. Use only dove sensitive skin soap (I've been using California Baby Sensitive Wash and that is good too especially as a shampoo because dove burns when you get it in your eyes- order on line or get it from Whole Foods) and no wash cloth, sponge or net sponge things.

She said the main thing to know is that eczema is an itch that rashes, not a rash that itches. So you have to treat the itching to prevent the rashes. She said it is also really important to keep the skin clean because otherwise the scratching pushes bacteria into the skin and can cause infections.

We've been using the oatmeal baths, hydrocortisone (very little hydrocortisone, I don't like using steroids on my child) and aquaphor for about a week and I'm seeing dramatic improvement. He's still itchy but not nearly as bad. I also use Caladryl (get it in pharmacies - it is like the pink calamine lotion only clear and doesn't stain) in between baths to help with the itching.

The main thing the doctor said is that treating eczema is mainly a maintence issue. You've got to do lots of skin care and you need to do it frequently - like several times a day. You've got to keep the itching under control to keep the eczema under control.

Good luck. Eczema is a real pain to deal with. What the doctor told me is contrary to what other people with kids with eczema have told me but so far it is working. She said in the heat like this, it is better to bath frequently because being sweaty makes you itchier.

I hope some of that helps,

:-)T.

P.S. One last thought, the doctor said to use creams, not lotion because lotions are 97% water and most of it evaporates where creams stay on the skin longer and better.

My 3-year old is the same way. I just lather her up with a combination of baby lotion (3 parts) and hydrocortisone cream (1 part)before she goes to bed and make sure she is cool enough. I try to put the lotion on before she starts scratching. She loves helping rub it around. It seems to help.

Hi L.,
Yes, skin sensitivities can be so miserable. My whole family has problems with allergies, eczema, asthma, etc. The best thing I've found, which has been a God-send, are 2 products made by Arbonne called the skin conditioning oil and rejuvenating cream. The relief you get is almost instantaneous and really helps to clear it up. I always have it on hand. I'd be happy to help you if you decide to try it, so please feel free to email or call me at ###-###-####. Best of luck to you.
~W.

Did you try soaking her in lukewarm water and either baking soda...or cornstarch...works wonders...did it to my kids until stuff disappeared. Soothing.

Hi L.,

In both children and adults, this scratching can be an automatic gesture in response to a feeling of exhaustion. It helps to keep one awake; I see it all the time. It may be her cue that it's time for a nap or bed.

Best to you,
S. I., L.Ac.

i have a two year old boy and he gets little red bumps all over his skin, like a heat rash , but he scratches it to the point that he makes his self bleed, and it dous happen alot at night. Could this be excema?, my doctor said he could just have dry skin, by the time he gets to the doctor the bumps are gone, but they do show up at bed time. is this the same thing itchy?