3 Month Old Scratching Face

I just want to say Dreft is awful! Both myself and my son have eczema & Dreft made it worse. Try the Free and Clear detergents instead or believe it or not my son and I are not allergic/sensitive to All brand Relax lavender and water lily!
For a long time I just had to keep trying detergents until I found one we could both use and the Free and Clears and like I said that particular All brand work well for us! Good luck but get rid of the Dreft it is supposed to be for babies and yet it is way to harsh. My sister and her kids don't have sensitive skin like me or my son but she even said her kids couldn't use Dreft either they got a rash!

I'm a first time mom to a 3 and 1/2 month old with a similar problem. Her doctor said the rash is caused by drooling. You can put vaseline on her skin to protect it or try having her wear a bib to catch the drool. Hope this helps.

We had the same problem. Could be eczema... also... try washing everything in detergent that is perfume and dye free (Dreft is not) like All Free or 7th Generation. It improved the situation for us!
- K.

Hi R.,
Sounds like she has a food allergy. My son who is now 5 had developed allergies when he was just a couple months old. My suggestion is to speak to your pediatrician and consider talking to an allergist to have tests done. Good luck.
M. W.

I use to have that problem until I switched my laundry detergent and lotions etc. I would love to share what products I use now. You call me or check out this website
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Talk to you soon
D.

Some babies don't do well with Dreft. You can also try Ivory soap. My cousins used that years ago. Also try swaddling your babies arms down during naps and nighttime. That was the only way I got my daughter to stop scratching then.

Good luck.
L. M

Hi R.,
My son has very sesitive skin. We use Tide free. Dreft made him break out as well. Any thing even "Hypoallergenic" makes him break out. We cant even use Baby oil. So we look for dye free, fragrance free EVERYTHING :)
K.

You should call the pediatrician - could be eczema - could be something else. My little one would rub his face all the time too - he had eczema. My older one did the same thing - he didn't have eczema, and never developed a rash. Sorry, I couldn't be more helpful. :)

I think I would switch the whole family's laundry to Tide Free or All Free and see if that helps- also be sure to use free and clear dryer sheets too

R.

My son had the same think when he was an infant and I tried Dreft, Ivory, etc. Take her to the pediatrician. She probably has eczema. The pediatrician will give you a prescription for creams that will help.

Good Luck!

Yes, my niece was like that and she's 9 months now and still does it ocassionally. Her mom just puts on Baby Aveeno cream with no perfumes or dyes and it seems to work for a little bit anyway.

Hi R.,

First of all, congrats on your little girl! Does she always break out when she rubs her face against your clothes? Dreft I learned wasn't a great detergent. She might have extra sensitive skin. Do you use any lotions or soap when bathing her? You won't need to use any of that stuff.

I hope this helps....

E. P.

It could be a food allergy.

Sounds like ezcema -- Dreft has a perfume smell to it and it maybe aggravating her. You should speak to the Dr., not sure if you are nursing or if you have her on formula but she could be allergic to what she is eating. My son was allergic to the formula he was on and I didn't even know it. The poor baby had ezcema that would be on his face to his feet to his hands .. it was terrible. Switch all of your laundry soap and fabric softners to the dye/perfume free stuff -- it help a bit but it seems she has a whole lot going on!

My children always had skin reactions to Dreft. It was awful! Try using a different detergent!

Hi R.,
If you are noticing the rash 'after' your baby rubs on you, it sounds like it's probably a reaction to the detergent or just the rubbing itself. My baby used to do that too- especially rubbing his forehead on my husband's scratchy beard! I always wondered if he was itchy and seeking releif, but our conclusion was that he was just sensory seeking. He has had little quirky behaviors come and go as he is growing, and now he even laughs when he does some silly things that seem to just be for sensory and exploration. Babies are funny. Since this happens more when she is tired, it might just be a soothing thing to her, (even though she ends up with a rash). Unless she seems fussy over it, or the skin is getting really raw, she is probably ok. Try the detergents other moms have suggested, and aquaphor on the skin if it is irritated.
Good luck,
L.

My son has the same problem. Right now were are just always aware of how long his nails are and try and clip them every other day. When he is tired he rubs his eyes and his nails scratch his forehead and around his eyes. He breaks out as well on the sides of his face and scratches himself too. I think that it is really two separate things; tired and sometimes it itches. I have had success also with applying lotion to his face to keep the dryness to a minimum. This seems to help with the itching, but there is really nothing to do about the rubbing when he is sleepy. Have you tried putting socks on her hands while she is sleeping? He has a doc appointment coming up and I am going to ask about the breakouts. I have a feeling he might have eczema.

Just wanted to say that the only detergent to which my daughter was allergic was supposedly "hypo-allergic" - sometimes the detergent agents that cause most reactions are benign and the specifically non-allergenic ones, though causing fewer problems in the whole population are specifically irritating to individuals. Understand me?
My memory is that it was "Cheer Free" - supposedly less likely to cause dermatitis - that caused my girl to break out in itchy rashes wherever the fabric touched her.
Good luck, Mom. N. P.

Hi,
My 3 month old does the same thing but she has ezcezma,so that maybe a possiblitly. You might want to take her to the doctor and have them check it out. I use Hydrolatum Petrolatum for her ezcema, you get it at the pharmacy, it's about $10 dollars and also the doctor told me to use 1% Hydrocortizone, but not all the time because it can make the skin white. I keep her mittens on because she scratches her skin hard enough to breake the skin. I also give her an oatmeal bath and give her a little oatmeal facial :). I use Aveeno wash and shampoo and the lotion

Hi R.!
You may want to find out if the Dreft has any toxic chemicals in it. My family was using a name brand laundry soap before I got into my home based business that doesn't have any harmful chemicals in any of their products. We have well over 350 products including laundry soap called Melapower( which it is concentrated so it does last a long time and saves you money) that is proven and tested to be non toxic. We also have a great product called Renew lotion that is great for skin irritations like eczema, diabetes, etc. You can also either be a customer of saving 30%to 40% off wholesale prices then in local stores. You can also earn a residual income from home as well just by referring other people to the company. Now,R., when is the last time any company or store paid you for referring others to the company? If you would like more information on it give shoot me a email at ____@____.com or call me, L., at ###-###-####.

We had ths problam with our daughter who is know 22months. We started using sevent Genaration laundry soap. It is all natural no perfume and stuff. She is doing great no ore rashes on her face or body. we bought it at Shaws in the Wild Harvest isile. I love the stuff because we do not have any mor problams and it has no perfume smell to is. I hope this helps you good luck. Let me know how it goes.
CHristie & Adeline Mackensen ^i^

My 7 month old does this and her older sister did too. My only solution is to swaddle her. I use the Halo sleep sacks but don't put her arms through the arm holes, keep them inside the bag. Socks on hands didn't work for us because she uses the socks to rub her face and rubs the skin raw. Ours is ezcema, probably due to food allergies, her older sister turned out to have multiple food allergies and now that she is off all the allergens at 3yo she has beautiful skin. They haven't tested our 7 month old yet but if the itching and rash continue you may want to discuss allergy testing with your pedi.
Good Luck! I know how hard it can be to see your baby so uncomfortable and not be able to do much for them.