Baby eczema - help!

[kasar]

My mother's solution to any skin irritation or ailment is Vaseline. I poo-poohed her suggestion (how old-fashioned! That's not how "we" do things anymore!) over and over until I ran out of options and then decided to try it. It worked like a charm on DD's eczema patches.

Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest. And sometimes Moms know what they're talking about!

 

[Wishing on a star]

I agree with the last poster!!!

I once had an allergic reaction on my face, and I could put nothing on it, nothing, except for pure clear oil or vaseline. My mom was always the exact same way! Anything else would sting and burn!!!

 

[ahutton]

We've been using Gentle Naturals Baby Eczema Cream for several months now and love it.

I found this at our grocery store and have used it on Michael for the last several months. They have both baby bath and a creamy lotion. I use both on his skin and it has cleared up the spots and stayed nice. It also smells great.

 

[Christine]

My mother's solution to any skin irritation or ailment is Vaseline. I poo-poohed her suggestion (how old-fashioned! That's not how "we" do things anymore!) over and over until I ran out of options and then decided to try it. It worked like a charm on DD's eczema patches.

Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest. And sometimes Moms know what they're talking about!

I have really dry skin and have been using Vaseline as my nighttime facial moisturizer since I was about 20. It works great and there is NOTHING in it that is irritatine.

 

[tkyes]

thanks everyone for your advice. now to try a few things out! i just wish there was a magic cure.

tamie

 

[minkydog]

First of all, I'd strongly recommend visiting an allergist. We started with dermatologists, and they just wanted to give me really strong prescriptions rather than figuring out what triggered it. The allergist did a scratch test and helped me figure out where we should start with eliminating potential triggers.

Just because it started now doesn't mean that it's something new. Many babies develop eczema at about that age to things they've been exposed to since birth. Eczema is more commonly triggered by things you touch, rather than by food, but food allergies can cause it. And the baby doesn't have to have any typical allergy symptoms, like hives, diaper rash, upset tummy, etc.

Good advice. Eczema is caused by allergies. A lot of people think babies can't have allergies, but they can and do. All three of mine had it. The oldest was allergic to dairy, but we didn't know it for a long time. He grew out of it, but he now has seborrheaic dermatitis (looks like eczema, but has different causes). He has chronic sinus problems. DS12 was senistive to every kind of soap--we bathed her in nothing but water for 8 years. She also had a lot of pollen allergies as a baby, and takes zyrtec now. She is my only wheeZer. The other one(10yo) only reacts if he uses anti-bacterial soaps, so I send special creamy soap to school for his use. He also had a lot of pollen allergies as an infant and has had sinus surgery.

We use Aquaphor religiously in the winter--put it on a night, it's greasy. then Eucerin in the daytime, several times a day. Using a humidifier in the winter also helps, but you have to clean it every day. Dry skin is very itchy and easily broken. Benedryl will help with itching, but don't use on babies under 6month--it's too sedating(in most kids--not my 10yo Party-time!)

 

[minkydog]

My mother's solution to any skin irritation or ailment is Vaseline. I poo-poohed her suggestion (how old-fashioned! That's not how "we" do things anymore!) over and over until I ran out of options and then decided to try it. It worked like a charm on DD's eczema patches.

Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest. And sometimes Moms know what they're talking about!

How true! The primary ingredient in Aquaphor is petroleum jelly.

 

[SGB13]

The cold weather really can make a difference, especially if you've got heat in the house now. Try the humidifier to increase the humidity. And no soap at all really is better for the skin than useing soap. If you can't stand not to use soap, just use it on the really dirty spots at the very end of the bath. Sitting in bath water with soap or shampoo in it made my son's flare up. He's 4 now and rarely gets a break out. Good luck!

 

[lovebuzz]

My son has eczema all over. On his eyes we use Ellidel( it is the only thing safe for around the eyes) but, talk to your doctor there was a warning about a year ago that it causes cancer. I spoke to my peditrician and he said as little as I use and how bad his eczema is he would take the chance. For his body we use a generic prescription called Kenalog. It works great and we only have to use it about every other day. Good luck!!!

 

[thebrain]

Don't overlook that some kids that are allergic to milk based products are also allergic to soy based products. Milk allergies, eczema and asthma are a commonly linked set of medical issues and are somehow interrelated. If your child has more than one of these three, if you can get the other(s) under control, sometimes it helps with the other(s). Our son, Nick, had a terrible milk allergy which manifested itself as constipation with a lovely case of eczema (he looked like one big oozing scab). He was also on a nebulizer daily for the first year of his life. But once we got it all in check, all of his symptoms finally got better. We now notice that if Nick doesn't get his asthma/allergy medicine (Singulair), his skin breaks out. Just something to think about.