Baby with Eczema- need advice

[Mickeyorbust]

Sorry you and your son are going through this. It's frustrating. DD6 had it when she was a baby and still has a flare up every now and then. It may make your son at a greater risk for asthma but it doesn't mean he WILL have it. We had a wonderful pediatrician, she moved away, I really miss her. Turned out DD6's was because of a protein sensitivity. That was costly, she was formula fed. Ended up having to feed her Similac Alimentum, which was $425 a month for the formula alone. But it helped alot in clearing up the eczema. She told me that protein sensitivity is common and misdiagnosed frequently. If you're not breast feeding it maybe something for you to check into. We've only used elidel when vasoline hasn't worked, which is maybe three times. The Dr. told us to use dye and perfume free everything, soap, lotion, detergent, sunscreen, etc. Absolutley no synthetic fabrics. She hasn't had a flare up in a year. And she partly grew out of her protein problem, she can have dairy but she's allergic to soy protein. BTW DD6 does not have asthma.

I would dump the Doctor, reacting to the pharmacist like that is very unprofessional.

 

[PBader]

I am sorry to hear that you are dealing with this with your baby. My DS is now 19 and I want to say at about 1 month he developed what I learned later was exzema. I kept taking him to his pedi. but nothing he was giving me helped. Adam was so uncomfortable that when he was 9 months old I took him to a dermatologist--I can't remember the cream he gave him, but that night he slept through the night for the first time. The dermatologist told me that exzema in babies was an early indicator of asthma and that if he was going to develop it, it would happen around age 3. Needless to say right before his 3rd birthday he was admitted to the hospital with his 1st asthma attack. He basically outgrew his asthma around age 12--he will still have an occassional flare up, but nothing too serious. He still fights with his exzema outbreaks. He will get it under control and then he forgets to put the lotions and creams on and then he will flareup again. I changed pedi. after that visit to the dermatologist. Good luck to you and your little one.

 

[EthansMom]

My kids both get Eczema. Per doctor's recommendations, we use Aquaphor (petroleum-based) when it is really bad (crusty and skin splitting) and we use Eucerin lotion when it is just dry skin.

Also, DD gets yeast infections which can then cause her eczema to flare up on her privates. Elidel (prescribed by the dermatologist) has worked wonders for that eczema.

In my experience, our pediatrician tended to prescribe topical steroids and the dermatologist tended to prescribe Elidel. I prefer the Elidel.

Eczema doesn't cause asthma, but many kids who get eczema also have asthma, as do both of my children.

Good Luck!

ETA: I've always used detergent that was dye-and-perfume-free since I knew the kids had sensitive skin.

 

[dopeyfanatic]

My three kids and I all have it. As for the asthma, I've had several dr's tell me that the same gene that carries eczema also carries asthma and allergies, so you rarely have one without the other. Even if you don't notice it now, when they get older you may notice one of the others. In my family we all have the eczema and asthma, and mild allergies. I use a heavy cream on them. As they get older it seems to be less flare ups. We also use only ALL free and clear and that has helped too. And the baths, only every other day. Good luck!

 

[MomofM&M]

As a pediatrician and mom to 2 DDs with eczema that started when they were babies I've had to deal with this on multiple levels. First, eczema and asthma are conditions due to a hypersensitive immune system, just like seasonal allergies. One does not cause the other. A lot of times kids with asthma have eczema or a history of it but there are certainly kids who have eczema who don't have asthma. So try not to worry too much about your child developing asthma.
Eczema is a condition that will come and go and is subject to flare ups. The majority of children out grow it. How old they are when this happens is unpredictable. I had it as a child and I have a little flare of it right now. Moisturizers are key to treatment and prevention of flare ups. Aquaphor and Eucerin are the standards but I tell parents to go to Walmart and buy the Walmart generic version of Eucerin, Equate dry skin cream. It is the same as Eucerin but costs a $3-4 vs $12. This will help because I recommend keeping a jar at every place that you change your baby's diaper. With eczema, you can never moisturize too much. Moisturize before every diaper change as you have to get your baby undressed anyway. My 2nd daughter had more severe eczema and I will be the first to admit that it is hard to comply with the apply cream 5 times a day regimen. But once I made it easily accessible, this definitely increased compliance. When you apply the moisturizer, your child should look shiny, with a white film. That's how you know you are applying enough. I also used Cetaphil cleanser in the bath and then followed up with more cream while she was still wet from her bath.
The prescription creams that are used to treat eczema flare ups are primarily steroids and topical immunomodulators like Elidel and Protopic. Steroids have been around for awhile but can have side effects like discoloration and thinning of the skin. The more powerful ones are not recommended for the face or genital area. For the face, I only feel comfortable prescribing/recommending OTC hydrocortisone 2x/day for 1 week. Anything stronger than that I'd let the specialist decide. When Elidel first came out in 2002, it was touted as much safer than steroids and so there were a lot of young children and infants put on it even though it was off label use and the safety studies hadn't been done. The FDA noticed that and along with some reports of cutaneous Tcell Lymphoma in adult patients on Elidel (hard to say if there is a direct cause or not as that type of lymphoma can mimic ezcema), the FDA issued a black box label for it and Protopic not to be used in children 2 and younger.
Make sure the eczema doesn't get oozy or get a honey colored crust to it. If it does, go see your doctor as it's likely to be infected with staph and no amount of cream will make it better until the infection has cleared. I hope this info helps and doesn't put you to sleep.

 

[Lachesis00]

We picked up a bottle at Walmart, Natural.... something. It's for babies. There is a lotion, body wash and some other product. It has Winnie the Pooh on it. It is for Excema and it works soooooooooooo much better then anything we've tried, including cortizone.

 

[tbuot]

One thing that has made a big difference for my son is using laundry det. that is dye/perfume free. Also, we have tried most of all that has been posted but the new Aveeno eczema body wash has been great.

 

[soccerchick]

DGS had it when he was tiny, mostly on the tops of his feet and his lower ankles. He was also VERY colicky/fussy. By trial and error DD figured out he was sensitive to dairy so she cut it out of her diet altogether (was nursing him) and it vastly improved. So did the colic. You could tell within two hours of feeding him if she had "cheated" and ingested dairy. Anyway, he outgrew it at about a year and now he can tolerate anything he eats and does not have asthma (knock on wood) and rarely has any eczema. We used Eucerin and it did wonders when he did have it.

I have heard there is a connection b/w eczema, dairy and asthma too. Dairy allergy is the believed culprit for some children. Something to keep in mind.

The good thing about baby eczema is that they usually outgrow it. I had to get some stronger cream for DS this winter. DR just said to NOT put it on his face (too strong) and to only use it on one part of the body at a time.

WE usually use whatever Aveeno or Cetaphil product
is handy. DS doesn't like the "wet" feeling in the winter though, when we put his clothes on after lubing
him up.

Hope you find something that works.

 

[PrincessPAC]

My oldest son had excema as a baby, but he completely outgrew it by the time he was about 1 1/2. It was really bad, though. In a lot of his baby pictures, his poor little face is covered, especially around the mouth and cheeks. He also had bad breakouts in the creases of his arms and behind his knees. His doctor insisted that he would grow out of it, and sure enough - he did, and we haven't seen even the slightest breakout since. (And he's 9 now.)

We used OTC hydrocortisone cream for the bad spots, and slathered him with cetaphil the rest of the time.

He doesn't have asthma, but he does have a couple of allergies.

BTW, neither of my other two children had any problems with excema.

I know it's hard now; you feel so sorry for him, but chances are - he will outgrow it.

 

[Disneyonmymind]

Both of my DD had a sensitivity to dairy as babies, so did DN.

I'm sure you don't give your baby any peanuts or tree nuts yet (10 mos) but I bet he gets plenty of dairy. Its worth a try to see what happens without the dairy. The thing is, you must eliminate it for 2 weeks before you get the full effect of having it "out of the system". If he is sensitive, it would help him tremendously to get off the stuff. Note, my DN (wholse skin problem was the worst) was allergic also to soy, so he was put on goats milk at first, then rice milk. My DDs were okay on soy. With really bad skin issue, it may be worthwhile to skip soy at first because many babies who have dairy issues also have soy sensitivity.

Good luck to you. When your baby is suffering, you are suffering too.

 

[tiggger1]

my son has been on triamcinolone since he was about 7 months old. We dont use it often, only for flare ups but it works awesome. He gets it bad behind his knees and in the creases off his foot. I only need to put it on maybe twice before it is gone...We have never had a problem with it...

 

[tinkerbell/pixie]

I am not sure if this was covered yet because I have not read the entire thread. My DS now 9 has eczema. I also suffer with it .He flares up when he is given large amounts of dairy. As a baby when he drank soy formula. When he was switched to whole milk it caused a very bad reaction of eczema. I find now that he can have milk but only once a day and lactaid.We used Aveeno soap and Johnson and Johnson baby soap still on him.Also keep his feet dry. When he is at home let him go bare foot .Alot of people like to keep the skin moist. But this makes it spread. That is why your doctor told you to cut the baths.After baths make sure he is completly dry.At night or if he is not going out we tell my son not to lotion so the skin can breath. He also can not wear wool. So if he is wearing wool sock or flannel sheets this may be part of the problem.
I hope this helps you in some way.Just try your best to stay on top of it and he will do fine.

 

[WendyisDarling]

As one who suffers who eczema I feel badly for your little guy and for you. We all hate to see our kids suffer.
I've tried I think every Rx ever made. A lot of those help for a while. I don't like using them on my face, though. I would be hesitant.
Limit baths (as you are doing), avoid soap products (I can use only Cetaphil or Dove)...moisturize as everyone has said one of the best products I have found to use in the bath (or shower for me) is Aveeno Shower and Bath OIL. It can be hard to find and a lot of stores don't even carry it. I can get it at CVS and drugstore.com. It isn't a typical body wash, it is oil. I keep lotion all over the house.

I read many posts and will try to not repeat too much of what has been written: My flare-ups are definitely related to allergies and stress. Stress is not a likely cause for your little one. But, around here it is getting to be allergy season. Pollen and whatever else spring brings does it for me. I take allergy meds that help a little. I don't know if that is practical for a baby. But, you can do a few things like not opening your windows (which is so tempting with those nice spring breezes), changing clothes after being outside for a while --I usually shower and wash my hair (but you are trying to cut back on that in your case), don't hang linens outside to dry, etc. It doesn't "cure" me but it helps. Esp. watch for other signs of seasonal allergies.

 

[bamamom]

Your baby may have food allergies...lots of eczema breakouts are due to allergies. My daughter has food allergies (mustard, orange, banana, oats, tree nuts, shellfish, fish) the orange and mustard is what causes the eczema to flare up. When we found out what all she was allergic to and cut it from her diet she cleared up in a matter of days. Our dermatologist prescribed Elidel as well. The mustard, oranges, and oats cause the eczema break outs. The others are severe allergies that we have to have an EPI pen for. She can consume mustard, oranges and oats if she wants to pay the price of itching . When she was a baby she kept these small patches on her face after she was a tested for food allergies at the age of 2 and we stopped letting her have orange juice (she drank a small glass everyday) her face cleared up in about 2 days. Most allergist won't test children before the age of 4, they tested my daughter at 2 because as a baby and introducing foods she had a severe reaction to bananas. And she does not have asthma.

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

One thing that has made a big difference for my son is using laundry det. that is dye/perfume free. Also, we have tried most of all that has been posted but the new Aveeno eczema body wash has been great.

I'm an adult who suffers from eczema and this did wonders for me! I use All Free and Clear detergent and fabric softener. It works great for me. I've suffered from eczema since I was young, and have found that stress, allergies and hot weather cause bad flares for me. I use a moisturizer that combines Eucerin and Triamcin (.1%) and it really helps. It's not too harsh on my skin and works perfectly to keep my skin hydrated.

 

[2moms]

Our oldest daughter, who is 5 now, had terrible eczema when she was a baby. She had red patches all over her face. One summer a lady actually asked me if she had been in the sun too long and had sunburn!

Lo and behold, our dermatologist recommended us take her to a pediatric allergist. After running tests, we found out she was allergic to both milk and soy! After eliminating those from her diet (which is hard, if you read labels, milk and soy are in just about everything!), she was much better.

By the age of 3 she outgrew her allergies and only occasionally gets a patch of eczema in the winter. Good luck!

 

[Mamatoaprincess]

Aquafor worked really good for us for the most part. A friend recommended something called Acid Mantle. Sounds scary, but it is not. I bought it at the pharmacy. They had it behind the counter (no prescription). It is some type of mixing compound. My daughter had severe red places that were so painful she would cry. This cleared it up in less than a week. I called around until I found it.

 

[mickeygaga]

Hi-I feel for you and have had to deal with this condition in my son. After trying EVERYTHING I found that Aveeno or Cetaphil in the tub works great and immediatley and I mean quickly, right after bath slather on the Eucerin cream-the kind in the jar, not the bottle. Again, baths should be very short. Again, try to avoid strong detergents. Also, don't over dress him because the heat aggrevates the condition, so don't let him get overheated. By all means, never put a steroid on the face-it creates stretch marks. If you have one of those whole house humidifiers that will help too. The Eucerin cream immediately after bathtime was the best for me. I did use Elidel cream on the back of my son's legs when it was real bad. I wish you all the luck and remember, most will outgrow this. My son is 7, and very rarely does he have a bad patch.

 

[mickeygaga]

Hi, FYI with the bannany allergy- watch for a latex allergy-rubber gloves in Doctors offices and such.

 

[hildarumpole]

Your child may have a allergies. When my youngest was a baby he developed eczema. We used the Aveeno baby wash and shampoo, until we found out he was allergic to oatmeal. I took him to an allergist when his eczema wasn't improving with dermatologist-prescribed triamcinolon. The allergiest recommended we use Cetaphil for washing his hair and body and Aquaphor to moisturize. His eczema was gone in a week and hasn't been back in 5 yrs.