OT: Any mothers have toddlers with eczema? I've got a solution that works!

[toesmom]

My ds now 3 has suffered with eczema since about 1 yo. Finally we found something seems to keep his skin almost clear.

Nightly baths with sea salt added to water and then once out of the tub, I cream him down with Renew cream from a company called Melaleuca. Then I dress him for bed.

For 2 years I've been giving him a dose of benadryl every night because of itching/scratching during the night. For the last 2 months, he doesn't scratch hardly at all, and his skin is looking great. I haven't given him any antihistamines at all and he's doing fine.

Just thought I would post this because there may be other moms who are looking for anything to help their itchy kids.

You can buy Renew from ebay for about the same price as if you sign up with company.

 

[Kanda]

I just got off the phone with our pediatrician getting recommendations for eczema. Thanks for the tip! My DS3 has it and nothing we've tried so far has worked.

 

[jrasmom]

my dd is 6, almost 7 and has had this since she was young too.

My peditrician did say when giving her a bath not to use HOT water but just warm, hot water will dry out the skin even more and aggrivate those areas.

And she even said as long as they are younger & don't have body smell issues, haven't played outside really hard that day etc. to just give her a bath every other night.

We use Eucerin calming creme lotion after bath time....and I've never tried it on her ezcema spots but think I'm going to, try using my Oil of Olay moisturizer on it. She had a bad cold before Christmas and her nose began to get red/sore and I put it on her and it helped alot for that so I just wonder if it would help with the ezcema spots on her.

And I know salt water helps because every year we go to the beach she comes home with her skin all cleared up & smooth feeling (or at least as smooth as it gets) after playing in the ocean for a week. I need to buy some sea salt somewhere and put it in her bath water too...Where did you buy it at?

 

[toesmom]

You can buy sea salt at any supermarket where regular salt is sold. Here in Canada it's about $2 for 2lb bag. You can buy fine crystals or larger solid pieces that you can dissolve with your hand in the bath. Just read the label to ensure it is pure sea salt.

I heard the same thing about hot water in baths, but bathe him in hot water and it doesn't seem to make much difference either way. And we bathe him every day because the sea salt definitely has helped him and the cream we use (Renew) works best on moistened skin (right after bath).

The other thing I forgot to mention is that our pediatrician has really only prescribed STEROID creams for his eczema. My dh knows more than I do about these steroid creams and they should be used very sparingly. We haven't had to use any of these steroid creams prescribed since I've tried the sea salt bath and Renew cream. In fact when his eczema was really bad, the doctor prescribed some sort of cream that reduces the child's immune system. So forget that, that cream was never used on his skin.

My son's skin looks great now.... it's definitely worth trying for anyone who knows about how frustrating the eczema can be for mom and child. It's like a full-time job to care for the eczema on a toddler. I hardly have to think about his eczema anymore. I really hope these tips help a mom out there who is just starting this process with a 1 year old. I wish I had learned about this a lot sooner.

 

[Kanda]

I had also been using Eucerin calming cream. My pediatrician just told me to limit the number of baths, use only Cheer Free (or some other perfume and dye free) laundry detergent, no fabric softners, and for soap, she said to use cetaphil, its a body wash that can be used from head to toe. I think I'll try these things they have recommended.

She also said that these things were to help eliminate full blown outbreaks of eczema, but if we did have problem areas, we should 1% hydrocortizone.

 

[pigget74]

All of my kids have it. We have used basis soap a lot and it works well. Another thing that we use is a lotion for babies (ABC body lotion) from Arbonne. It is 12.50 for 8.3 ounces and it is for sensitive skin.

 

[LaraK]

We do baths every other day whenever possible and I used to use Protopic for flair ups. Luckily, it seems to be subsiding as he gets older.

 

[toesmom]

We stopped using any time of laundry detergent that has chemicals in it. I do extra rinse cycle every time and don't use any chemical-type dryer sheets.

These things in combination have virtually brought his flare ups to nothing.

And believe me, I was at my wits end trying to treat his eczema for the last 2 years. I don't think he is outgrowing it, I think we've found a way to treat his skin which apparently is quite sensitive.

I've also heard cetaphil works, although we haven't really needed to try it since the Renew Intensive Skin Care Lotion seems to do the trick for him.

 

[monorailsilver]

I think it depends on the severity of the excema you are dealing with.

My dh had it on his face & ear lobes to the point that the first layer of skin was taken off & he had red sores on his face/ear lobe.

Nothing OTC worked on him & the combination of Dermacort (Steroid), Elidel & Protopic along with an OTC to keep him moisturized constantly (Theraplex) worked.

He has no scars.

But if it was just dry bumpy skin then I bet your solution would work, BTW, the beach works too, all that salt water & sand.

 

[NotUrsula]

Just FYI: prolonged use of steroid skin creams will cause the skin to thin and lose elasticity. It's not usually much of a problem for kids, but in adults it can get painful, and it makes wrinkles worse.

Not all supermarkets have sea salt; usually just those who cater to a more gourmet population; it can be hard to get if you live in the boonies. Trader Joe's always has it, and so does Penzey's Spices.

 

[graygables]

dead sea salts work great, too, but are a bit more spendy.

The other thing to look out for is plants that are in the nightshade family: tomatoes, peppers, white potatoes. They can cause flare ups of eczema and psoriasis, too.

 

[smokeydiamond]

My 7y/o DD has severe eczema. It is really bad. She has it head to toe and it is always cracked and bleeding. We have been too many dermatologists and nothing they prescribe has worked. I have booked her another appointment in March and are looking into going hollistic. I have heard good things about grape seed extract and gluten free diets, so I will be looking into those. I would like to try the dead sea salt-her P.E. teacher has also recently mentioned this. Where do I buy that?

 

[jrasmom]

You can buy sea salt at any supermarket where regular salt is sold. Here in Canada it's about $2 for 2lb bag. You can buy fine crystals or larger solid pieces that you can dissolve with your hand in the bath. Just read the label to ensure it is pure sea salt.

I was thinking I'd seen it at my grocery store but wasn't positive BUT I will look for it soon!

 

[toesmom]

my ds still has eczema but only on his face around his mouth and near his ear. At night and at nap time, it put the Renew lotion directly on those areas and at heals to the point of normal skin by the time he wakes up. Of course it recurs, but this cream keeps it from getting worse.

Unfortunately he is only 3 so if I try to do it while he is awake, he just wipes it off.

This renew cream is really great stuff. I highly recommend it.

 

[java]

You can buy sea salt at any supermarket where regular salt is sold. Here in Canada it's about $2 for 2lb bag. You can buy fine crystals or larger solid pieces that you can dissolve with your hand in the bath. Just read the label to ensure it is pure sea salt.

I heard the same thing about hot water in baths, but bathe him in hot water and it doesn't seem to make much difference either way. And we bathe him every day because the sea salt definitely has helped him and the cream we use (Renew) works best on moistened skin (right after bath).

The other thing I forgot to mention is that our pediatrician has really only prescribed STEROID creams for his eczema. My dh knows more than I do about these steroid creams and they should be used very sparingly. We haven't had to use any of these steroid creams prescribed since I've tried the sea salt bath and Renew cream. In fact when his eczema was really bad, the doctor prescribed some sort of cream that reduces the child's immune system. So forget that, that cream was never used on his skin.

My son's skin looks great now.... it's definitely worth trying for anyone who knows about how frustrating the eczema can be for mom and child. It's like a full-time job to care for the eczema on a toddler. I hardly have to think about his eczema anymore. I really hope these tips help a mom out there who is just starting this process with a 1 year old. I wish I had learned about this a lot sooner.

You know this always amazed me that my doctor would hand me a tube of this stuff and say to put it all over my son's 3 year old body?! So we did all kinds of things and what worked for us...(every child is different) His eczema was triggered often by food allergies-(which we didn't know he had.. so we started eliminating things until we found the culprit- it was a red dye for my son-so gatorade is out as well as other 'colored" drinks. Also Cetaphil soap and lotion is the best for us. And the biggie is we went to Tide Free detertgent and I double rinse every load. He was very sensitive to this and once we changed these few things- no more eczema!!! He is 12 now and hasn't had an outbreak since he was 4

 

[toesmom]

Oh I feel bad for you. Please try what I suggested. This Renew cream has really helped my guy. Sea salt is great, lots of it in the bath helps heal the broken skin. That in combination with a good cream (try this Renew cream), as helped heal my ds's skin.

If I put my hand in his bath, any open sores start to hurt because of the salt water.

Hope this helps, I feel badly for you and your child.

 

[rt2dz]

NOTE--I have not read all the replies, so I may be repeating.

Bathing only when necessary is the best advice we get. Apple viniger in the tub also seems to help with the cracking open of skin, very soothing (and I speak from experience as a suffer, not just the mom).

Everything we have is fragerance free and for sensative skin. I use non-soap soap (Dove, Ivory) or Cetaphil.

We also use Atopiclair (prescription, but steriod FREE) for the everyday on my youngest. Cetaphil lotion works wonders for my oldest. Then when we do have an outbreak, we use another perscription sparingly only over the breakout.

And take heart, it can disappear as they get older or at least be not as bothersome!

 

[DreaGirl]

Wow! There are some really good tips in this thread. DD has a mild case of eczema and we use Aquaphor bath wash and lotion along with plain eucerin lotion, but lately it hasn't been working.

I'll try the seasalt. We have some in the cupboard.

 

[crisi]

Get rid of all pets with fur, if you haven't already. Improved my son tremendously.

 

[Tosie]

Just want to echo what java said - if you haven't ruled out food allergies yet you might want to think about some testing. Dd had bad eczema as a baby - was on a very strong steroid cream that actually stopped her growth for a few months - until we found out about her milk allergy (complete with paramedics and a hospital stay). Once we determined what her food allergies were and made the necessary dietary adjustments, the eczema was gone. She's 6 now and her skin is beautiful.