infant eczema

[melfitz]

Hello all!

Has anyone had a baby with eczema? I think my 6m DS has it and I'm pulling my hairs out trying to manage it! I can't figure out what triggers it. I'm going to switch to fragrance-free laundy detergent. I'm breastfeeding so I'm wondering if I need to eliminate foods, like dairy, in case it may be a food allergy. He doesn't seem to itch any of his rashes, maybe except for his back. When he's laying on his back, he moves his body to rub his back. I read that many babies outgrow eczema. I certainly hope so. Any help would be great.


Thanks!

[clairea]

I am sorry you are going through this. Both of my kids had eczema as babies, DS (9yo) outgrew it but DD (7yo) still has it. I have some as well. You sound like you are on the right track looking for triggers. The laundry detergent has been a big one for me, although it doesn't seem to bother DD. I don't know much about food allergies, as we fortunately don't have that issue. Another big trigger for both of my kids was (and still is for DD) any kind of artificial fiber -- no polyester in our house, etc. in our house, and also we are both allergic to wool and cannot wear that, so look at things like that as well (does he seem to get worse after wearing certain outfits. Maybe all kids wear cotton pj's now, but they were not legal when my kids were small (not fire retardant) and it took us a long time to figure out that was bothering DS. A lot of soaps, perfumed lotions, etc. also cause problems for both of us. Also, try to keep his skin really well moisturized -- the eczema spots will appear where there is dry skin, so if you can prevent the dry skin you can minimize the eczema. A little cortisone cream on the spots will help clear it up.

Hopefully we can help you get through the weekend. I would definitely make an appointment to see your pediatrician, though. You want to make sure that you really are dealing with eczema, and if there is a question of food allergies, etc. then I think there are special elimination diets you use to figure out what the allergy is. Also, there are better topical medications that the doctor can prescribe. Finally, eczema is related to asthma, so you will want to watch him signs of that.

[Molli526]

DS! had horrible baby eczema. What worked for us was using Ivory soap, and the Aveeno Lotion after bath with the oatmeal. When he was less than 6 months, he got a bath every 3 days, then every other day. We were also able to use Dove unscented and the Aveeno wash (unscented). I breastfed as well and didn't eliminate anything, just used the Aveeno morning/night, then just night. Our Dr suggested Eucerin (original) but that didn't work for us. We did need to use the hydrocortisone cream to initially clear it up, and once we got it cleared up, Aveeno was all we needed.

[marteka]

I used dreft until DD1 was close to 12 mo. Dr suggested aveeno body wash and eucerin lotion. Eucerin lotion got a little pricey so I switched to the wmart equate cream. I used it after bath. It made her a little slippery so watch out, but appearance nearly gone. She's nearly 4 &all is well same products.

[IndyKF]

My youngest son had really bad eczema as a baby and toddler. He's 4 now, and it's better, but we still deal with it.

Have you been to a dermatologist? You might need to get him on a steroid type ointment to treat the really bad spots. They might give Protopic or Elidel once the eczema is more under control. Your doctor might also give an antihistimine to help control the itching.

When my son was about 1 1/2, he was tested for some common allergies. We found he was allergic to cats, but since we don't have cats, it wasn't a huge concern. He was tested again a couple months ago, and we have now found he is very allergic to ragweed. Since his eczema is much better right now, I'm wondering if the ragweed is one of the culprits. I do recall his eczema is worse in the summer/fall.

As one poster already mentioned, be aware of the asthma relationship to eczema and allergies. The three tend to go hand-in-hand for many. My son had never shown any signs of asthma up until this winter, so we are dealing with that now too.

Good luck! It's not a fun thing, especially for a baby, but it is treatable!

[RebeccaT]

I would make sure it's eczema so that you know exactly what you are dealing with. I thought my daughter had it when she was your baby's age, but my pediatrician said it wasn't. Eczema apparently tends to localize in the elbow and knee folds and go out from there on babies; Julia's was blotchy red, scaly skin that went up her shins, her lower and upper arms, and her belly - not really in the joint area. Basically my pediatrician said Julia's was a form of seborrea, the same thing that causes cradle cap. We used Aquaphor for a while, and it helped some, as well as switching to all unscented bath products and detergents. But then when Julia was about 9-10 months old I had a friend recommend Arbonne baby products (the wash and lotion, and I think she used some other sort of serum), and I tried them and they worked wonders for Julia. She now, at almost 2, has the baby-soft skin that she never had as an infant!

[melfitz]

Thanks everyone! I think I need to verify whether or not he has eczema. He doesn't seem to have any redness behind the knees or elbows and it doesn't seem to bother him (but it bothers me!). I'll have to check out the Arbonne products. Until we see a derm, I'll just keep on moisturizing!

[marteka]

Hey RebeccaT I'm a "Julia's Mommy" too!