Baby eczema :(

[joyfulhomeschooler]

My poor little man has what appears to be eczema. Behind his knees and on his thighs... and now on his cheeks and chin are all bumpy and red and patchy. The doc recommended lathering him in vaseline and changing our laundry detergent. We currently use what ever is on sale. He suggested Tide Free and Gentle.

 

Does anyone have any other tips and is it possible that with the laundry detergent change and extra moisture it will go away?

[jennynd]

Both my kids had eczema and needed medication. We use aveeno oatmeal in the bath

http://www.drugstore.com/aveeno-baby-eczema-therapy-soothing-bath-treatment-single-use-packets/qxp57476?catid=182480

 

[Freckles]

eczema is something that will be treated his whole life if that is what it is. If you nurse, have you considered dropping dairy from your diet. This move helped my girls skin quite a bit. Moisturize Moisturize Moisturize! Put the lotion/cream on while he is still damp, and see a dermatolgist. Sorry, your little guy is suffering.

[Lolly]

When dd was little, we tried smothering her in lotions/vaseline/creams. The only thing that helped her was a prescription cream that had a steroid in it. As a teen, dd has learned to control it herself. She uses NO soaps. She bathes only once a week. Bathing is really bad for eczema. After the weekly bath, she slathers on Eucerin, one that is very similar to Vaseline. We have also discovered that she has a lot of food allergies. Allergies that included the oatmeal soap I used on her when she was a baby...

[joyfulhomeschooler]

When dd was little, we tried smothering her in lotions/vaseline/creams. The only thing that helped her was a prescription cream that had a steroid in it. As a teen, dd has learned to control it herself. She uses NO soaps. She bathes only once a week. Bathing is really bad for eczema. After the weekly bath, she slathers on Eucerin, one that is very similar to Vaseline. We have also discovered that she has a lot of food allergies. Allergies that included the oatmeal soap I used on her when she was a baby...

 

Interesting that bathing is bad... the doc told me to bath him for 15 min every night in lukewarm water and then lather on the vaseline. He also prescribed hydrocortizone cream for the itching. Is that what your daughter uses?

[joyfulhomeschooler]

eczema is something that will be treated his whole life if that is what it is. If you nurse, have you considered dropping dairy from your diet. This move helped my girls skin quite a bit. Moisturize Moisturize Moisturize! Put the lotion/cream on while he is still damp, and see a dermatolgist. Sorry, your little guy is suffering.

I do nurse and have been having WAY too many starbucks peppermint mocha's lately so I was wondering if that might have something to do with it. Man, cutting out dairy, that sounds like quite the undertaking.

[amydavis]

Dd8 had eczema as a baby and toddler. It actually lingered into her preschool years, but we haven't had to deal with it in a long time. The doctor told me to pat her off after her bath or shower, but not to rub her dry all the way. He said to leave her slightly damp and to moisturize. We used vaseline sometimes, along with specialty lotions and creams with varying results. Oh, and it was important to not do a hot bath or shower. This one was hard for me, because our family typically loves a really hot shower. But for eczema, lukewarm is best. When she had a bad flare up, nothing worked better than a mild hydrocortisone cream. That would typically clear it up quickly.

[applethyme]

My son had a terrible case when he came home from the NICU. This is what we used: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/eczema-bleach-bath/AN02003

[Arcadia]

Interesting that bathing is bad... the doc told me to bath him for 15 min every night in lukewarm water and then lather on the vaseline. He also prescribed hydrocortizone cream for the itching. Is that what your daughter uses?

 

 

Bathing drys out the skin which makes the skin more irritable. My younger had baby eczema. We bath him without soap and than lather on Aquaphor (baby eucerin). The pediatrician prescribed hydrocortizone cream but I did not want to put that on him as it contains steriods.

We used Dreft laundry detergent for baby/children clothes. We sometimes use the extra rinse for their clothes.

My friends use Cetaphil for their babies with sensitive skin and it works for their children. It was recommended by their pediatricians as the soap to use if they wish to use soap.

[MtnMama]

Aquaphor worked fairly well on DS. He grew out of it at around age 3, but unfortunately grew into a peanut allergy. Apparently there is a strong correlation, so careful with the nuts.

[VeganCupcake]

My kids both get it if they get dairy (or if I do, when they're nurslings). DD's has gotten better as she's gotten a bit older, but she still gets patches if she gets too much dairy. If they are completely dairy free, their skin is clear.

[Staceyshoe]

Ditto to checking into food triggers. Ds had eczema (not much) as a baby. At 12 months, we saw an allergist who told me that 70% of babies/children with eczema have food allergies. Sure enough, I removed the allergens from my diet (he never had them directly), and it cleared up. Ironically, neither my husband nor I have food allergies, but my youngest has multiple allergies. Dairy is common, but 90% of food allergies come from 8 foods. If your dc has multiple allergies (like mind did), removing one may not resolve the problem. I would start looking at all top 8 and see whether you can eliminate and narrow it down.

[myfunnybunch]

If you are nursing, I would recommend doing an elimination diet yourself and eliminate the most common allergens: Wheat, dairy, nuts. I agree with the pediatrician about using a different detergent, also, in case that's a trigger in addition to/instead of a food allergy. I'd also consider a visit to an allergist if the eczema doesn't clear up with consistent moisturizing and switching detergents.

 

My ds had TERRIBLE eczema as an infant/toddler in the same spots. We eventually discovered he had a peanut allergy, and he was exposed every time I ate peanut butter. His skin cleared up within two days of eliminating peanuts from the house.

 

Cat

[Caroline]

My dd had excema. She has not had it since she was diagnosed with Celiac disease and we removed gluten from her diet.

[Freckles]

Just more info to consider. My kiddo that has eczema is also allergic to corn, wheat, soy, peanuts, egg whites, oranges, pork, and bananas. We limit all the corn we can and no whole wheat anything around our house. She also has psoriasis which is genetic from dh side. I totally agree with those who have said there is a food skin connection. She also has asthma. Good times at our house. ;)

[Freckles]

Just more info to consider. My kiddo that has eczema is also allergic to corn, wheat, soy, peanuts, egg whites, oranges, pork, and bananas. We limit all the corn we can and no whole wheat anything around our house. She also has psoriasis which is genetic from dh side. I totally agree with those who have said there is a food skin connection. She also has asthma. Good times at our house. ;)

[Melissa in Australia]

My poor little man has what appears to be eczema. Behind his knees and on his thighs... and now on his cheeks and chin are all bumpy and red and patchy. The doc recommended lathering him in vaseline and changing our laundry detergent. We currently use what ever is on sale. He suggested Tide Free and Gentle.

 

Does anyone have any other tips and is it possible that with the laundry detergent change and extra moisture it will go away?

 

My children had it as a baby, I cut out all citrus. and put olive oil in the bath. It worked.Even now when my children are older, only 1 can eat citrus without getting eczema. Dairy does not affect them at all.

[besroma]

 

I do nurse and have been having WAY too many starbucks peppermint mocha's lately so I was wondering if that might have something to do with it. Man, cutting out dairy, that sounds like quite the undertaking.

 

DD developed eczema at 6 months old. I read a lot of conflicting information about dairy being a factor. Her pediatrician was certain that dropping it from my diet would not be helpful.

 

I also read that if dairy via my breast milk were bothering her now, that it might bother her the rest of her life. However, if I stopped consuming dairy and gave her time to develop more before reintroducing it, she might be able to consume it. It was an easy choice for me to drop all dairy in exchange for the possibility that she could eat dairy later (meaning I would not have to provide a special diet for years).

 

I think it takes nine weeks to get the milk protein out of your system. DD's eczema showed improvement within a few months. Her eczema was very manageable by age 1, and she only has a flare (age 5 now) if she uses a strong soap. We introduced milk to her around 18 months, and she has no issues with it.

 

Like others, I avoided the petrochemicals and hydrocortisone. Through trial and error, you can discover your child's eczema triggers. We switched to Charlie's Soap (powder), which worked great for DD. She was so sensitive that if she was held by anyone who had washed their clothes in liquid Tide or similar, she would break out. We had four families switch to Charlie's Soap!

 

Prolonged baths are a problem, but short ones are good. We timed our baths (5-7 minutes). Then, it was like a car was pulling in to get tires changed during a race. We barely dried her off, then applied Aquaphor quickly to lock in the moisture from the bath, then immediately dressed her for bed. Some people do this more than once a day.

 

One of the key things to remember is that one person's "wonder cream" can be a cream that triggers your child's eczema. In that case, just have someone else in the family use it and try something else. It can be discouraging and frustrating trying the right combination for your child, but when you do, it is so worth it!

 

Summary of what worked for us:

 

1. Dropping dairy from the diet

2. Changing laundry and bath soaps

3. Using Aquaphor to moisturize

4. Developing a bath routine to quickly seal in moisture

[DianeW88]

Sorry, this is a quick response, because I'm on my way out the door. To get immediate relief from the itching and break outs....Cortaid cream. To help prevent further flare ups...Aquaphor, reduced bathing, and reduced dairy. Children with eczema often have milk allergies. They are also at a higher risk for asthma. Be on the lookout for reactions to food when your baby starts eating solids.

[meggie]

Digby has had eczema since he was 4 months old. I wish I had heard that food allergies could trigger it. I heard a lot of things trigger it (vaccines, lack of Vitamin E, etc) but never food. Finally I had a friend who went gluten and dairy free and her lifelong eczema cleared up. We tried it w/ Digby for several months, I wasn't perfect at it, but 99% of it went away. He only flared when it was a regular part of his diet again. For the last two months we haven't really been doing GFDF and all the spots are back. We're doing it again in the new year.

 

Also, homemade soap is really good for it. They don't take the glycerin out and it's very soothing and moisturizing. Store bought soap is made w/ harsh chemicals and they take the glycerin out. We had great success w/ goat milk soap bought at a farmer's market.

[amy g.]

We also cured Dd's lifelong eczema with handmade soap and handmade laundry detergent. It helped more than any prescription from the dermatologist.

 

I'm thankful that hers happened to be such an easy fix.

[blessedx5]

This is what we used on dd as a baby...she had horrible eczema and this worked wonders...most places carry this....

 

http://www.amazon.com/Eucerin-Calming-Creme-Daily-Moisturizer/dp/B000YGDRIW

[Shellydon]

Eliminate dairy. There is a strong correlation between dairy and eczema. My 3rd had eczema, I totally eliminated dairy from my diet and it cleared.

[sgo95]

My DS started having it as a toddler behind his knees and on his thighs as well but is starting to outgrow it. I didn't try to eliminate anything from his diet. We kept it under control by limiting the frequency of baths (not daily) and using aquaphor. Hope you find something that works for you...

[Mom0012]

I haven't read all the replies, but my son had terrible eczema as an infant. We had to keep socks on his hands at all time or he'd scratch his head and face until he was a bloody mess. This was 13 years ago, right when food allergies were becoming common, but the doctors didn't seem to know what to do with him other than tell me to put Aquafor (sp?) all over him. One doctor finally made the recommendation that I either remove the top 7 allergens from my diet or put him on formula. It did turn out to be food allergies and he drastically improved when I stopped breastfeeding.

 

My dd was congested from the day I brought her home from the hospital and started to develop eczema very quickly. I didn't mess around with her. I immediately put her on a hypoallergenic formula (after 3 - 4 weeks of nursing) and the eczema and congestion went away. I had been taking my son to Dr. Wood at Hopkins at the time and he felt I had circumvented her developing food allergies by doing that, but who knows for sure.

 

My niece has had terrible eczema (and still struggles with it). She also has one food allergy that we know of. My brother and SIL found a doctor who prescribed something to help with the itching and she got dramatically better. At first they were given a prescription to Zyrtec and that didn't seem to do anything, and then they were giving something else that was a "precursor to an antihistamine" and that seemed to clear things up dramatically. They also bathe her every day and cover her from head to toe in Aquafor or Vanicream or whatever lotion is recommended these days. She still itches when she is tired or upset, but her skin is not all cracked and bleeding. They also have a lotion the doctor had made for them with a very low dose of cortisone cream mixed in. Or maybe the doctor had them mix cortisone into their lotion? They use that once a day on her trouble spots.

[lynn]

My dd has it only on her legs, only in the winter. The dr did prescribe the rx, I am sorry I forgot the name. It was expensive but lasted several years. Now that she is old I use cortaid, and she bathes with kirks's. I hope you find relief for your little one.. My dd was a mess the first few months after she was born, hers flares up in the cold weather.

[ktgrok]

Interesting that bathing is bad... the doc told me to bath him for 15 min every night in lukewarm water and then lather on the vaseline. He also prescribed hydrocortizone cream for the itching. Is that what your daughter uses?

 

 

heavens no! bathing is the WORST thing for eczema. The worst!!!!! Lukewarm water and as short a time as possible, as little as possible. If I take longer than a 10 minute shower my skin is awful for days. if I take too hot a shower it is awful. And I have to moisturize within about 1 minute of getting out of the water or my skin hurts. Aveeno has an eczema treatment that really helps me.

[Clear Creek]

Hydrocortisone cream once daily and Aveeno Soothing Relief Moisture Cream (in the baby aisle) 1-2x per day, and using nothing with fragrance keeps my son's (and my) eczema at bay. We use fragrance-free shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent, fabric softener...everything. I tried an elimination diet with my son and there was no change. He simply has extremely dry skin that is highly sensitive to fragrances. I have also tried a LOT of moisturizers, and the one I listed above is the only one that makes a difference. Any other Aveeno lotion (including the ones for eczema), Aquaphor, vaseline, you name it and I tried it - and it failed.

[Ellie]

eczema is something that will be treated his whole life if that is what it is. If you nurse, have you considered dropping dairy from your diet. This move helped my girls skin quite a bit.

 

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

 

Dairy is so underdiagnosed as a cause for so many things!

 

Gluten intolerance can also be a cause of eczema.

 

Also, you might try Amway laundry products (and you'd use them for all your laundry, not just the baby's), and LOC for bathing him.

[KatieJ]

I have not read all the replies, however, I do have a Grandson who had horrible eczema as an infant and into his toddler stage. (Think bleeding flareups)

DD took him from Pediatrician to allergist to, I don't remember, but it was awful and everyone had a different opinion. Finally she found someone to do some deeper allergy testing and worked with his diet. It's been years since he has had a bad flareup and he again eats pretty much everything.

Dairy was a huge allergy for him, but so was tomatoes . He could eat wheat.

His diet was pretty much protein (Chicken and turkey mostly) , grapes, watermelon, broccoli and bread. They put applebutter on his bread.

Today he is still truly allergic to eggs if eaten alone, but he can have them in baked goods.

 

Bathing continues to be the discussion. My DD heard both. She decided to give the 15 minute bathing a try and it worked wonders. Her logic was the irritated skin was dry and needed moisture. Water is moisture. Not hot tho, barely warm enough to be comfortable. She rarely used soap or shampoo on him, and when she did it was Aveeno products. He was quickly patted dry and slathered up in moisturer. Vanicream is the name of it. It is not a prescription, and used to available only behind the pharmacy counter, but I believe you can now find it in the pharmacy at Target and Wal Mart. It's a big white tub. she tried pretty much every lotion and this is the only one that worked for them. Her DH has had lifelone issues with Eczema and he uses pretty much daily now too.

 

Another thing she found as he got older was that Broccoli had healing powers. When he would have a flareup, he ate broccoli twice a day and the affected areas would heal up within a day or 2.

[Serenade]

My younger son had severe oozing eczema when he was a baby -- so bad that a visiting international doctor as the pediatric dermatologist's office asked permission to take a photo of him. He was oozing and bleeding all over his body, but his head was the worst. We could not clear the infection. I did give up dairy while I was nursing him, and it helped, but did not cure it. And yes, all the docs told me that it is not likely that a fully nursing infant would have a dairy allergy. Yeah, right. LOL, one of the residents who saw my son told me, "Well, allergists may believe that dairy causes eczema, but dermatologists don't." This was at a major teaching hospital, too. Anyhow, it was later confirmed that my son had a dairy allergy, but I am happy to say that he did outgrow it by the time he was around 6.

 

Anyhow, I'm getting off track here -- my son was treated with antibiotics, antihistamines, steroids, etc, and nothing seemed to clear his head; dairy restriction alone did not do the trick. What finally worked was an anti-fungal, even though twice he tested negative for fungus. The pediatric dermatologist said that they don't know why, but sometimes the anti-fungals clear up some of these tough cases of eczema. Sometimes I wonder if there would have been another alternative for my son -- he had some harsh meds at an early age, and sometimes I wonder if it stunted his growth. However, what else do you do when your infant has a constant infection that can't be healed?

 

I am happy to report that today (he is now 10), he has very little problem with eczema -- maybe he'll get a patch here or there in the winter, or in summer after swimming in pools. But it's not problematic at all. And as a little side note -- this son had to wear socks on his hands for about the first 9 months of his life. I was worried that he'd end up with fine motor skills problems, but wow, I worried for nothing. He is so good with his hands, has always been. He learned to zip a coat 3 years earlier in age than his big brother who was the one who ended up with a fine motor skill problem. He is my little mechanic, my engineer who I already rely on to help fix things when my DH is not around. So the socks did not delay him at all. Perhaps they made him more determined to use his hands once he finally got those socks off.

 

Hang in there! Those oozing eczema days were really tough on our family. He required so much care those months of his life. I often think that is when my DH and I fell so far down the organization hole that we are still climbing out of it today. But he did heal and outgrow the dairy allergy, and now he is quite a normal kid, albeit on the smaller side.

[alisoncooks]

My youngest had eczema behind her knees and on the creases of her elbows and a few other patches here and there. Nothing as traumatic as others have experienced. But I tried lots of lotions for her and found that Eucerin's Calming Cream the only one that helped, especially as a preventative. Once one of her problem spots develops, often the only thing that will heal it is her prescription cream. Usually just a day or so of that, then we can go back to the regular lotion to further heal it. Best wishes for finding something that works!

 

(DD is now 4.5 and her breakouts are very rare now. Usually after extended beach days or pool use in the summer.)

[Dandelion]

DD had eczema as a toddler. The prescription cream from her pediatrician didn't help much. After some research, we cut back on dairy and it went away (she can tolerate small amounts). Her skin is very sensitive, so we use an all-natural lavender shampoo and body wash from our health food store, and organic virgin coconut oil as a moisturizer. She hasn't had any flare-ups in about 18 months.

[bpskowski]

I'm jumping on the dropping dairy band wagon. My ds as infant had bad eczema all over face. (Plus, he was an unhappy, colicky baby.) I dropped dairy and two weeks later it was like I was given a brand new happy, pink cheeked boy. After about a year when he was totally eating solids, I reintroduced dairy to him and he was good to go. At age 6, he developed an constant sniffle, plus had what I call cradle carp still on his head, under his thick hair. Again, after many rounds to different drs. I dropped dairy again. Scalp and sniffles cleared right up. Now, I let him have dairy in moderation. As soon as his scalp starts getting yucky, we cut back on the dairy.

[Ellesmere]

Regarding the dairy thing, I can only say that my oldest was on a dairy free formula and still had the eczema problem. I'm not saying it's not worth trying, but it might not necessarily be the problem.

 

 

I agree.

 

OP, Two of us in our family have eczema and could have dairy all day long and not break out in eczema from it. I'm not saying dairy can't be the trigger -- of course, it often is.

 

But people have to find their own individual triggers. I say this all the time because we went through so much frustration dropping things that supposedly caused eczema and using treatments that "should" help and winding up in worse shape.

 

Aveeno will just make it worse if there is an oatmeal allergy or sensitivity. Granted, that is less common than dairy, but it figures both of us have an oatmeal allergy (among others) and are fine with dairy. My point is that it's great to try Aveeno, but don't be discouraged if that doesn't help. We also have multiple allergies to natural ingredients so many of the natural or herbal products made it worse. Again, if your baby tolerates them, then go ahead but just be aware they can be a trigger.

(I do keep things as simple as possible with skin/laundry care, avoid fragrances, and use simple moisturizers like coconut oil, though, since we don't have a coconut sensitivity.)

 

Mine was so bad, I was on all kinds of oral and topical meds. Strangers would comment on it. :( The good news is that after working with a really good allergist and learning to avoid our triggers, we are both clear with only occasional problems from environmental issues. No fancy creams or drugs now, and I never thought my skin would look the way it does. Best of luck ... hope your baby gets some relief!

[Lolly]

I agree.

 

OP, Two of us in our family have eczema and could have dairy all day long and not break out in eczema from it. I'm not saying dairy can't be the trigger -- of course, it often is.

 

But people have to find their own individual triggers. I say this all the time because we went through so much frustration dropping things that supposedly caused eczema and using treatments that "should" help and winding up in worse shape.

 

Aveeno will just make it worse if there is an oatmeal allergy or sensitivity. Granted, that is less common than dairy, but it figures both of us have an oatmeal allergy (among others) and are fine with dairy. My point is that it's great to try Aveeno, but don't be discouraged if that doesn't help. We also have multiple allergies to natural ingredients so many of the natural or herbal products made it worse. Again, if your baby tolerates them, then go ahead but just be aware they can be a trigger.

(I do keep things as simple as possible with skin/laundry care, avoid fragrances, and use simple moisturizers like coconut oil, though, since we don't have a coconut sensitivity.)

 

Mine was so bad, I was on all kinds of oral and topical meds. Strangers would comment on it. :( The good news is that after working with a really good allergist and learning to avoid our triggers, we are both clear with only occasional problems from environmental issues. No fancy creams or drugs now, and I never thought my skin would look the way it does. Best of luck ... hope your baby gets some relief!

 

 

Vigorously nodding my head yes. My dd can have dairy (Well, sort of, she is intolerant/not allergic; so small amounts.) She can have wheat, peanuts, pretty much all of the common allergens. She is allergic to oatmeal. She is actually allergic to almost everything other than the common allergens. I keep thinking about all those oatmeal products I used on her because of her allergies...If only I had known!

[ereks mom]

Dd8 had eczema as a baby and toddler. It actually lingered into her preschool years, but we haven't had to deal with it in a long time. The doctor told me to pat her off after her bath or shower, but not to rub her dry all the way. He said to leave her slightly damp and to moisturize. We used vaseline sometimes, along with specialty lotions and creams with varying results. Oh, and it was important to not do a hot bath or shower. This one was hard for me, because our family typically loves a really hot shower. But for eczema, lukewarm is best. When she had a bad flare up, nothing worked better than a mild hydrocortisone cream. That would typically clear it up quickly.

 

 

We had a similar situation with EK when she was younger--infancy through preschool years. She's 18 now, and hasn't suffered any eczema symptoms in many years. At the time, the pediatrician suggested NOT bathing daily and using NOT soap unless she was really grimy, and only unscented lotion. I can't think of the name of the lotion he suggested, but it didn't really help. We would use OTC hydrocortisone cream, and sometimes helped. At times, though, we had to use a prescription steroid cream, but the doctor told us not to use it often.

 

ETA: EK was also allergic to dairy as an infant. Several have commented in this thread that there is a correlation between eczema and dairy allergy. It was true in our case.

[Kyr]

olive oil, shea butter, coconut butter, calendula and oatmeal, all highly recommended to help eczema, were/are all potent triggers here too. Rosemary is another odd trigger my son has that shows up in many natural creams as a preservative. Charlie's Soap caused chemical burns.......

 

The advice is generally to only change one thing at a time so you can keep track of what is causing which change. Sometimes you have multiple things going on though and it can just get to be a mess. It can get so frustrating. As you can see from the above posts, each kid is individual and no knowing which thing will work for you.

 

Hopefully you can find something that works without too much trial and error.

 

The best thing we did was to go to a good allergist. It wasn't a 100% solution and we still had a long ways to go afterwards, but we atleast got a ballpark to work in and that really helped us narrow down what we were dealing with.

[joyfulhomeschooler]

I am so thankful for all your answers! We switched our laundry soap and asked anyone holding him to not wear perfume. We've also been doing lukewarm almost cool baths and lathering with petroleum jelly. I did use the hydricortisone cream the first night just behind one knee and the result was AMAZING! I didn't want to use that all over though and definately not on his face. He seemed to be getting better yesterday, and then today his face and kneck and behind his ears were MUCH worse! Little red bumps all over. It is even on his back a little. Any ideas on why he would get better one day and wrose the next? With the same treatment? Should I give this treatment more time? or switch? Or start cutting out dairy to see if that makes a diff?

[KatieJ]

Personally, I would drop the vaseline and use one of the other lotions folks have mentioned.

Yes, they can flare up from one day to the next. You have to be the detective. Is it the new soap? Is it the new vaseline? Or is it still something you are eating? You have to investigate all of those one at a time. DId you wash his clothes, towels and all of his bedding?

It takes time to work it all out, but you'll get there.

[Serenade]

I didn't want to use that all over though and definately not on his face.

 

We were given different creams for the body and face. We were specifically told to use only the one cream on the face because the face is more delicate. I wish I could remember what it was called. I believe the body cream was called Triamcinolone.

 

He seemed to be getting better yesterday, and then today his face and kneck and behind his ears were MUCH worse! Little red bumps all over. It is even on his back a little. Any ideas on why he would get better one day and wrose the next? With the same treatment? Should I give this treatment more time? or switch? Or start cutting out dairy to see if that makes a diff?

 

We found eczema to be somewhat like this -- highly variable. But maybe if you can find what specifically triggers it your experience would be different. My only suggestion is that if it continues to get worse, try to find a pediatric dermatologist. We had to see a regular dermatologist first per the insurance requirements, but many dermatologists are not that knowledgeable on how to treat babies specifically. When my son's eczema continued to worsen after seeing the regular dermatologist, then our pediatrician could put us directly through to a pediatric dermatologist. It can be hard to find a pediatric dermatologist, however. You're most likely to find one in a large city or at a teaching hospital.

 

ETA: Even after we saw the pediatric dermatologist, it was still trial and error -- there is no one cure that works on all babies.

[Lolly]

Given that it is on more areas of his body now, I would suspect the new laundry detergent first if he is wearing freshly washed clothes. If so, try going back to your old one. If your machine has the option, do an extra rinse cycle at the end to help get rid of lingering soap.

[Clear Creek]

Given that it is on more areas of his body now, I would suspect the new laundry detergent first if he is wearing freshly washed clothes. If so, try going back to your old one. If your machine has the option, do an extra rinse cycle at the end to help get rid of lingering soap.

:iagree: Not all laundry detergents are created equal. I use perfume-free laundry detergents, but I can only use certain brands - I can't tolerate any of Tide's detergents, even the Free & Gentle. All Free & Clear works well for us, as does Purex Free & Clear. And I definitely second the suggestion for an extra rinse cycle, even if you have to manually reset the washer to do it.

[Arcadia]

If you are using dryer sheets in your dryer, that can also be an irritant. My older is sensitive to the fumes from the dryer. Once we kept the window that is next to the dryer fume outlet closed, he stop breaking out.

 

Also we would wash a small load of baby clothes and set our washer setting to large load. We also set to extra rinse.

 

ETA: Also watch out for moisturisers (hand lotion, body lotion) on yourself if all else fails as you are carrying your baby. I am sensitive to some moisturisers.

[lexi]

My 3rd had terrible eczema. Hers was because of food allergies we later learned. Eliminate dairy and then gluten and see if it helps. Only do cool baths. Use wet wraps-google that info. I would try to find a lotion that did not have petroleum in it or use a non petroleum jelly to moisturizer. My dd's eczema is almost completely clear and she has no itching-all because we changed her diet to remove her food allergies.

[elizsharp]

My son had this and it went away within a week of removing gluten. We later needed to add probiotics, some yeast fighters, and go completely grain free (paleo) with him to remove some neurological type symptoms (spaciness, etc.).