Toddler Eczema

[IvyInFlorida]

So my 2 1/2 year old son V has dealt with occasional eczema flare-ups, usually during the winter, but now he's in the midst of a 3 month, all over the body, horrible, scabby, scratchy mess.  It's definitely got a pattern to it: red bumps turn to scaly patches that turn to scabs (because he's scratching) that turn to hyperpigmentation (he's dark-skinned and prone to that).  Dr. prescribed a steroid/Zyrtec/Aquaphor/bleach bath routine to knock out this current flare-up.  Clearly, though, this is a long-term issue that we need to keep on top of. 

 

So can y'all hit me with your eczema best practices?  Relevant info: hot, humid climate, we already use fragrance/dye free products and eat a whole food diet, he's very sensitive to bug bites, probably has seasonal allergies, and his biological half-brother (V was adopted) is allergic to eggs and milk and it manifests as eczema, not GI problems.

 

Thanks for any BTDT advice!

 

ETA: Dr. doesn't think it's food allergy for some reason.

 

Edited April 19, 2017 by IvyInFlorida

[Plink]

Is he on any vitamins or supplements?  Some can exacerbate eczema.

 

Sorry your boy is struggling. 

[Bambam]

I would investigate topical steroid withdrawal.

With my youngest, finding the triggers (tomato based products and dairy) and eliminating them from her diet helped immensely.

 

[zoobie]

I'd eliminate dairy completely and see if it helps. Can't hurt, especially if you're already used to it with another child.

[Caroline]

My dd's exema cleared up when we found out she had celiac and we removed gluten from her diet. She's been gluten free for almost ten years and no more exema.

[kubiac]

Kid has classic atopic disorder symptoms.

 

Take him off dairy and the inflammatory autoimmune response will begin to subside.

He will be prone to inflammatory responses to other foods as well. Keep an eye on wheat, soy, eggs. 

 

Add an omega-3 fish oil supplement if you can trick him into consuming it.

 

Best of luck.

 

 

 

 

[IvyInFlorida]

He is taking a regular chewable multivitamin.  I wonder why the dr doesn't think food stuff is relevant?  It seemed relevant to me, like the previous responses indicate...

[ikslo]

I'd find a new doctor and have him allergy tested.

[gingersmom]

At that age my son had allergy testing. No milk and within days his eczema started to disappear.

[fairfarmhand]

Whatever the dr. says, go ahead and start an elimination diet. It wouldn't surprise me if its food related. It's worth a try.

 

Dairy is where I'd start. It may take 2 week to clear the allergens and longer for the skin to repair itself.

[Kebo]

Milk was the culprit here.  We have had to go no dairy to eliminate it. 

[displace]

No daily baths. Baths only every 2-3 days.

 

Grease daily or twice a day with Vaseline or equivalent.

 

What is a bleach bath?

[kubiac]

Disclosure: This runs in our family. My dad has allergies, my mom has eczema, I had both. I have expected one or more of the kids to have to it too.

 

Anecdata follows: DS4 had eczema on his trunk and behind his knees. His nose seemed to be running CONSTANTLY, even more than usual for snotty little kids.

 

Took him to our favorite allergist and paid out of pocket for the basic food panel. He was said to be NOT allergic to dairy. He was very mildly allergic to egg whites, pinto beans, tomatoes and blueberries. We took him off all of those things. No change. Snot. Bad skin. Eczema. 

 

Finally I said this is milk (which is what I thought it was in the first place). We took him off all dairy products (although now and again he will encounter a slice of pizza or string cheese in the wild and we try not to fly off the handle). Snot is gone. Eczema is gone. His visibly healthier and more vibrant; his mood also seems improved.

 

In some genetically predisposed children kids, cow's milk is the keystone trigger for allergies. Everybody panics because cow's milk is considered *the* fundamental food of childhood, but it's not as essential as you've been led to believe and in some kids it does serious damage.

 

I wish more than anything that when I was a kid my mom had spent less time washing my clothes in Ivory Snow and more time addressing nutrition/diet factors for my eczema.

 

[/end anecdata]

 

Link: This article from The Guardian about extreme eczema has a number of helpful comments. Good luck. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/may/21/life-with-extreme-eczema-maggie-ofarrell

Edited April 20, 2017 by kubiac

[J-rap]

My dd had it, but not to that extent.  We got a topical steroid cream which helped a lot.  But in your case, it seems like there is some allergy behind it that needs to be addressed.  I'd maybe start with gluten, because I've seen that type of reaction in people who have celiac.  But it could be a lot of other things too.  I'd probably see an allergy doc.

[Tangerine]

I posted awhile ago about my guy.  Huge eczema issues, and then he stopped growing.  He (and I because of nursing) went on GAPS.  It's extreme, but we needed an extreme solution once he stalled out on growth.  It was amazing and almost immediate.  It has been a year now. He is still off of dairy (save sheep's yogurt which he is tolerating), eggs, all grain, nuts, soy, corn, and other random foods that popped on his allergy test.  He's smooth skinned and fat now.

[BooksandBoys]

My youngest has severe eczema flare-ups when he eats wheat. If it were me, I'd look at wheat, eggs, and dairy, eliminating all three for at least a month.

[prairiewindmomma]

What Kubiac said. We like Nordic Naturals for a quality fish oil.

 

Dairy was the issue here. Similar experience--uniformed allergist, negative testing, smooth skin after elimination diet revealed the culprit.

[HTRMom]

Only 25% of toddler eczema is food related. Mine gets it from dairy but has it regardless. Allergy testing did not cure his eczema.

 

Baby oil is the best thing right after a bath. Even better than aquaphor in my experience. Not for general use but after the bath.

 

Keep on the steroids as needed. If the eczema goes uncontrolled his IgE will soar and that can actually cause new food allergies!

 

Long sleeves and pants whenever not absolutely weather prohibited. It prevents scratching, wind irritation and chemical irritation.

 

Lotion every time he washes his hands. Wipe face diligently if it has food on it. Give a bath if he gets dirty. Generally keep skin clean.

 

Only soft sheets and gentle detergent. No scratchy fabric. Watch waist bands!

 

If he has bad diaper rash too, Vanicream diaper cream is amazing. Best product ever for diaper rash.

 

 

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[ikslo]

No daily baths. Baths only every 2-3 days.

 

Grease daily or twice a day with Vaseline or equivalent.

 

What is a bleach bath?

This will not help if it is a food allergy.

[Artichoke]

Kid has classic atopic disorder symptoms.

 

Take him off dairy and the inflammatory autoimmune response will begin to subside.

He will be prone to inflammatory responses to other foods as well. Keep an eye on wheat, soy, eggs. 

 

Add an omega-3 fish oil supplement if you can trick him into consuming it.

 

Best of luck.

 

 

We used www.barleans.com swirls when dd was younger.  They taste wonderful and helped with her eczema.  She can tolerate small amounts of dairy and has problems if she consumes too much yeast.   

 

As others have said, food allergies may be your culprit.  It costs nothing to do an elimination diet, and won't affect your child's health as long as he continues to get the nutrients he needs.  Best wishes as you find a solution. 

[snickerplum]

Google "wet wrap for eczema". They did wonders for my daughter. Her's is food related. Our doctor also told me it couldn't possibly be food allergies- babies don't have food allergies! [emoji849] Aquaphor is great stuff! What steroid are you using? Creams always made dd's worse, no matter which steroid. We had to have the ointment. Preservative free triamcinalone ointment really helped. Good luck - it's hard when they're miserable.

 

 

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[Tangerine]

No daily baths. Baths only every 2-3 days.

 

Grease daily or twice a day with Vaseline or equivalent.

 

What is a bleach bath?

A bleach bath is a chlorinated bath, like pool water. I just want to put out there that since a lot of the instructions for ratios on bleach to water were written, the concentration of bleach changed across the board. So you have to be sure you're clear on what concentration bleach it is referring to.

[Meadowlark]

My second son has struggled with eczema his whole life. He was probably at it's worst when he was about 2. I remember taking him to the doctor with his scabby, bloody knees and the doc saying it was one of the worst cases she's ever seen. Thankfully, it's nowhere near that worse now. He breaks out worse in the summer due to chlorine, sand and sun.

 

Here's what's worked for us: Constant moisturizing. We've always used Cetaphil cream (from Sam's Club) right after bath. When it gets really bad, we use the steroid prescription sparingly on the really bad spots, and that clears it up really well for awhile.

[SebastianCat]

My nephew had severe eczema as a toddler that was caused by an allergy to wheat.   He was also allergic to eggs and one other major trigger (either milk or soy, I can't remember), but once my sister eliminated wheat, the eczema cleared up completely.   He's about to turn 9 and has outgrown all of the allergies.

 

If you haven't already tried an elimination diet, I think it would be worth it to try in addition to the topical treatments.