Infant Eczema

Hi J.! You have gotten some great responses. i had to put my two cents in. I use a baby line from Arbonne that is vegan certified and very gentle. My children have not had any skin issues but I do have friends whose children have terrible eczema and they use these products and it works wonders!! The whole line is botanically based and vegetarian. They offer a lotion, a body oil, sunscreen, diaper rash cream (awesome stuff) and hair and body wash that is truly tear free. It is called the ABC baby care line, they don't sell these in stores you have to go through a consultant, I am one and there are a few others in the area Find someone you can try it out from, I have samples if you are interested. It is worth a try to use a product that is good for the body and is free if harsh chemicals. Thanks!! Hope it helps!! K. :)

My daughter 2 1/2 broke out with Eczema this winter and I took her to the doctor and she said it wasn't food related, but I have heard mixed views on that. The doctor prescribed a cream, but also said I should straight vaseline. Hope this is helpful

Aveeno is one of the lotions recommended for eczema. It is a very effective product. I have used it for both my sons.
D.

Please excuse the delay in responding to your post. I hope that not too much of what I have to say is redundant at this late date.

First let me say that your daughter is fortunate to have been born in the day of pediatric allergists and dermatologists. If her eczema doesn't clear up soon you should definately consult one or both kinds of doctors.

I have been struggling with eczema for over 50 years. Not all that much was known about the condition when I was growing up. The 'experts' of the day kept saying I'd 'grow out of it'. They were wrong. And in hindsight, often their best advice was wrong, too. Eczema has been my unwelcome lifelong companion and has left me with both physical and psychological scars.

The problem has always been that it is hard to figure out whether the outbreaks are being caused by contact with something in the environment or by something in the diet - or both. And it is confusing as well. For instance, I can EAT tomatoes, but I cannot tolerate the juice on my skin. I did eventually figure out that I am alleric to wool, but nobody mentioned that LANOLIN is a derivative of wool. It is found in many dry skin creams and lotions (and BABY WIPES). So when I thought I was doing something to help the situation better it was actually making it worse. Everything I read about sore nipples and breastfeeding recommended putting LANOLIN on the nipples. You don't even want to know where THAT took me..... And then there was the family doctor who said that my eczema was caused by 'stress'. He told me that if I divorced my husband the eczema would go away. Really.

I also learned some things about itching. First, I have come to believe that itching is the mildest form of pain. It is a constant nagging sensation that distracted me from work and play as a child and even interrupted my sleep sometimes. It made me very irritable.

The natural reaction to itching is scratching. Thus begins the itch/scratch cycle. The more you scratch, the more it itches - and it escalates. I can't tell you how many times I ended up with my hands in a bowl of ice water in the middle of the night just to try to stop the itching. As an adult I would sometimes pour alcohol on a raw patch of eczema knowing that it was going to hurt like hell, but then it would stop itching.

Some other things I learned about eczema by trial and error:

Sun and sea water help. At first the water made it sting, but then it felt better. I believe chlorinated pools helped too. (Check sunscreen ingredient label very carefully.)

Anything warm and moist (like the rubber gloves doctors were always telling me to use) makes it WORSE. Hot baths are NOT good for eczema. They make it itch MORE.

Alpha Keri bath oil in a WARM bath helped a lot. I would not recommend it for an infant though. They're slippery enough WITHOUT adding oil to the bath water. CAUTION: Bath oil makes the TUB slippery and the bather is more likely to slip and fall.

Aveeno Colloidal Oatmeal (another favorite of my doctors) wasn't particularly helpful. In addition, it smelled awful and the gloppy stuff was hell to clean out of the tub afterward.

The only thing that DID work (usually) was prescription strength cortisone ointment. Not cream - OINTMENT. Doctors are more cautious about prescribing cortisone these days, especially to treat a chronic condition over a long period of time. They are especially skittish about prescribing it for very young children.

Two words here: UNSCENTED everything (that touches the skin) Laundry detergent, softener, deodorant, lotions, makeup - EVERYTHING.

Avoid anything with alcohol. It BURNS eczema. Be especially careful with baby wipes on a sore bottom. There are few things that will make you feel like the worst mother ever more than wiping your baby's bottom and having her scream in pain. Trust me on that one.

Those are all the 'tips' I can think of right now. I hope they help. I don't want to see anybody go through what I went through as a child with eczema. Other children can be merciless and other parents can be ignorant or uninformed (read that "afraid their child may 'catch' something" from your child).

I'm sorry to say that my 4 year old granddaughter inherited eczema from me. A couple of weeks ago she came to play at my house. She had a rather large red spot of eczema on her cheek. A 2 year old from the neighborhood walked up to her, put her finger on my granddaughter's cheek, got a really REALLY sad look on her face and said, "Boo-boo". What a sweet empathetic child. I almost cried.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions about anything in this post. Good luck to you and your daughter.

Hi J.,
I have eczema. I had to try different natural products to find the right ones for me. Dr Bronners baby aloe vera castile soap is excellent. The only moisturizer that works and doesn't sting my eczema is "Shikai" Borage Dry Skin Therapy Children's formula fragrance free for ages 6 months and up. Both of these products can be found at Whole Foods or for much less money at lucky vitamin http://www.luckyvitamin.com/item/itemKey/53446 This is the link for the lotion. If you go to the home page and search "brand" Then select "D" then look for Dr Bronners, that is the easiest way to find products. There is a bar and liquid that can even be purchased by the gallon. That is how we buy it.
Good Luck! I'm sure that you have a lot of great suggestions.
E.

Hi J., Hopefully other Moms will respond to you who have actually dealt with this personally with their child. My only input is to tell you that many of the popular cleaning products we have all used in our homes contain Potassium Hydroxide which is the chemical name for Lye. You will be shocked to learn some of the products that have this as an ingredient, and Lye is know to cause Eczema with repeated contact on the skin such as would happen when you use a cleaning product that contains Lye in a spray bottle - you are spraying it in the air, and it can easily land on your skin. Some common products we all have used that contain Lye are: Lysol Kitchen Cleaner, Murphy Oil Soap, Cascade dishwashing liquid, Lysol 4-in-1 cleaner, Olay Hydrating Cleanser, Aloetouch Nitrile disposable gloves, and several Pantene Shampoos. This information is all on a Government Watchdog site - For more info on these and other Toxic Chemicals, visit http://www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/ingredients.htm
You may wish to check out other products in your home.
I am currently going around speaking to various Moms groups about this very subject. If you are interested and want to attend one, please contact me ____@____.com or call me ###-###-#### for info on one close to you. Hope this helps a little. E. Taft

Hi J.,

I have cared for a little girl for the past two years who has extremely sensitive and fair skin,and was diagnosed with infant eczema at 6 months old (she is now 2 and 1/2.)

We have observed her closely and monitered her diet, and as far as we can tell, the foods she eats aren't causing the outbreaks. It seems the outbreaks correspond more to weather conditions, exposure to cold,or dry air,and also to exposure to enviromental irritants.

I will tell you what her pediatrician recommended, and what we have found to work well based on our own trial and error.

First, we use Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Detergent to wash her clothes, and no fabric softner, bleach, or stain removers.

We found that dressing her in wool, fleece or any synthetic fabric caused bad outbreaks, so now we dress her only in cotton clothing (as much as possible).

We bathe her only once a week and NEVER use soap on her skin. We use California Baby Shampoo for sensitive skin to wash her hair. Also when we bathe her we use Aveeno Bath Oatmeal Wash ,and follow up with Aveeno Lotion in generous amounts.

In the winter, and if she is having an outbreak, we use Aquaphor, which was recommended by her pediatrician. It is very greasy,but doesn't sting,and provides a barrier between her skin and the environment.

We also use an over the counter hydro-cortisone cream ,suggested by the doctor - but only very sparingly when she has red,itchy, outbreaks -which we've had very few of since following the above regimen.

Warmer weather, humidity, and a small amount of sun exposure, seems to help her condition. We use UV Natural sunscreen,which is available at Amazon.com, and although it is expensive and very thick,and a - little greasy, it is all natural,and works!

I hope this information is helpful to you,and feel free to contact me if you have further questions. L. S.

Hi J.,
My 3 year old daughter has eczema. I use Arbonne ABC baby line it works great! They make a sunscreen too. I have read that mineral oil and lanolin based product are bad for our skin. Sometimes the eczema breakouts can be actually a lanolin allergy. I used these products on my daughter and she rarely has breakouts. I actually was getting breakouts on the backs of my arms, I started useing the adult line and have not had a problem since.

I was so amazed by these products that I started my own Arbonne buisness along side my Dental Hygiene career. I would love to send you a free sample of the baby line, for you to try. The baby sunscreen also works great as a bug repelient.

Have a Great Mothers Day

Becci

It's a bit tricky because it some times can be a food trigger and if it is .. Eggs, Milk could be the culprits so I wouldn't give her anything that includes those products. Talk to your pedi about a time table on "when" to add into her diet knowing that she could have a potential food allergy. Or it could be the environment around her, check out this site: http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/skin/eczema_a...

Don't use any soap products on her body that contains dyes or perfumes. Laundry soap like All Free & Clear, Bounce or Downey make fabric softners -- the products are all out there now and it's helpful to use that on her. Soap on her body, there are many products out there, Dove Bar soap is a great choice (perfume free). After her bath be sure to use Aquaphor, it's a Eucerine product, and just put it on the spots.

Your Dr. might be able to percribe a "steroid cream" when the flair ups are bad. Stay away from Elidell, that product is not safe.

Good luck on your quest, my son Jacob had it so bad when he was an infant and when he was almost a year old that is when our lives changed. We discovered he was allergic to milk and an array of other items. While she is little you should try to give her Soy prouducts. Not sure what kind of "formula" she is on but Enfamil makes a formula "Next Step Toddler Formula" in a Soy. And the Silk Brand make great "soy yougurt" and "Vanilla Milk" just to see.

It does take awhile for it to clear up. Make sure you use "Paba Free" Sunscreen and forwarn if it has a perfume in it, it stings.

Good luck -- please feel free to Email me with any questions.

Hi J., I went threw this with my son and I used a cream called UDDER CREAM. I never went as far as finding out what food because he grew out of it. It took a little while and every now and then he breaks out but it is a very small patch on his left arm nothing big it is a time process. just use cream several times a day. I sell a product that might help you as far as the soap goes. The saop is soy all natural so it is good with the skin. You can e-mail me at ____@____.com if you would like

Dear J.,
The two youngest of our five children had eczema when they were young. Both have outgrown it and are now in their twenties. I used cortizone creams on them. One always had it on the inside of the knees and elbows and the other child had it on the outside. But, I also believe that diet plays a big part in eczema, because they would usually break out in a rash after going to a birthday party where they had had a lot of sugar. My husband used to have eczema too, but doesn't anymore. I also knew a woman whose first child that was bottle fed had a bad case of eczema, but the second child was breast fed and did not have it until the mother stopped breast feeding. Good luck, S.

My daughter is now 10 years old and has excema since infancy. She also has the craddle cap issue still as well. I use products that are perfect for this and clears them up quickly. Yes you can use them on infants as well. I have excema myself and the lotion alone takes care of it. As far as allergy causing the excema I haven't found any other then just dry skin all the time. If you want to know exactly what I use for products send me and e-mail or go check them out for yourself here is the website..www.melaleuca.com and if you are interested let me know.

Hi J.,
As a family child care provider of 11 years and a mother of two children who both had eczema, I have found that anything that is scented, or has any fragrance will affect my children's skin. When I was breastfeeding anything that I ate affected their skin as well...eggs, dairy products, strawberries, chocolate, oranges...I would do some trial and error and see what happens. Carrots can be a trigger for a lot of babies. I would reintroduce them as your child gets older. Another thing to watch for is that children who have eczema are highly likely to have food allergies as they get older. They are now recommeding that you not give peanut butter to children under age 4. Good luck!

curel ultra healing intensive moisture lotion. i have
a friend that was COVERED in an outbreak from head to toe. I suggested this and her blotches/itchiness were gone in 24 hours. She even told her dermatologist about it. She said her allergy was to lanolin, which is very common in moisturizers.

I keep one in the shower and slather it on each morning. I used it on my daughter at 10 months on. Even though it is not marketed as a baby product, it should be!

http://www.curel.com/intensive.asp

My daughter also had some eczema and i used Aveeno baby soothing skin lotion twice a day and it went away afer 3 or 4 days. I also saw an add for a new aveeno baby special eczema cream but i haven't seenit in the stores yet. You can also get a coupon for a couples dollars off if you go on the aveeno website. Hope it helps!!!!

J.,
My daughter also has eczema. We found the cause to be milk products that I was ingesting while nursing. After about three weeks off milk (it takes that long for an allergen to clear out of the body) her eczema disappeared. We also found adding Omega 3's (fish oil and walnut oil are good sources) to both our diets also improved her overall dry skin condition.
As far as your other questions, a reaction can show up within minutes to days depending on how sensitive a person is. I would be surprised if the culprit is carrots as it is a low allergen food. One of the best creams out there for babies with skin problems is Aquaphor which you can pick up at any drugstore.

Good luck!
S.

I know quite a few moms whose children got amazing results with Reliv's kids nutritional formula - one whose child was covered over 50% of her body. Because of its fantastic balance of proper nutrients, it strengthens the immune system and is a natural and safe way to eliminate all kinds of health issues and allergies. Reliv is patented (6 products - half of the 12 food patents in the US belong to this one company). Reliv is completely safe for infants - even as a prenatal! It's food, not drugs. You can put it in her bottle, or in other foods she eats like yogurt or applesauce - very easy!

If you are interested in talking to a bunch of these moms, let me know! I also have several adult friends whose eczema cleared up. They don't need to use any of those creams which everyone worries about. They can also tell you about sunscreens - but once the eczema is cleared up, often within just a few weeks, you can use regular products.

There is hope, and there is relief!

My cousin sells arbonne and the baby stuff works awesome. It took the baby acne off my daughter after 2 baths and my friend uses for her sons eczema. They have wash, lotion, daiper cream and sunscreen.

Hi J.--I think every baby's skin is different, but we had luck with Cetaphil in lieu of soap, and Eucerin calming creme for moisturizer. Sunscreen is a tougher nut to crack--I had thought we were OK with Kiss My Face, but then my son had a horrible reaction to it, resulting in what looked like second degree burns on the backs of his calves, so I just bought California Baby (which makes a great bubble bath, when she's ready for that). I found it at Target, it's not cheap, but hopefully will do the trick. Good luck, it will likely get better as she gets older, but it's heart-breaking nevertheless. L. M.

Hi J.,

I don't know how long it takes for the exzema to show up, but some babies skin is just extra sensitive. Mine had that as well, I used Aveeno products, and kept the skin moisturized with Eucerin cream. That did the trick.

Good Luck to you!

There are chemicals in everything that irritate their skin. Try Renew lotion and other natural products in bath and laundry! For more info, contact me by email. i will give you a list of products I use!
M.
SAHM of three!
____@____.com

Hi. My daughter has had exema from the very beginning and is now almost 3. sometimes its real patchy and bad others its not. She doesn't have it as a reaction to food but more of extremely dry/sensitive skin. I have known people that dairy products or caffiene(which obviously doesn't apply to a baby) activate the rash. My daughter has it worst in the winter.(drying heat & lack of sun). Believe it or not sunshine helps, of course with sunblock. I use aveeno products so far they seem to work best. I found the aveeno oatmeal bath packets to be very helpful also. I do have to limit the amount of baths too. (which is tricky when they start to play hard)because each time her skin is soaked in water it dries it out more. i reccomend lots & lots of frequent mositurizing. I also use a humidifyer in her room to keep the air more moist when her exema is at its worst. good luck and really don't be to alarmed its quite common.

Hi J.-
My year old son has had eczema since the day he was born. At 4 mos. we had him tested for allergies. He also had some other health issues so we have seen many docs, allergists, and dermatologists. What we've learned is that eczema can be aggravated by allergies, but not caused by them. Though we have eliminated all offending foods from his diet, he still has eczema. We manage it by limiting baths (there a two theories out there: avoid baths OR do two 20 minute baths a day!) Attempt to keep skin moisturized. We use Hydrolatum---pretty greasy stuff. We are on the hydrocortisone route, too, when his outbreaks are bad. Not ideal, but we don't want him to be uncomfortable and itchy. Try to keep fingernails short. Good luck. I know it is tough to see baby skin rough and red. If it persists or if you have inkling that things are not "just so", pursue the allergy stuff. It is so prevalent it is helpful to know sooner than later. :)
M.

My son had eczema as an infant (now 33 months). It could be food related, it could be something in the environment. Our pediatrician and dermatologist both felt that it was indicative that he had an allergy, but we had to wait until he was at least a year old to do a reliable allergy test.

The dermatologist recommended using Cetaphil CREAM (not lotion - lotions actually can dry out the skin more than help it with eczema). If the cream didn't work, she told us to get a small tub of Crisco for skin use. I still use it when he has dry skin issues - and since it's not petroleum based, like Vaseline, there are no issues if he gets it in his mouth at all.

These things have helped. On the rare occasions that his flare up gets SO BAD that he's in pain from it, I'll use 1% hydrocortizone ointment (not cream) and then the Crisco or Cetaphil to tame it. I don't like using the hydrocortizone, so I keep that to a minimum.

Ultimately, my son does have a peanut allergy. We identified that at his 1 year old allergy test.

Hi J.,

I know how hard eczema can be on a little one's skin. I work in dermatology actually so I see it all the time. The best product that I have seen as a soap and moisturizer is something called CeraVe. Use the moisturizing cream right after you give the baby a bath while she is still a little damp. It has ceramides in it which really help to lock in the moisture. My son who is two tends to get a little eczema and this clears it right up and help so much. The cleanser works well too. Aveeno makes a nice baby wash that is gentle on skin too. As far as sunscreen, I would try Blue Lizard Baby. It is in a pink bottle. It can be hard to find but it has no chemicals in it and provides a great physical block from the sun as well as not irritating skin. Make sure when you are doing laundry that you are using one that is free of dyes and also make sure you don't use any kind of dryer sheets, they really irriate the skin and aggravate eczema so much. Hopefully this help, let me know if you need any more information!

My son suffered from a dermatitis for many years. We tried everything the doctor could think of, even switching detergents to Borateem and that didn't work. It wasn't about 5-years ago, I found a company that manufactures all its product and it has done so for 23-years. I use their MelaPower detergent, the Gold Bar Soap and Renew Skin Lotion (works better and faster than Eucerin). His dermatitis cleared up within a few days. I don't know what lengths you have gone to, but if you need information on the store, please feel free to contact me.

my daughter came out with eczema and it only got worse. she ended up with a peanut allergy, I was nursing so of course that meant I had to refrain from all nuts. She is 2 and we keep her from nuts eggs and seafood to be safe. When you bathe her only use soap if really necessary, a water bath will clean her fine, maybe a little shampoo once a week. Gentle naturals eczema cream was a life saver, apply it a few times a day and for the really bad spots use Rx strength hydracortizone cream. They also make a baby bath which is very gentle and is what i used when i felt she need soap in her tubby, use it in her hair too. Aveeno unscented cream (not lotion) is good too. Good luck!

My daughter was diagnosed with infant eczema at 6 weeks and she is now 3.5 months. First I was told it was a food I was eating (I am breastfeeding) and I was told to look back in my food journal within the last 24 hours for a food that might be offending her. I tried eliminating all kinds of foods with no improvement after 1-2 weeks. So they tested her blood for food allergies (milk, soy, eggs, wheat, nuts, chicken, beef, oats, and avocado - a favorite food of mine), and it was all NEGATIVE. I was bummed because I wanted an answer as to what was causing her horrible full body eczema. We then got a referral to a dermatologist who told us that it IS NOT that common for a food allergy to be the cause...she told us to bathe her everyday and within 3 minutes of getting out of the bath, lather her with vaseline (b/c her skin was so dry), and use cortizone cream on the eczema. She also told us to use CERAVE cleanser and creme (suppose to be more gentler than water) and to keep her creases (elbows, neck, knees) dry. When asked about sunscreen I was told to not put her in the sun (duh!) and if I HAD TO...use "water babies" - But I have heard that California Baby products are good. Good Luck! (ps - we also changed our laundry detergent to ALL free and clear, dont use dryer sheets, dress her only in soft cottons, use hypoallergenic wipes and seventh generation diapers...)

Hi J.,

Our son is nearly 5 and we too were told he had eczema as an infant. The pedi we had then said he'd out grow it and not to worry about trying to control it. When he was 3 we saw a differnt Dr. because outbreaks were still occurring once in a while. He recommended using Aveeno products for sensitive skin, they also have a great baby line now. His trigger was our water. If we bathe him more than every other day he dries out and gets all rashy to the point that in his sleep he scratches until he is bleeding. The Dr. recommended just water for baths when he was not really dirty and very little soap when he was. (No bubbles, until we found a sensitive formula Mr., Bubbles, YEAH!!) I know your daughter is much younger and food may be a cause but if nothing comes out of that check laundry detergent and the minerals and chemicals in your water. It could be caused by preservatives in things like detergent and shampoos or liquid soaps. We have a friend whose son is allergic to the chemical preservative so they have to special order all his shampoos and soaps, and they have to use Dreft detergent, it has less of the chemicals I guess. As far as moisturizers, we use Amlactin for the really bad winter days. It is available without a prescription but you have to ask for it at the pharmacy usually. It has a high percent moistuizer and very thin so a little goes a long way. And it pours out really fast!

Hope this helps.
A.

Burts Bees products were the only thing that worked for us...they have a full line of skincare products, a bit pricey but worth it since they are all natural and work! We also used Jason sunscreen, but only when absolutely neccessary. As other moms have mentioned everything from chemicals/fragrances in detergents, to dairy passing through your milk could be causing it. From what I read you should wait two weeks inbetween reintroducing foods...seems like a long time, but at least you'll be able to tell for sure what the cause is. For us it was soy and dairy and I was able to tell within three days of reintroducing it because her bm's became very loose...you'll see the signs. Don't worry though, as others have also mentioned they often grow out of it, mine did! Good luck!

Hi J.,

My son has eczema and food allergies. The common allergens are usually the culprit...milk, soy, eggs, wheat, fish, nuts... My son is allergic to a lot of these foodsand many others; His skin is a constant battle. When keeping a food diary and giving foods with the least amount of ingredients, you can usually pinpoint what is irritating them. Do research online about food allergies; It is really helpful.

Bathe your daughter daily...it may seem like you shouldn't bathe her often, but eczema skin needs the water to moisten it and then lock in the moisture immediately after bathing with aquaphor. I have tried daily bathing and every other day bathing and the daily baths work the best. My son broke out heat to toe in hives from a 'hypoallergenic' sunscreen, so I now stick with Earth's Best (Jason) sunscreen. I think it contains like two ingredients. I heard California Baby is great too.

Allergic reaction time to foods varies...it can be within seconds/minutes and I believe up to two hours. Skin flareups can be difficult to assign to a particular food. Look into an allergist for skin testing.

Lots of people prefer to just put breastmilk on eczema, and find that that works really well. If you're producing it, it's free and available. No trip to the store/doctor necessary.

Our 16 month old just went through a case of eczema, it's not fully clear at this point but for the most part it has cleared up. We had a prescription for the patches on her lower back because they became raw and bleeding. I use Aveeno baby products which seem to be sensitive enough not to burn her tender skin, they have an oatmeal bath that you can give them which we have done a few times, and as far as diaper rash ointment, we have tried everything under the sun and have found so far that the Triple Paste is the one that works best so far. Our doctor said that once the humid weather comes, it should clear up. Good luck.

I have been through this twice before, and I am going through it now with my two month old. I have just now after about two weeks gotten it under control-so first off don't be discouraged if a treatment does not bring immediate results.
do not be afraid to insist on RAST allergy testing, even at this young age, due to our family history we are testing in two months. At least for the top 8-dairy, wheat, eggs, nuts, shell fish, soy, -and for the life of me I forget the other two-yikes new mother brain-but anyway if you suspect carrots then ask for that one. I really had to fight to get my DD tested (she is 15 now) and ended up being allergic to beef, pork, fish, wheat, eggs, mustard, nuts and peanuts. boy were they surprised.
As for her skin...I use triple cream and aveeno lotion. I have also had luck with the 365 products from whole foods, they have a nice light fragrance free lotion. I use is 6-8 times a day at first. I try to do it every time I nurse. Slathering them with it while they are wet works wonders also. leave her wet with it until her skin absorbs it, wrap lightly in a cotton towel-they get like a greased piggy lol
no perfumes or dyes in the wash detergent. try to wear 100% cotton clothing.
If you are nursing consider cutting dairy out of your diet too, I cut way down to just cream in my coffee and such. SHe is looking much better now. Be prepared for flair ups too.
good luck there! congrats on your baby :)

Hi J.,

I can send you a sample of our Arbonne Baby Care (ABC) products for you to try on your baby. I am an Independent Consultant with Arbonne International and have helped MANY babies and ADULTS with eczema. Our products do not have any fragrances or artificial chemicals or colors in them. We are a botanically-based product company and are vegan certified as we do not use animal product or animal by-product.

Let me know if you are interested and I will send it out to you!

Thank you,
Pam

My little guy had this problem for a long time. But he thankfully has outgrown it. Around 9 or so he finally stopped having outbreaks, although he does have sensitive skin to this day. One thing I did, on the advice of a dermatologist, was stop using liquid laundry detergent which is much harsher chemically than powder. I still only use powdered Tide Free. We used a lot of Eucerin cream which helped so much. It is a really thick, goopy cream which really coats the area. We used Dove soap, but you do have to be careful not to get it near the eyes. We also used johnson's products, but stayed away from Baby Magic as it seemed to exacerbate the problem. Sunscreen never really seemed to be a problem, I always used coppertone baby sunscreen. I also have a friend who has created her own line of creams because her son has severe eczema but is also allergic to some common lotion/cream ingredients. Her stuff is all natural and her son's eczema is sooooo much better. Her business is called Joyful Crafts and I am pretty sure she has a website. Good luck!

My 3.9 year old son has been getting small patches of eczema since he was an infant. He does have really dry skin, too. It is definitely worse in the winter. I never tried to figure out if anything in particular was causing it. I put lotion on him after every bath or shower. I have had really good luck with the Aveeno Baby Lotion for dry skin (tube with dark blue cap). They also make a creamy body wash that works well. I try to avoid soap on his face, though. Sometimes I use Aquaphor to help provide a barrier, especially on his face at night. I have also used hydrocortisone cream on really bad spots. I hope this helps.

dairy often is the cause or exascerbates exema. There is a triple cream they sell by special order at CVS that at least helps with the diaper area. GOOD LUCK!!

I use a product that is called Renew. It cleared up my eczema in one week. And I do put it on my daughter who is now 2 years old, and she no longer has dry skin either. Renew is clinically proven to be seven times better than Eucerin. If you would like information on how to get it, just email me at ____@____.com.

hi there, both my sons had eczema. My oldest outgrew his by 3 yrs old. My youngest has it the worst. It is genetic and not caused by food allergies. My son right now is covered, he is just over 2. We have tried all the ointments/soaps/moisturizers and nothing has seemed to work. So his pediatrican has given us 2 different prescription ointments when the breakouts are red and irritated from scratching. We were advised not to bath him more than 2x a week. When he is in the bath not rub with a washcloth just merely using your hands with gentle soap. There is a soap out there by Natural essentials? its in a green bottle in the baby aisle that is specifically for eczema for babies which we use. Also they have a lotion that helps. Once he is out of the bath we just pat dry him and "lube" him up with the lotion. I also put lotion on before clothing him for the day and before bedtime. It helps but doesnt go away. good luck. If it does look irritated to the point of infection contact your pediatrician.

Oh I hear you! I have terrible eczema & my 17 month old son has it too just not as bad as me. I was told to use Eucerin or Aquaphor (which is also a product from Eucerin but it is thicker like pertroleum jelly). They work okay for me but great for my son! Also I was told to use only Dove sensitive body was for my son as well. But you still have to use a tear free shampoo for them (I believe the shampoo is actually causing his rash).
I also know for a fact that I am allergic to yeast (breads, alcohols) you also need to read labels because foods you would assume are yeast free are not always! Eggs can also be a culprit too. For my son I had him on a strict diet no yeast of any kind (which was a pain because it is in a lot of baby foods, we tried this at 6 mos old). Took him off eggs the whites and yolks and he still had the rash. So of course like everything else with little ones it is all trial and error. But like I said above I believe the baby shampoo (& I have tried them all) is causing his rash.
If I were you I would go buy a big bottle of Eucerin first and
Dove sensitive body wash, try using those visors when washing his/her hair (my son hates them) but that helps keep the shampoo off their face and neck at least. Then if the rash is still there after 2 weeks then I would try a yeast free diet for 2 weeks then if no improvement then an egg free diet for 2 weeks. Good luck, I know what you are going through. But if you try all these things I bet you will figure out what is causing the eczema food or baby wash/lotions?

Hello J.,
I just went through all of this too, with my 10 month old little guy. His outbreak came during the month of March when I was giving him 2 baths a day, because he was coming home from daycare with all the kids coughing, etc all over him. He had it on his back and bum. I was given a prescription for hydrocortisone 2% from his pediatrician which cleared it up completely. I brought him to a dermatologist yesterday and she gave us alot of info-- chances are, they will grow out of it, and the main cause is that their sweat glands have not fully developed yet. She recommended using Aveeno wash and moisturizer, with moisturizing AT LEAST two times a day. A humidifier at night helps too!!! She also informed me that the summer time will help clear it because he will sweat more, which will moisturize his skin. Vaseline is the best thing to use for a moisturizing barrier..maybe at night..because it isn't the prettiest thing!She said during a bac outbreak, use the vaseline, when it gets better, switch to Aveeno. Foods can exacerbate it, but she said you would know because they would have diarrhea or vomiting if it was food related. I heard too much wheat can make it flare up?? I hope that this helped, good luck!
L.

I can completely understand what you are going through! My daughter was diagnosed with eczema at 3 months and still has outbreaks now, and she is almost 3. I think what causes the outbreaks can be individual. For my daughter what causes her outbreaks are: Animal hair, outside allergens (pollen, etc.), perfumed laundry detergents and dryer sheets. I suggest going to an allergist. We did not have any relief from this until we finally saw a great allergist in our area. We went to dermotologist after dermotologist and they just prescribed creams that didn't help.

What I suggest, is to keep her moisturized with fragrant free lotions(with NO lanolin). For my daughter, the Wal-Mart brand (Equate) equivilant to Aveeno works wonderfully. Aveeno baby bath products work great too. You can also lather her up in vaseline at night under her bedclothes, so her skin stays moist. If she has it on her head, try using a mild dandruff shampoo. Any tear free sunscreen works well and keeping outbreaks to a minimum.

I hope this helps you!

Hi,
Milk was my child's trigger, and he did grow out of that. I was nursing, and my drinking it would cause it. By the time he was old enough to drink it, it didn't trigger it anymore. I swore and still swear by Eucerin lotion, the kind in the tub, we called it buttering the baby, and I would massage it on, after tubs, and in the morning and evening. Also, aveeno oatmeal in the tub keeps it gone. For sunscreen, I had good luck with Nutragena, and some that was from the dermatologist. Sweating at night in the sheets that were fabric softener treated also would trigger, so I just use hypoallergic no scent detergent and rinse twice, still even though he is five. That will still trigger. Also, I have to make sure I run two cycles without fabric softener, or the residue would get him. Now I don't even have it in the house, because it would never fail, MIL would try to be nice, do some kids laundry, load it with the fabric softener (never remembering) and get it folded and put away. Which meant rewashing most of the clothes, not knowing for sure which were which. So now, I have linen spray for my own bedding, I do like the smell for myself.

As a side note, I have huge skin issues now because as a child, cortisone was put on my skin. I developed perioral dermatisis, which can be controlled, but is triggered by a basic ingredient for foaming in almost every shampoo and soap. Please think long and hard before using it on a baby, they may long term consquences from it. Laureth Sulfate (I am not sure the spelling) will set off a rash from my nose down. Not fun. It doesn't happen to everyone who uses it, but it does happen to some.
Good luck!

Our 11-year-old used to have lots of problems with eczema when he was little. His cheeks, elbows and knees were usually the worst spots. Our doctor recommended Aquaphor which we used for a long time and a hydrocortisone cream when it got especially bad. Later, our doctor recommended something that worked even better than the Aquaphor--HYDROPHILIC OINTMENT.

It has a texture very similar to Noxzema and comes in a round container/tub. We were able to get it at our local drug store. It doesn't require a prescription but we had to ask for it because they kept it behind the prescription counter (not sure why but that was the deal). It was amazing and a little went a long way!

Good luck!

As a formulation chemist for the cosmetic and personal care industry, and a mother of a 3 year old who suffers from eczema, I have tried a lot of products. We used to use Phisoderm's Gentle Cleanser for baby's (I have only ever found it on Drugstore.com). It worked great. When we moved to Massachusetts a few years ago, his eczema seemed to get worse (less humid environment). We started using the Aveeno Soothing Relief Creamy Wash and Moisturizing Cream. The Creamy Wash is nice, although I think the Moisturizing Cream is far more effective. Aquaphor is also great. It's greasy, but it will really lock in moisture (from the petrolatum). I usually applied this at night after bath time, so I didn't have a greasy kid running around.

Regarding sunblocks, my sun isn't irritated by conventional chemical sunscreens (like Coppertone and Banana Boat), so I ususally use them since they are sold everywhere. Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide are physical sunblocks. They sit on the surface of the skin, so they tend to be less irritating. The only company I have found that uses Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide is Mustella (you can sometimes find at Babies R Us). There are a few companies on the internet too. It's ironic that more companies don't use these physical blockers, because my pediatrician told me they are the only sunscreens that the American Acadamy of Pediatrics recommends for children under 6 months.

Sorry if this was more info than you needed. Good luck to you and your daughter.

L.

hi J.:

great questions! first, my daughter is 10 and still amazes me everyday!! anyway, she was plagued as well....the doctors said dont worry about it, kids this age always get exzema...it kept getting worse to the point of her being covered and bleeding from it....i took her to my homeopathic doctor who instantly recognized food allergies/sensitivities...i did the same elimination and reintro diet and found it to be wheat, dairy, honey, and almonds...so i put her on a strict diet and completely eliminated those foods...in terms of skin sensitivities and stuff...THE ONLY sunscreen i have found that she can tolerate is Dr Hauschka's Childrens Sunscreen ($25 per tube. Calendula worked well for helping to clear up exacerbations..when it was really bad, we also used st johnswort oil....Healthy Time Products were awesome for bathing and shampoo..

oops. i forgot one of your questions...i found that in terms of reactions, it can take up to 4 days to react to a food and 2 weeks to recover from each individual exposure to the undesirable food/foods....so, it takes alot of time committment to work with this issue...but totally worth it....i would be glad to speak with you further...I remember when......let me know if you have any other questions...support means everything....good luck! i wish you well...

S. l

Nutrigena sensative skin sunblock is the best sunscreen to use. We use dove soap on my son followed by plain vaseline when he skin is flared up. When it isnt we use Aveeno baby for eczema. If you think its food causing it you should ask to be referred to an allergist they do a blood test and can test for up to 80 things at once. My 1 yr old just had one done. Oh, when his skin flares up we use hydrocortisone cream on his eczema you can get it over the counter or a stronger cream with a prescription and if its itchy or bothersome to her ask your ped. but she should be able to have benedryl about 1/4 to 1/2 a tsp depending on her size. My sons eczema and allergies were so bad that he's now on zyrtec which has done wonders he finally has clear skin. If you need anything else feel free to email me Ive been dealing with eczema and allergies for about 6 months with my little guy.

My son is almost 6 months old and has had eczema for about 3 months. We're starting to think his may be related to a dairy intolerance. As far as products, always use fragrance free. We use Aveeno baby cream. Not the lotion, but the cream. It's the one in the shorter tube with the dark blue cap. They also have bath products. I have to make sure I put the cream on him every single day. Most importantly after a bath.

I'm not sure how long it takes to see a reaction. I could be the same day, it could be a week later. If you suspect a food allergy, I would suggest waiting a week between reintroducing a new one.

My whole family has ezcema and we all have found that cetaphil(I'm not sure I'm spelling that right)liquid soap is the best soap. I wash her hair first with shampoo and then use the cetaphil second to make sure I get all the shampoo off her skin. I limit her baths to twice each week or her skin dries out too much and that makes the eczema worse. I also put lotion on every night before bed to help present the eczema. I use johnson's with aloe where she doesn't have eczema and aquafor ointment on the eczema.

If her eczema is very bad I would ask to see dermatology. There is a pediatric dermatologist in NH that has an eczema clinic.

I have found that my daughter is sensitive to may things so it has been impossible to try and figure out the source.

My 12 month old son also has excema. I use aquafor religiously, lather him up with it all day long to keep him moisturized and it works wonders. Also we use hydrocortisone when there are flare ups, but that has side effects that I try to avoid so I really try to prevent as much as possible by being consistent with the aquafor. I use Aveeno for bathing and for sunscreen and that stuff has worked great too. He still has flair ups, but has other allergies that we haven't totally figured out yet. Good luck, I know it is frustrating!
D.

Hi J. - My son is 15wks and he has eczema on his forehead, cheeks, scalp and elbows. We use 1% OTC hydrocortisone cream during outbreaks and that tends to clear it up within a day or so. In between we use Cetaphil cleanser during his baths and Cetaphil lotion right afterwards, and that seems to be a decent preventative measure. We also make sure to cover his hands at night so he doesn't scratch, and we keep his fingernails really short and clean. Good luck!

I've found a great product that helps take care of eczema. My sister's 3 children all have had it & most recently with her 6mos. old. It was so hard to see an infant with dried, cracked & bleeding skin. Thankfully, we found a company that offers safer products using tea tree oil. Their Renew Skin Therapy is a wonderful product & very affective. They also have a bath oil that when combined together have really reversed the eczema! Now, all 3 children are free from suffering with the dry skin problems! Go to www.melaleuca.com for more information & if I can help in any way feel free to ask. I hope you find the same relief that my sister has found!

My daughter weny through the same thing and it had nothing to do with food allergies it was just her skin.The dermatologist recommended using mineral oil after a bath and bathing every other day.It worked beautifully.I didnt think my daughter could have smooth skin and doing this she did!

If you are reintroducing foods, try one at a time for about 3 days. If no reaction after 3 days, try another food for 3 days. Is your daughter breastfeeding or on formula? Cow's milk and soy are common sensitivities. You might ask your pediatrician about gradually going to a new hydrolyzed formula if she is on formula.

As for skin products, with eczema- less is better. Dry skin is more likely to be sensitive to products because it gets thinner and can't keep as good of a barrier to the environment. Try bathing only once or twice a week, and using water with just a small amount diluted baby soap or diluted shampoo. Everyone will try to tell you about a great baby skin care products, but the BEST MOISTURIZER YOU CAN USE IS OLIVE OIL- hands down. And hey- it's already in your kitchen! Avoid anything with fragrances, essential oils or mineral oils in it. That goes for laundry detergents, too. Try using perfume free, dye free and give it an extra rinse cycle. No fabric softeners. Good luck! (This helped us)

Hi J.
My daughter who is now 4 years old had it also when she was younger. We tried all sorts of things until a new pediatrician to the practice told us about Vanicreme. It's mild and no additives....it has worked great and even though she's four now...we still use it as her moisturizer. Also, believe it or not..Camay soap is the best for her. Mild and doesn't make her scratch and itch. Hope this is helpful and enjoy your little girl.

A little about me:

Mother of a 6 year old boy and 4 year old daughter...and many many many nieces and nephews. My children are growing so fast....enjoy each and every moment. Happy Mothers Day.