Exzema in 12 Month Old

Updated on March 30, 2010
F.V. asks from Columbia, SC
29 answers

My twin girls are now 1 year old. One of the twins has begun to develop ezcema. Her back seems to have it the worst. WHen we take her out of the bath and put lotion on it, she cries. I am assuming the Johnson and Johnson baby lotion burns. We tried Eucerin last night because a family friend who is a doctor said that was great for dry skin. However, when we put it on her back last night, he screamed and her whole back turned red. We have used Aveeno baby lotion but it just doesn't seem to be going away. We do have a doctor's visit next week for their one year visit, but what can I do to help her in the meantime? Neither me nor my husband has had this so I don't know why this has developed.

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K.R.

answers from Spartanburg on

My son had exzema as a baby and we had to use a prescription (steroid?) lotion to get it under control. The dr. did recommend Cetaphil lotion and also recommended putting it in the bath water. I also noticed a big improvement when I switched to Free & Clear detergent and fabric softener.

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D.S.

answers from Savannah on

You need to use hydrocortisone. It will help with the itching as well as reduce the dry patches. I had to use it on my daughter until she finally outgrew it when she was six or seven.

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V.G.

answers from Atlanta on

I have a 7-month-old with eczema caused by a dairy sensitivity. Did you recently start giving her milk? If so you may want to try giving her rice milk instead. Also, I wash my daughter with Cetaphil and use the Cetaphil lotion as well. After I have the lotion on, I lube her up with Aquaphor. This works well. The dairy snsitivity was the biggest issue though so once we got that under control the outbreaks are few and far between.

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L.D.

answers from Atlanta on

I prefer not to use products with parabens and petroleum or un-natural ingredients I can't pronounce. Naturalia i think is how it is spelled. You can find it at a health food store. i buy it at Whole Foods. Not sure if Kroger or Publix carries it but they might. Sometimes target is good for things like this It is all natural and doesn't burn. It is made for eczema. try washing them in California baby and make sure your detergent is free and clear of dyes and perfumes. (I like the natural stuff from Trader Joes. It has essential oils which don't seem to bother sensitive skin) Don't use bubble bath either. My 4.5 year old has this same condition. i also put oil on her after the bath. Something natural like apricot kernel, grape seed or jojoba. I have used shay butter as well but it is a solid and can be hard to work with. I have also used calundula cream which is also great for booboos. California baby or Welleda are good brands.

Also check for food sensitivities. Often the problem is what we put into our bodies. It could be something simple like wheat, dairy, or food preservatives.

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C.B.

answers from Atlanta on

It sounds like a terrible systemic yeast problem. Use Milk of Magnesia TOPICALLY for yeast rashes.....it's a miracle, and get her on a good acidophilus, like Baby Jarro Dophilus. (google it and other probiotics for children) Most kids who were vaccinated have diminished glutathione levels and low stomach enzymes. That's the source of the excess yeast... I'm a medical intuitive who works with so many children with this issue it is a crime. Good luck and Blessings.

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M.H.

answers from Atlanta on

HI F.,

Eczema is systemic so it is being caused by something going into her system. Formula is full of additives and such and you may need to seek out something different for her. Goat's milk, Almond milk, and Hemp milk are all nutritious enough for a one year old. The processing in cow's milk is another thing that can cause eczema.

As far as something to put on it that doesn't burn and that really heals is Renew lotion. It has been tested (clinical double blind trials) to be more effective and soothing that Eucerin.

Hope I helped!

M.

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J.B.

answers from Charlotte on

Our son has ezcema as well, the best thing to do is not to give her a bath every day, make sure you do not use perfumed lotions/soaps it makes irritation worse. Seems like she has an allergy problem to eucerin, it may be too strong, I suggest seeing a doctor for medicated lotion like we did.

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R.A.

answers from Charleston on

The internet has mounds of information and one recommendation is hydrocortisone creme which is purchased over the counter. The girls may have allergies, so your pediatrician could run tests for that. Long ago, Noxema was used for burns and benedryl cream could work. Test small areas before covering her entire back. My first response person to ask would be the pharmacist.

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K.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

If it eczema, be sure that you keep the skin hydrated with a really good lotion. I use Renew lotion for myself and on my 1 year old daughter, when our eczema breaks out.

K.J.

answers from Atlanta on

Best to confirm the diagnosis with your pediatrician and solicit proper medical advice.

The suggestions for mild detergents and lotions are good. I'd also recommend you look at the diet. A friend of mine lessened the itchy rash in her daughter by eliminating foods with red dye. It could be something like that, or some other allergen. That said, you may consider asking your pediatrician about allergy testing.

Good luck!

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L.R.

answers from Detroit on

My daughter has eczema and the dermitologist, said to limit how long she sits in the tub ( no more than a few 3-5 minutes), to bath her with Cetaphil only and prescribed some prescription level lotion for her.

You could always just try the Cetaphil and use Aquafor as her lotion! Our Dr. said he loves Aquafor. My friend told me that Target sells a much cheaper and same quality Aquafor without the name brand and hefty price (it has the Up and Up label instead).

Once we limited my daughters bath time and used Cetaphil we saw improvement. )We still use huggies/johnson&johnson for her hair though).

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A.W.

answers from Atlanta on

My 9 month old has it as well. The things that helped for him were: switched to fragrance free & "nourishing" or "emollient" wash and lotion (we use Bert's Bees Baby wash & Aveeno lotion); bath less frequently & in luke-warm, not hot, water; apply lotion every night before bed; and most importantly, dress for bed in only 100% cotton clothing. Good luck & hope she gets some relief soon!

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A.A.

answers from Atlanta on

We use Cetaphil for our son who began having eczema at age 3 months in reaction to Johnson and Johnson bath wash. Awful stuff! Make sure you give her lukewarm baths between 91 and 93 degrees and take her out within 2-3 minutes. She will need the Cetaphil lotion on her skin right away. Let it soak in and dry, then put on another layer. Let soak in and dry again before putting on pajamas/clothes. Other things that we did that really helped in our household: eliminate harmful chemicals like bleach, parabens, perfumes/fragrances, aerosol sprays... Go green with cleaning solutions and use fragrance-free, dye-free, paraben-free soap. You can find these products at your local heath food store, such as Whole Foods, or find the organic section at Kroger's/Publix. You can also find a bunch online. We use California Baby and Free & Clear products, and it has helped so much in eliminating our little one's eczema without relying on dangerous steriods and medications. The key is to keep baby's skin moisturized and environment free of chemicals. Good luck!

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J.C.

answers from Fort Wayne on

How do you know it's eczema? If it is, you definitely don't want to put harsh perfumed lotions on a flareup because it's like putting soap on a paper cut. My son has eczema and also keratosis pilaris. I use eucerin on him, the kind that is gooey like vaseline, if we're not going anywhere, and if we are, I use a really good hydrating lotion that's for sensitive, but severely dry skin. Is she itching it? If she is, get a bag of frozen veggies and put it on her skin for relief.

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J.R.

answers from Miami on

-- ask your doctor
-- but you may also want to try Weleda products with Calendula. put on small area first to ensure no reaction.
-- also ask about using cetaphil to bath her in (no soap)

GL

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H.P.

answers from Chicago on

http://www.exederm.com/! Their products don't have all the yuckies that store brands do (in fact, they have the ONLY cortisone cream in the US without parabens) and they have products specifically for babies. I use the baby wash, baby cream, and flare control cream on my 6 month old (after spending $$$$$$$ on products that didn't help). Make sure your detergent is fragrance free too.

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K.L.

answers from Washington DC on

Limit how often she bathes and for how L.. My son has eczema and we only bathe him 2-3 times a week (unless he needs it more). Also, soap is drying so use it only as needed. When his eczema flares up, we use Gold Bond Medicated lotion and it takes care of it overnight.

Eczema is often a sign of an allergy of some sort. For my son, we have to use a "free and clear" detergent (either target brand or All...whichever is cheaper at the time).

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B.C.

answers from Columbus on

My daughter now 3 has eczema. We ended up taking her to a dermatologist who said that eczema is typically worse either in summer or winter. We switched from store bought to Arbonne baby products which were pricey and worked great but we couldn't keep up with the cost--they have a wonderful line of baby products including a sunscreen, but I also know their company just went through some financial restructuring so I don't know if they still make that line. The dermotolgist said a lot of parents recommended the Arbonne products, she recommended washing her only in Cetaphil? I think that's how it's spelled but I used the CVS or Kroger brand since it's much cheaper. Don't use any standard baby bath (too many perfumes) or bubble bath and don't wash the clothes in scented detergent (probably stuff you already were doing but if you recently changed one of these it could be a reason for her outbreak). I buy only free and clear detergent. Also recently found a 'free' baby wash that is good in the Suave brand. My daughter's skin felt like sandpaper and she would itch until she bled so I know what you are going through. I would recommend Dr. Joy Mosser. Perhaps call directly there for an appt if your insurance allows you to do that. It might take awhile to get in, but they might give you some free samples to get you through. For us, my husband was unemployed for awhile and I carried our insurance so they gave me a lot of samples and I didn't have to buy the prescription (which was very expensive). She was put on other medicines but this worked the best : Locoid Lipocream. Perhaps your pediatrician would call you in a prescription? It was $20 on my insurance for a small tube. We also had to quit bathing our girls together since the other one liked the bubbles (I have two 14 months apart). Good luck!

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C.C.

answers from Augusta on

All three of my children have a mild case of eczema. They are 10 yrs. old, 4 yrs. old and a 10 month old. For my older two children their doctor had prescribed a mixture of Aquaphor (1-1) and TAC 0.1% (Triamcinolone) 4oz., ask your children's doctor. It worked wonders for them. They use Lubriderm lotion twice a day. When they get an outbreak, I put this medicine on and it clears it quickly.

Several years ago I took care of my nieces, when my sister went deployed, and they had a severe case of eczema. Their skin was broken and bleeding in some areas. This causes other problems, being young and like all other children love playing outside, etc. They were an easy target for acquiring an infection.

I took them to a Dermetologist and the best way to help them, was by putting vaseline. I did this for several weeks and it did wonders for them with such a severe case. After their skin healed a bit, I started on the Lubriderm, two to three times a day. Before my sister came to pick them up they looked like they never had a severe case at all. The Dermetologist also recommended, moisturize, moisturize and never let it get to a severe stage, because then it is harder to get their skin back to normal. It's a longer process. At times, depending on the severity you would have to moisturize the skin more than two or three times a day. With my children I still have them moisturize twice a day, even thow they don't have an outbreak as of now.

Also eczema is worst in winter, avoid wool clothing, use cotton so skin can breath. They told me not to use sheets for the dryer, because the strands on the sheets sometimes come off and stay on the cloths. Some docs told me to change detergent, others no (I never did). Use dove soap, unscented. If u bath them everyday, bath them every other day. In between wipe them down on their diaper area, around mouth and neck. Bath them in cooler water, not so warm.

Tell their doctor how long they have had it for. Use vaseline for now. Can't wait for them to get better soon. If I remember anything else, I'll write again.

Updated

When your done with your childs bath, do not dry your child completely, apply lotion with semi wet skin.

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P.H.

answers from Atlanta on

My daughter and her daughter has ezcema and I/we went through the same painful process before we figure out what works for each of them. They both may have it but the same products seem to work differently on each of them. I/we finally started reading labels and researching excema to fully understand what we're dealing with. Eucerin works great at times for my daughter but irrates my granddaughter. Hydracortizon 1% works the best for my granddaughter along with watching what she eats. At the root of both of their problem are food allergies. Diffently have then checked for allergies.

Good luck and best wishes.

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L.E.

answers from Columbia on

Hi F.. My twins are also almost 1 and my daughter has the same issue, maybe not as severe...... Cetaphil to wash and then we use the lotion from Target with Winnie the Pooh on it that says for eczema. That works better than all of the other stuff I have tried. Good luck! If you aren't in the local twins club and have an interest, let me know and I'll pass you the info!

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S.P.

answers from Atlanta on

My son has problems with ezcema in the winter, when the air's so dry. Our dermatologist also recommended Cetaphil. Cetaphil was great because it didn't have any of the perfumes or other ingredients that irritated dry skin. But we found it just wasn't strong enough. We ended up using Creamy Vaseline and that did the trick. Plus, it's super inexpensive.

Also, stay away from chlorine pools. We found that was a REALLY bad trigger for him when he was having a problem.

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V.S.

answers from Atlanta on

F.,
My kids both have eczema. My 16 year old has had it since she was an infant. For her we used pure shey butter - the kind that looks and smells funny (there are no perfumes or colors in it). It work very well for her - when it wasnt inflammed. Our dr precribed a steroid that worked wonders but we were really concerned with the prolonged use of it... so we switched to something natural. Another thing that worked was applying the Eucerin when the skin is still a little damp and patting it dry, but if it irritated your kids that may not be an option for you. OTC Hydrocortisones worked a little bit too - (helps with the itchies).
FYI - ezcema is an form of allergy - we found out that it usually runs in families that have history with asthma or other allergy issues. My husband was diagnosed with sports-induced asthma (after our daughter was born), as was my 16 yr. She has taken shots for allergies for the past year and a half. It usually flares up whenever it starts getting warm and during the winter with the heater and wearing warm clothes.

My son had it also - but his went away - so there is hope. Good Luck.... Hope that helps.

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

Have you taken her to a dermatologist?

Our pediatrician thought our daughter had eczema, but he wasn't 100% sure, so he referred her (at 12 months) to a dermatologist who did confirm it was eczema.

Interestingly, were were told nothing about limiting exposure to bathing. We were told, though, to either use Aquaphor or Vanicream (OTC at just about any pharmacy - but, you may have to ask them to order it). Vanicream is a good, thick, fragrance/dye-free lotion.

The only real advice we received was to make sure the lotion was applied immediately after the bath. In a year, we've had no flare-ups.

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F.T.

answers from Athens on

My twin daughter also had it, and now at 2 1/2 years, has few, but occasional flare-ups. Eucerin does burn, the best "over the counter" we have found and works WONDERS is Gental Natural's Baby Eczema cream. It is wonderful and she has never had a re-occurance when we use it daily. When she was little, we had to use steriod cream once. This cream is great and has never caused irritation. Good luck!

E.K.

answers from Atlanta on

Eczema runs in my family. Every female in my family has eczema. My sons are the first males in our family to have it. When I was younger, my mother took me to many different doctors because my eczema would flare up horribly. I really would NOT recommend the steroids!! Prolonged use causes issues even in children.

My ex sister-in-law brought a pamphlet home from her doctor when she was diagnosed with eczema that said that there are certain triggers. That certain foods you eat cause you to break out. For me it's peanuts. For my ex sister-in-law it's milk. Everyone's different, so you just have to figure out what her trigger is.

Have her go two weeks without, say peanut butter. Then give her peanut butter and wait and see what happens.

I hope that was of some help.

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M.J.

answers from Washington DC on

I manage my children's eczema by limiting the number and duration of their baths, using Dove soap because of the extra moisturizer and Aquaphor on their eczema spots. I tried Eucerin and Cetaphyl but the Aquaphor worked best for us. If there is no "flare up", I use Lubriderm intensive healing lotion and Aveeno products for sunscreen. My pediatrician told me that children with eczema often have other allergies and/or asthma (they're all related). There may be foods causing your child's eczema. You could probably find a list of foods online and try taking them out of your daughter's diet (one by one) to see if there are any changes.

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H.W.

answers from Atlanta on

My son had a food sensitivity. When we got rid of the food, the eczema disappeared within 2 days. He hasn't had a problem since.

L.H.

answers from Atlanta on

Ezcema can be related to food allergies. Keep a food journal for her where you write down what she eats and record any response. You may start to notice patterns. If it appears she does have flare ups after certain foods, have her tested by a pediatric allergist to be sure. Good luck!

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