Ideas for horribly rashy/allergic baby?

[caribousam]

My son is 10 months old and has had severe eczema since he was about one month. I have gut problems (very mild IBD) and tried every elimination diet you can imagine with no success. Crazed, hungry, and heartbroken, w/ a miserably itchy and inflamed baby, I agreed to try formula. He has been on Neocate since about 6 months. He's doing better than he was, but still has a rash all over his body, especially on his face. He tested positive on the prick test for dairy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, and garlic. He tested positive on the patch test for everything. He currently eats a small amount of carrots, squash, and apples. My questions are:

1. I'd love to breastfeed again, and my gut is a little better, but by no means healed. I hate the formula with my whole being and want another option.
Do you think it's worth trying to get my milk back even though I still have mild IBD and he didn't do well on it no matter what I ate? I eat mainly on the Specific Carb diet which I do really well on, but he's allergic to all the main foods I eat. (I don't digest grains well).

2. Could he tolerate goat's milk even though he's allergic to dairy?
Is he old enough to drink that instead of formula? Other food ideas?

3. Recommendations for skincare? I currently use no soap, but is it better to use the right kind of soap? Cream/salve ideas for dry skin? Ideas for what to put on the inflamed rash? I'm done with steroids, but haven't found anything else that helps. (I currently alternate between lanolin, a calendula cream, aquaphor, and an herbal eczema salve)

Maybe I'm making some huge mistake and you can enlighten me!

Thank you thank you!

Emily

[WC_hapamama]

My kids' allergist suggests a product called Cerave as a moisturizer. Make sure that any product that you're using on your child, especially the "natural" ones, don't contain something that your child reacts too. A lot of natural salves, ointments and creams contain ingredients derived from food... most commonly nut oils, oatmeal, milk products, coconut, apricot kernel oil and various seed oils.

For a child with an IgE mediated milk allergy, I'd skip the goats milk... a large percentage of cow's milk allergic people (ige) also react to the milk of other ruminants. We bounce between soy and rice milk for my milk allergic child.

When oldest DS was the age your kiddo was, we used Cetaphil cleanser as a "soap".

Also make sure that whatever you're washing his clothes in isn't irritating him. Avoid synthetic fibers and wool as well. Is it possible that he's allergic to dust mites or animal dander (if you have furry pets)?

As far as food goes, if you want him off Neocate, you need to find a safe fat, safe protein, and a safe grain, as well as fruit and vegetables. Finding safe spices and a safe sweetener is helpful too.

[JessicaS]

If he doesn't thrive on your diet and you don't thrive on his diet then I just don't know what to tell you. That sounds like a rough situation.

Breastmilk contains hundreds of ingredients that formula does not, but there can be very negative effects to long term exposure to allergens. It can lead to health issues. I have bleeding ulcers in my bladder because I was unaware of a dairy allergy.

Not only is there the concern for your son's health, but if you eat according to *his* diet that can cause very negative health effects for you. I think I can tell you from experience, it is hard enough to keep up with a baby, you need to feel well. That is a very personal decision you need to make but I don't know that the advantages would outweigh the risks.

I wouldn't introduce goat's milk in a dairy allergic ten month old that is already having skin issues. I think you need to figure everything out first and wait until he is a bit older.


Have you tried all natural soap? Natural soap contains glycerin which is good for the skin. It also doesn't contain harsh surfactants or detergents that are found in commercial soap.

What sort of detergent do you use?

I would try avocado butter for dry skin. It is very low allergen.

[newmum35]

what kind of laundry detergent are you using for the clothes he wears or anything that touches his skin, face, etc (blankets, sheets, etc) ... I once put my baby to sleep on a soft blanket (filled with fabric softener no doubt, even though I had washed it once in my Allens Naturally, it was incredibly soft and I'm sure it still had fabric softener residue on it) and he broke out in a itchy rash all over his face.

I wash all my clothes, blankets, everything in it and use organic cotton crib sheets and blanket for bedding. I never realized what I was missing until I switched (only after he was born) and I totally love it.

Don't have any experience in allergic food issues but thought you might want to consider fabrics as well, its possible he has multiple allergy issues, to those chemicals in modern fabrics and especially laundry detergents too. A lot of that stuff gets absorbed by the skin.

[WC_hapamama]

Originally Posted by abimommy

Have you tried all natural soap? Natural soap contains glycerin which is good for the skin. It also doesn't contain harsh surfactants or detergents that are found in commercial soap.

Just make sure the all natural soap that you use doesn't contain something your kiddo is already allergic to. I found that out the hard way with Aveeno Oatmeal Baths with my daughter... didn't realize that there was milk in it. Instead of helping her eczema, it made her flare.

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by WC_hapamama

Just make sure the all natural soap that you use doesn't contain something your kiddo is already allergic to. I found that out the hard way with Aveeno Oatmeal Baths with my daughter... didn't realize that there was milk in it. Instead of helping her eczema, it made her flare.

Right the problem is that a lot of soap companies use the chemical names.

You'll want to learn the names for different oils that may be problematic as well as milk and dry milk powder. Sweet almond oil is pretty common in things but you don't really want to use that on a baby.

The most common soap oils are palm, coconut and olive. You can find soap that is only from olive oil. That should be fine. Also tallow (animal fat) is pretty common and while it isn't vegan it might be a good alternative for your child.

Kiss My Face has some pure olive oil soaps, that would probably be one of the easier brands to locate.

[JSerene]

I would see if there is an advanced allergy therapeutics practitioner in your state.

http://www.allergytx.com/locations.html

It helped us a lot.

[kjbrown92]

craniosacral therapy (CST) could help both you and him (I have an osteopath that does it for DS and me).

Have you considered that he (or you) is intolerant to corn? Corn is one of the main ingredients in Neocate so I'm wondering if he hasn't gotten better on it, if that's an issue as well. If you're only testing for IgE allergies, it's possible that there's intolerances there as well (for both of you). Dairy, corn, and egg are big eczema triggers, though ANY food can cause ANY symptom.

I'd explore the environment as well. Has he been away from home and have there been any changes? Is he better/worse in the morning, after meals, after bath, etc.? Maybe keep a journal and rate the eczema on a scale of 1 to 10 and see if you see a pattern.

[snowmom5]

I just wanted to add that my SIL, whose son has extremely severe eczema, told me that skin testing on a child with significant skin issues is difficult and not always accurate. So in that case she'd recommend blood testing instead. (FWIW, his skin issues didn't show up until around 1 y.o. He was allergic to many foods for a while. Now he's 13 y.o. and while he still has a difficult time with his skin, allergy shots have helped a ton, and he grew out of most of the food allergies, everything except peanut I think. His skin is very affected by things in the air now that he's older and he's getting a bit of asthma.) Last time we talked about it, SIL was using only Dove soap for sensitive skin and aquaphor, in addition to the prescription creams. And as mentioned above, of course only laundry detergent with no scents, etc.

[caribousam]

Thank you- detergent and using a humidifier?

You guys are all very helpful- thank you so much. Any recommendations for detergent? I currently use planet, but just bought some Maggie's soap nuts to try. Has anyone had luck with these? I've also used Country Save, 7th Generation Free and clear, and Dreft (allergist recommended it).

Also- I've been using an air purifier with an ionizer along with a humidifier set at 55% I think. Is this okay? His skin was so dry I thought the humidifier would help, but then I read that it can increase dust mites.....hmmm.

He's also been sleeping with a hand knit blanket someone gave him made out of synthetic yarn...I'm going to wash our organic cotton blanket right now and put that in with him tonight. (along with an organic sheet).

[caribousam]

Originally Posted by WC_hapamama

Also make sure that whatever you're washing his clothes in isn't irritating him. Avoid synthetic fibers and wool as well. Is it possible that he's allergic to dust mites or animal dander (if you have furry pets)?

We don't have any pets, but most of our friends and family do, and I'm starting to think he might flare after we go to their houses. Could pet hair cause a rash? (he crawls all over the floor)

Here's what his face looks like when it flares. I had put something on it, so it's shiny. He gets rashy like this on his body too.
http://www.emilykurnmusic.com/DSCN2532.JPG

[mtn.mama]

Hi Emily! I'm so glad you came over to the forum. I can't wait to meet up with you and let our kids play. My husband takes off in a few days until Thanksgiving... I'll give you a call next time I get a trip scheduled to town. We'd love to have you up to visit anytime. I have lots of recommendations for HCPs and I'd love to do a bunch of crystal testing with you and Sam. I'm so excited/sad to meet up with a mama face-to-face who is dealing with the same struggles that we've been experiencing. One of my goats chewed the wire that connects our dish to our cabin, so we won't have internet at home for a few more days... but I'll be in touch. (I'm at the library in Sutton right now.) I'll give you a call soon! Good luck and take care... we're going to make it through this, and be better for it in the end. If you do decide to trial goat milk, I'll happily supply you with as much raw as you need. Cheers!

[caribousam]

Lisa- Thanks for chiming in- would love to explore crystal testing. Get in touch whenever you have a chance! I'd be happy to drive out to you too.....

[dulce_mami]

You probably are already doing this, but I suggest for you and baby to take probiotics, purified cod liver oil, and eat traditional foods (bone broths are really good) to strengthen your immune and digestive systems. Definitely make sure he is not exposed to furry animals (my DD reacts very bad to cats to which she is allergic). Also, both of you try to eat plenty of avocado which has the right fats (hopefully, he is not allergic to eat).

The formula may be the culprit for the rash (if he is intolerant to corn), but if he is gaining weight well on it, I would say to stay with it. In time, you will get rid of it, meanwhile hugs to both of you!

[WC_hapamama]

Originally Posted by caribousam

We don't have any pets, but most of our friends and family do, and I'm starting to think he might flare after we go to their houses. Could pet hair cause a rash? (he crawls all over the floor)

Here's what his face looks like when it flares. I had put something on it, so it's shiny. He gets rashy like this on his body too.
http://www.emilykurnmusic.com/DSCN2532.JPG

Pet dander is a BIG eczema trigger for my kids. My daughter flares when she hugs people who have dogs at home (from the dog dander on their clothes). My oldest son has reacted to just brushing a soft horsehair brush across his face.

My oldest son's eczema was that bad at the same age... I know what you're going through.

Something else you might want to consider, if he has eczema on his torso or limbs, is using wet wraps. This really worked well with my daughters arm and hand eczema.

[newmum35]

Originally Posted by caribousam

You guys are all very helpful- thank you so much. Any recommendations for detergent? I currently use planet, but just bought some Maggie's soap nuts to try. Has anyone had luck with these? I've also used Country Save, 7th Generation Free and clear, and Dreft (allergist recommended it).

I use Allens Naturally exclusively. I did buy country save once when mine ran out (thought it might be a little cheaper) but it was around the time he did have an itchy reaction to something, and I suspected the new detergent (even though its supposed to be all natural?) It could have been just cooincidence. I switched back to Allens Naturally just to be safe since we'd used it for at least a year prior with no problems. I highly recommend it. We buy the large box of powder, and it lasts a long time! (almost a year, I think) - you can even use half the recommended amount, don't have to fill the scoop up.

http://www.allensnaturally.com/