How Do I Begin? (LONG!)

[Lemoncello]

DS is just 5 months old and exclusively breastfed. He has had eczema and cradle cap since he was about 2 mos. He does not seem to have reflux issues, just the usual baby spit up. He's a "happy spitter" as some would say. He does occasionally get bad gas, but I'm not sure what foods may be the culprits of that at this point. His stools are normal BF baby stools, as far as I can tell--mostly yellow and runny, sometimes a tad greenish, but not mucousy or frothy. It is really the eczema that has me concerned about an allergy or intolerance at this point.

For 3 months now I've been using All Free and Clear on all our laundry, except his diapers, which I wash using my own mixture of borax, washing soda and sun oxygen powder. I don't wear any scents or use scented lotions, and neither does DH. I am currently using Cetaphil cleanser only once or twice a week, but DS soaks in a plain water bath almost every day to help hydrate his skin. I also use either Eucerin cream or Cetaphil lotion on his body daily. Our ped told me to use vaseline on the eczema patches on his face, and I do this several times a day. He also said to use hydrocortisone cream when he has flare-ups, and that does seem to help calm the rash when it gets angry, red and oozy. But I have not seen any improvement with the change in detergents (although I'm still going to stear clear of fragrances and dyes anyway.)

I also noticed that DS had a flare up after we had been eating alot of citrus fruit. Around the same time, he had some stools that seemed to burn his bottom. I decided to cut out all citrus several weeks ago, and that seemed to help alot. I've also just started cutting dairy out of my diet, since I've read that it so commonly causes problems in infants. It's only been a week, so I have not observed much change yet.

We just had another flareup on his face yesterday morning, and I had just esten some pineapple and strawberries the night before. (I had been avoiding both along withcitrus.) But DS also was rubbing his face and trying to suck on one of his blankets that night, so it may have been from the friction/wetness as much as anything.

So, I'm just trying to figure out where to go from here. I know Ds's symptoms are not as bad as they could be, but they are there, nonetheless. He scratches his scalp and face so much. It's obvious that he is uncomfortable. And now he has started scratching his stomach and legs as well. His whole little body is covered in dry, bumpy skin...when it should be soft, smooth baby skin. :( It makes me so sad, and I want to help him feel better. Plus, I am concerned about what I will be able to feed him when we start solids (planning to go with the baby-led weaning model.) I certainly want to avoid giving him things that are going to cause a reaction, but since I don't know what is causing the eczema, that's sort of a mystery to me at this point.

I'm sort of reluctant to talk to our ped about allergies and such, partly because he was so nonchalant about the eczema in the first place....and partly because we don't have the greatest insurance and can't afford alot of expensive tests and such. And maybe I'm just being an overreactive mother and worrying about something that he's just going to have to outgrow. I don't know. Any advice, encouragement, etc. would be much appreciated!

[FAmom]

FYI, some Cetaphil products have Macadamia Nut oils..... we actually had to stop using it (I have a PA/TNA son).  So, depending on allergies, it might be a problem.

For my son, who had the worst eczema, the things that worked the best for us were Vaseline, cool baths that were quick, and cotton pj's.  Soaking in a tub, with warm water, isn't good for eczema.  

And, for the scalp, until he really had hair, which took awhile, we even massaged the Vaseline into his scalp and then gently wiped the excess off with a wet wash cloth.  

We went through a lot of Vaseline, and for a long time he was covered head to toe with vaseline then kind of shimmied into pj's, but that was the best thing.  There were a few times that we did have to use the prescribed ointments from the allergist/pediatrician, but on the whole, the other worked the best for us.

I will add that the eczema was kind of a condition that we dealt with for years in a chronic way.... it is under control now, without skin infections.  Part of what we did to deal with management was to also really try to figure out his triggers, from food, to environmentals.  He particularly had issues from trees and grass, and when we managed his exposure, it did help.  

Last, hang in there..... eczema is no fun for kids.  It is very uncomfortable, and as a Mom it is hard to see your baby, especially, so miserable.  Doctors do what they can, have varying degrees of sympathy with it, and I think that it may be that if the condition becomes more chronic in nature, they have more at their disposal to help you with.  The ointments/creams that are prescribed for eczema are pretty strong, and you use them sparingly, at least from my point of view, and I think doctors also don't just prescribe them easily for similar reasons.

OH.... last.... just for other things... we use Dreft (you mentioned laundry soap), and the soap the rest of us use is Dove bar soap.  I also stopped wearing anything like perfume, and even stopped using hairspray for years.  I just recently began using it again, but sparingly.  

And, many times we would use a clean cotton pillow case over our shoulders for the kids (when they were babies) to rest their heads on, and also when they would sleep, cotton pillow cases down to rest their faces on.  Babies make contact with lots of things..... having the pillow cases to kind of move around, be easily washed, and have a larger smooth surface area, can be helpful.

[Lemoncello]

Thanks for the reply, FAmom! Yes, I noticed that the lotion has macadamia nut oil. We've only been using it for a couple weeks now, but he hasn't had an averse reaction to it at this point. Obviously, if we find that DS is sensitive to tree nuts, we'll have to go with something else. It's so hard to decide what to use...everyone has their opinion and story about what worked for them, their kids, grandkids, etc. Sometimes that is the most frustrating part of having a baby with a skin problem...the overabundance of advice from well-intentioned friends and acquaintances! I know they are just trying to be helpful, really, but it's not like I haven't done some research of my own. And I can't just go out and buy every lotion and cream on the drug store shelf and use them all at once! :p Sorry, just a little venting there....

I have started using a bit of Vaseline on his scalp, as well as occasionally rubbing a bit of hydrocortisone on the spots that seem to be particularly itchy. His cradle cap is certainly getting alot better...only a couple small yellow scaly spots now, with the rest just flaky looking. I have been trying to use only slightly warm water, but I will try doing some quick cool baths instead. Now that the weather is warming up, he might enjoy that more. I didn't want to make the water too cool this winter because I felt like I was freezing him! The pillow case is a good idea...I do have a burp cloth hanging off my shoulder alot of the time, but those do tend to get damp and icky pretty quickly. The other problem we have right now is that DS is a pretty big drooler, what with getting ready to cut teeth and all. No matter how hard I try, I just can't keep his cheeks and chin dry. I know that must exacerbate the eczema around his mouth. I just have to keep smearing vaseline on over and over throughout the day.

Well, I think I've thought about this enough for one day. I'm calling it a night! Keep the comments coming, though, as I can use all the encouragement from people who've been through this! :) 

[rlee*]

the website  www.earthclinic.com is a great resource for natural remedies .http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/eczema.html

yogurt applied topically--has to have live bacteria, probiotics.  nancys yogurt is what we have used.  the yogurt helps soothe the irritation.

acv in a bath

epsom salts baths

coconut oil---massage or alternate between coconut, olive, evening primrose.  the oil gets absorbed thru the skin.  some eczema is caused by deficiency in efa's.

www.amoils.com

http://www.amoils.com/eczema.html