Eczema Question

[Disco Infiltrator]

Hi all - our DD is having some eczema and has had it since three or four months (she's 9 months).  DS had some mild skin reactions for a couple years but we never did anything about them then he outgrew them.  DD is now having worse eczema, it's clearly itching and when it flares up even salves we've used with success before hurt her.  It's on her belly, a little on her thighs and a little on her back.  It gets better, like today at 2 pm she looked great then a couple hours later she was fire engine red in those same areas.  

One other weird thing that happened today.  DS has always had reactions to cinnamon, getting red around the mouth when he eats it.  DD has eaten cinnamon many times before but then today she got the same redness around her mouth.  

So we have a few questions:

#1.  The reactions have gotten worse since starting table foods.  Would you see worse reactions with table foods to foods the baby has already been exposed to in BM.

#2.  Is there a chance eczema could exacerbate with teeething.  She's been eating table foods for three months and the eczema has only gotten really bad in the last 2-3 weeks.  Until then she had reactions like DS, just patches here and there and no discomfort.  Her diet hasn't changed but she has been teething quite badly the last three weeks, correlating with the exacerbation.  I've read that eczema can be exacerbated by stress and little girl is truly stressed.  

#3. If we did an elimination diet for her, would DW continuing to eat those foods be a problem.

#4. On the same vein, would eliminating foods from DD's diet but keeping them in DW's diet result in the eczema becoming more mild.  

We are probably doing to at least take out soy and dairy from DD's diet at this time and do a food diary.  

Thoughts?  

[SweetSilver]

Since she is nursing, then DW would also need to eliminate those foods from her diet as well.  When it comes time to reintroduce, you could let DW eat it first, just to see what DD's reaction is.

     Table food reactions will be worse because of the direct contact with large amounts of an allergen, as opposed to relatively tiny amounts carried into breastmilk.

     A 9mo nutritionally needs nothing but breastmilk.  Considering her sensitivities, I would slowly dial back on the solids you give her, especially grains, dairy, eggs, blah blah and on and all the other big allergens. Even rice. My DD and I are allergic to rice, and to oats as well.  Let food be a fun experiment.

     I have not had eczema, but isn't it an immune response?  If teething charges up her immune system as well (???) I would have no doubt that it would fire up the eczema as well.  Trust your intuition.

[Disco Infiltrator]

thanks SweetSilver.  I believe teething does trigger the immune system since you often get a fever with it as well as a runny nose.  She's a ton better today on that front so maybe we'll see some improvement.