Petroleum-Aloe-Alcohol cream for eczema???

[VocalMinority]

Seriously, what do you use for eczema?

My 4-year-old has his father's patches of super-super sensitive skin in the winters (even though we hardly had a winter, this year).  Although you look at those patches and want to slather them with some sort of soothing lotion, absolutely everything irritates them, or makes them burn!  I rarely even use soap, when bathing him in the winter.  I've looked at or tried SO many different kinds of unscented, hypoallergenic, organic, all-natural creams and they all seem equally bad.  Every one contains alcohol, somewhere in the list of ingredients.  I can't see how that could help.

Today, I had to just burst out laughing.  My MIL and Mom are always bringing over new creams, quietly suspecting that I'm not taking proper care of their grandson.  Surely, if I were lathering him up with lotion, he wouldn't have this eczema.  What kind of mother am I? I'm not sure either of them are able to read the fine print in labels anymore, they just seem to be impressed by the advertising.  Today, Mom stopped by just to drop off "Gentle Naturals Fragrance Free Baby Eczema Cream with Aloe, Calendula & Vitamins".  Wow, what a great name!  And it had a GREEN LEAF on the front of the box!  (Because it was important to Gentle Naturals to give us not just the plastic tube, but a cardboard box, as well!)

Don't worry, I wasn't sarcastic about it to my Mom.  But after she left, I read the ingredients.  First three?  Petrolatum, aloe juice and stearyl alcohol!  The calendula was at the bottom of the list, just before the isopropylparaben, isobutylparaben, just plain butylparaben and the all-important benzalkonium chloride.  For a BABY.

Do you suppose they thought if they called it "Gentle Naturals Fragrance Free Baby Eczema Cream with Petrolatum, Aloe & Alcohol, Plus Various Estrogen Mimics and an Anti-microbial That's Hell on Sensitive Skin" that no one would buy it?  Hmmmm....

[scsigrl]

It's easy to take things personally when it comes to our kids.  Unless there is a back story here with your MIL/GMIL, I wouldn't assume that they are saying anything about your mothering.  My mother knows how well my kids are cared for and she also knows that I am willing to try anything to help them. She often brings over things to try and help DD's eczema because she knows how hard we try to control it.

That said.  While I have lofty ideals of what I want for my kids my #1 priority is them being happy and healthy.  I have found that while I wish I could "cure" them all naturally, sometimes it just doesn't work out that way.  I would love to still be doing 100% organic with food but with our allergy set, I need my kids to EAT more than the ideal of them being on an all organic diet. 

We use Vanicream and bleach baths twice a week.  Idea? Not at all.  It took me months to convince myself to try it.  I also don't have a daughter who scratches herself bloody on a daily basis.

[BrokenFish]

I have eczema that is brought on by contact with soaps and lotions.  I avoid all lotions, and have to be very careful about what soap I use.  Using any perfumed soap even once is a disaster.  I've found Ivory to be the best for my skin. People have suggested every type of lotion in the world to me, and everything burns and makes it worse.  The only thing I have EVER found that helps other than a prescription steriod cream is Aloe Vera Jelly.  I have been using this product and am just amazed not only at how good it feels on my skin, but how quickly the eczema clears up! http://www.supersup.com/lily-of-the-desert-99-aloe-vera-gelly-4-oz-gel-114-g-026395000043

No idea if it would work for your little one, but thought I'd throw it out there.  It's certainly not perfect!  :)