Does my baby have Eczema?

[Serena]

I read the acupuncture thread on this board... very informative. I wanted to start a more general discussion of eczema.

I'm not positive that this is what my daughter has. In the past month, she's developed very dry, lightly cracking patches on her forearms and, just yesterday, her hands and chin! They're almost like healing burn scars--sandpapery to the touch.

I've been putting calendula ointment on the arms and I'm not sure if it's helping--perhaps it's keeping it from getting worse.

She's almost 13 months old. Always has been in perfect health. No rashes as an infant, or allergies.

My questions: Could it be dairy? If I stop feeding her dairy, what should I replace it with? Do I even have to worry about calcium since she's still nursing? She never drinks milk--just cottage cheese and yogurt, and not much of either of those, even. Are there other foods that are known to contribute to eczema that I should watch out for?

The rash does seem to be spreading, and that worries me. What are some good, soothing home remedies?

Sorry for the barrage of questions--I can't tell you how grateful I am for any advice. I don't want to go to the ped for this--I'm sure she'll just prescribe a tube of hydrocortisone cream.

[Megs Mom]

Sounds like it could be eczema. Yes, the ped. will probably prescribe cortisone. You might try cutting out dairy and wait about three weeks to see if it improves. Other things to watch out for: peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat. Calendula can help. Also, moisturize like crazy - Aquaphor is excellent. After a bath, esp., w/in three minutes of getting out to seal in the water. Good luck and keep us updated.

Good source of info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/POFAK

(Stands for Parents of Food-Allergic Kids)

[LEmama]

Sounds like eczema. I might take her to your pediatrician just for a diagnosis. I have used Aquafor on my son's eczema, and it works well if used daily. As far as preventing it, try eliminating dairy from *both* your diets for a month and see whether her skin improves. Dairy is the food most commomly linked to eczema. I have also read that comsuming GLA's - gamma linoeic acid? - can help. I honestly don't know much about GLA, but I think that flax, borage, hemp & evening primose oils are good sources of it. There is a recent thread about flax oil on the Good Eating board.

Edited to add: Keep nursing I don't think there is a need to replace the dairy, but as she gets a bit older she might enjoy rice or soy milk.

[Serena]

Thank you both. I will eliminate dairy in her diet for a few weeks--I'll cut down my own intake, but completely honestly I don't think I could stop it entirely!

Where do you both buy this AquaPhor stuff?

Edited to say: I found it on drugstore.com. Do I want to buy the "regular ointment" or the "healing ointment"?

[SagMom]

serena, you might also want to look out for things that might irritate her skin by contact--certain fabrics like wool or synthetics, for instance--perfumes in soaps and fabric softeners, bubble baths, ect.

[Serena]

The thing is, though, there's nothing that we've used that's changed over the past month! We use very natural products. Mostly vinegar and water for cleaning although we do use bleach to clean the toilet and sink. CitraSolv for dusting, Ecover for the dishes. Nothing perfumed or scented in any way. I do use mainstream-brand laundry detergent, I admit, but I add vinegar to the rinse cycle...

I wonder what exactly I should look out for. I'll just be very aware of what I'm using, what's touching her skin.

[PumpkinSeeds]

Laundy detergent is can make the skin scaly. I use biokleen with my ds's clothes.

Fabric softener, especially bounce, is the worst for eczema.

My ds is highly allergic to milk. I cannot consume any kind of dairy product (cow or goat) or my ds gets a flare up. He's also allergic to corn, eggs and oats.

These things were totally hard to give up (i LOVE cheese) but it's totally worth it to me.

do a search on eczema here. Us eczema mommmas have posted a lot. CHeck the archives too.

[PumpkinSeeds]

I personally think A&D ointment (not the diaper cream one) is better than aquaphor.

[SagMom]

Serena, as you read, you'll see that different things work for different people, at different times. The 'fun' of excema is that it's unpredictable. My dd's skin was clear for a long time and I was very pleased with myself for having gotten things under control. That, of course, is when her worst flare-up ever occurred. : It's not always predictable.

There was a time when ALL Free and Clear was fine for her clothes, but we've had to switch [we now use Dr. Bronner's.] I've heard some people say that they use fabric softener sheets in the dryer because the softness of the clothes is comfortable to their child's skin--yet my dd could not tolerate dryer sheets of any type. [Like you, we rinse with vinegar.]

Lots of good ideas and suggestions can be found on these boards -- but you'll have to experiment and see what works for you.

[Megs Mom]

Serena, you might try switching to a free and clear laundry detergent - that has been helpful for my eczema baby.

[Megs Mom]

Originally posted by Serena
Where do you both buy this AquaPhor stuff?

Edited to say: I found it on drugstore.com. Do I want to buy the "regular ointment" or the "healing ointment"?

You want to make sure you are getting the stuff where the first ingredient is hydrated petrolatum. Very important to get the CREAM and not the LOTION which can be even more drying. Also, you can find it at your local drugstore in a larger size (therefore more cost-efficient) than drugstore.com has. It's with all the other skin-care stuff like Aveeno, near the lotions. It's not cheap but I have tried generics and they are just not as hydrating.

[Serena]

Originally posted by PumpkinSeed

Fabric softener, especially bounce, is the worst for eczema.

!!! You made me realize, duh, that we have of late been sending out dd's clothes with ours (we don't have a washer/dryer and get our clothes done for us at the laundromat) and OF COURSE they use dryer sheets. This makes perfect sense timing-wise.

I will have to be vigilant about washing her clothes myself and using the vinegar. I will also buy BioKleen. I tried Ecover laundry detergent, but wasn't crazy about it, I have to admit.

This is when the internet comes in so handy. Thank you all for the ideas.

[gilnikche]

My babe had irregular sandpaer type patches all over her trunk for months & I never did figure out the cause.

I used Weleda's Calendula baby cream & it really helped! Do you have a Trader Joe's nearby? They have a great detergent that is much less than Biokleen & Ecover. I have used it for 7 years.

[Megs Mom]

Thanks for the Trader Joe's hint - I didn't know about this and do have one near me!

[gilnikche]

Megs Mom,

You are welcome


Serena,

Please let us know how she is doing, okay?

[BusyMommy]

Hey, just searching for "toilet" references and saw this. fyi our allergist told us NOT to use aquaphor even though our ped said yes.

So, if it's not helping, try changing. She sugg. eucerin or cetpahil creams.

[Chinese Pistache]

My dd has eczema also. For the most part, we can keep it under control through diet, but she just has sensitive skin, so it gets rough and bumpy with very little cause. I just started using Baby Balm from Badger Balm. It works so great, and is all natural. We've also used straight petroleum jelly on her just after a bath. I know it's not NFL, but it works. I just hate her smelling like a gas station when I use it! Anyway, Badger Balm is much better so I'm glad I won't be needing vaseline any more.

[Aliviasmom]

Just so you know, hydrocortisone contains a steriod. If the doctor prescribes this to you, use only a LITTLE bit and only as long as neccessary. Then (if eliminating foods hasn't worked yet), you can try something like Elidel, which is a prescription with NO steriod and is approved for babies as young as 6 months.

[Megs Mom]

I know this thread is old, but I wanted to caution you to do your research about something like Elidel (or the related Protopic) before using it - as if you wouldn't. We used both on my eldest, but some of the newer research on them is a bit concerning.