Eczema- Some success but still ITCHY!

[Owens Mama]

My sonshine 4 month old ds (bf only...healthy 16 pounder) has been struggling with eczema rash on his cheeks for a month or so. It got pretty nasty for awhile- but we are managing to keep it under control. It is so wonderful to see his face looking pink and healthy again.

But, he is still so itchy! Constantly scratching at his face and his scalp- which is also dry and flaky. I am able to keep him from hurting himself but am desperate to stop his scratching..it makes it so hard to put him down and walk away.
Here is what has helped so far:
California Babys Calendula Cream applied
liberally and frequently. Frequent gentle washings with warm water. (no soap at all) Keep the nails short! Mittens on his hands when necessary. I have eliminated Dairy and Eggs(2 weeks now) and wheat (first day...bummer!) from my diet. And I treat his scalp with Olive Oil about once a day.

I tried sulphur but no great result, although it really helped me with my winter itchy skin. And we found a great trick for nightime- I pin his arms to his side with old fashioned, sturdy diaper pins (into his sleeper of course) and he cant scratch. I know it sounds barbaric but it really works- But we do co-sleep so I am able to really keep an eye on him.

Anyone had any luck with the anti itch cream at the health food store? Florasone I think it is called. Or any othe advice. I can keep the rash down but how to stop the itch?

Sorry for the long post...just wanted to provide all the info :

[sedalbj]

we used florasane(sp?, the cardiospermum one)+sulpher on my DD, and the ointment seemed to work better than the sulpher. we went 100% ointment.

[JaneS]

Florasone stung my little guy's skin and made him very uncomfortable

[PikkuMyy]

I also had severe eczema as a child. I still have it now although much less. I don't eat eggs or dairy (I'm vegan) which helps. My mother used to put socks on my hands while I slept so that I couldn't scratch while I slept. But what makes it or breaks it for me is GLA fatty acids. I take Borage Oil but as you can see from JaneS' sig, it's in evening primrose as well. When I take it regularly, no eczema. When I forget for a while, bad eczema. I find Shikai's Borage lotion to be extremely soothing when I've forgotten to take the oil internally and have a breakout. When I put it on at night my hands look so much better in the morning.

[crazy_eights]

Make sure you are using detergent with no fragrance. A pretty basic thing, but no one told me about it when my dd developed eczema - including my ped. She has no flare ups unless I use products with artificial fragrances. I had to get this info from other moms of kids with eczema!