[baileyann3]

Alright, mamas, we need to bring out the big guns. Macey has some serious eczema and neither of us has gotten any sleep in whats going on three weeks.. this seriously sucks

things ive done:
oatmeal bath
jojoba oil
unpretoleum jelly
calendula cream
humidifier

we just got back to the doctors and have last resorted to 1/2% hydrocortisone cream and this new cream we found at the health food store called "look,no XEMA!"

HELP please, i'm at my wits end, the tossing and turning and scratching and crying and no sleep is really really hindering me.. i'm not able to be the mama i want to be.

 

[Halfasianmomma]

Hi there,
I had MASSIVE eczema as a child, and my mother tells me the horror stories of having to slather on cortizone cream on a screaming naked baby with open sores all over her body...

My DD doesn't seem to have eczema so I don't know if my solutions could work but here's what I do to keep it at bay
1) removed all fabric softener, dryer sheets, detergents and harsh soaps from our washing routine. I use Ivory but only half the recommended amount and our clothing still smells clean.
2) nothing but cotton bedding and clothing
3) No perfumes or irritants in the house
4) I take regular supplements of flax seed oil + magnesium (eczema can cause or be caused by a magnesium deficiency)...
5) I moisturize twice daily with almond oil

When things got really bad and my skin split, I went to see a dermatologist who prescribed a stinky night lotion made from tar. It was mustard yellow, stained my sheets and needed to be washed off in the morning but it healed those cracks in two weeks.

HTH!

 

[elmh23]

First thought: allergies to something. Try doing a food journal of everything you eat (if you are breastfeeding) and everything she eats (if she is.) Also look at your soaps and detergent.

To help out now, oatmeal baths help a LOT! Make sure when you bathe her that you pat try her skin, not rub it! Then put some unpetroleum jelly on it right away to keep the moisture in.

 

[baileyann3]

thanks your responses. i actually cut out dairy 5 days ago, so we are waiting on that. i also stopped bananas, avocados, carrots, celery, strawberries, etc, on a hint that she might have a latex allergy from a reaction to a banana she ate. she is only nursing for now

thanks again

eta: i like the almond oil idea. would it be a allergen threat using that on her skin? the xema cream i just bought have alond oil listed first, so maybe ill try that for a few days, and if it doesnt help then ill try just the straight oil.

 

[NicaG]

Ds had bad eczema when he was a baby and toddler...he's 3.5 now and it seems a little better this winter. For us, Aquaphor after baths helped a little. Switching to a different laundry detergent helped somewhat (we now use Seventh Generation), and running the clothes through an extra rinse cycle. Sitting in a hot bath always seemed to make things worse. Tide detergent and Dove soap made it worse. Now ds takes showers at night instead of baths, and that helps a lot, but that's not really feasible with a young baby. We never tried any dietary changes, since the eczema seemed seasonal, worse in winter.

Honestly, though, the thing that really helped was this special non-steroidal ointment called Elidel. It's a prescription. Not sure if it can be used with babies, but check with your doctor.

 

[JessicaS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by baileyann3 thanks your responses. i actually cut out dairy 5 days ago, so we are waiting on that. i also stopped bananas, avocados, carrots, celery, strawberries, etc, on a hint that she might have a latex allergy from a reaction to a banana she ate. she is only nursing for now thanks again eta: i like the almond oil idea. would it be a allergen threat using that on her skin? the xema cream i just bought have alond oil listed first, so maybe ill try that for a few days, and if it doesnt help then ill try just the straight oil.

Almond oil IS an allergy threat

Apricot kernel or Safflower would both be similarly light oils and lower allergen than almond.

Avocado oil would probably have the least allergens

I would stick with the calendula cream though, calendula is great for the skin.

 

[Surfer Rosa]

Good advice so far. I think the first thing you have to do is get the eczema under control. Nothing worked for us until we "broke down" and used hydrocortisone to help get her skin back to normal (in conjunction with limited baths, greasing up/preventative greasing, humidifier, etc. etc.). The nighttime itching can become a habit that's hard for LOs to break, and also can lead to infection...which is sad and grody. We resisted the steroid cream b/c it seemed harsh, but our DD was in so much pain. It seems ridiculous that we waited, in hindsight (I know this is unpopular here, but it's how I felt).

What we did:
We had DD tested for all the main allergens. Nothing showed up. Doc said some kids are just "eczema kids", and grow out of it. (which seems true: she's 3 now, and it is so so, so much better. Knock on wood, not a spot in sight.) Some ppl have luck with an elimination diet, but you have to be really stringent: check labels, and it can take up to two months to see a difference. Although DD isn't allergic to milk, we did notice her eczema seemed worse when she was consuming it, so we give her goat's/rice milk instead.

We used the steroid cream minimally and only until her skin was cleared up, and then relied a heavy duty preventative routine that consisted of 2x a day oilings (sweet almond oil, evening primrose oil). When we go outside, her face gets a coating of vitamin e/unpetroleum/something barrierish, we run a humidifier, we use perfume/dye free detergent, she bathes 2x a week (sometimes more) with a really gentle cleanser... CLO/flaxseed oil also seemed to help (when taken daily)...though this may just be anecdotal.

Good luck, hope your babe feels better soon!

 

[Surfer Rosa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NicaG Honestly, though, the thing that really helped was this special non-steroidal ointment called Elidel. It's a prescription. Not sure if it can be used with babies, but check with your doctor.

We tried Elidel too. It's not supposed to be for use un under 2's, but your doc may okay it (we used it at 18 mos, b/c we didn't want to use steroid based creams). It did help, but after reading the product insert/other research, I'm not sure it's any less "risky" than steroid based creams, IMO.

 

[NicaG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fridgeart We tried Elidel too. It's not supposed to be for use un under 2's, but your doc may okay it (we used it at 18 mos, b/c we didn't want to use steroid based creams). It did help, but after reading the product insert/other research, I'm not sure it's any less "risky" than steroid based creams, IMO.

Our doctor approved it for under-2 use as well. I read up on the risks, but for us it was great to use as a last resort. It works SO FAST. It was great for clearing up a really nasty outbreak, when I was worried about infection because of all the open sores and scratches.

 

[Gremlichita]

Try removing dairy products!! This clears up a most skin problems, asthma, and allergies, as well as behavioral problems. A lot of times these all come packaged together - does your child have any behavioral issues? If so, that is a sure sign that you gotta eliminate dairy.

 

[Surfer Rosa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NicaG Our doctor approved it for under-2 use as well. I read up on the risks, but for us it was great to use as a last resort. It works SO FAST. It was great for clearing up a really nasty outbreak, when I was worried about infection because of all the open sores and scratches.

Exactly how we approached it too. I remember it cleared everything up in two days (which I appreciated at the time), I just felt like after I looked at the side effects, it wasn't really any less "evil" than hydrocortisone

 

[elmh23]

DO NOT do almond oil or product containing almond oil with a kid with allergies. It could be very very bad and make her skin so much worse!

 

[elmh23]

oh and be careful with soy now that you got rid of dairy. a lot of people allergic to dairy are allergic to soy too.

 

[Mama Mko]

For us, corn is the answer. We cut corn out of my son's diet and his skin is like "normal" baby/kid skin. It makes me want to cry remembering how dry he used to be and how he'd scratch and scratch until he bled.

We use Aveeno Advanced Care (used to be called Aveeno Eczema Care) lotion and it has worked REALLY well for the dryness that he gets occasionally. We use a regular hydrocortisone cream that you buy over the counter if he gets corn accidentally and gets a flare up.

I hope you get it under control. It sucks watching your baby deal with eczema.

 

[Owachi]

Zyrtec was our miracle cure....a lot of eczema is caused by allergies so i don't know why dr's send us to dermatologists instead of allergists.....we tried elidel....expensive and didn't work.....we tried a few others and I took my son to the allergist on my own.....he had a few allergies but nothing he was exposed to at our house....he recommended trying zyrtec or claritin which is over the counter........it took one night of zyrtec and his horrible eczema was gone.......one night, no more scratching, no more long sleeves and pants everyday.....I hate giving my kids medicine but i was willing to try anything.....no side effects......he has 1/2 tsp every night before bed.......our allergist said he could be allergic to carpet or certain fabric.....but there is no way to test for fibers. So try it a few days......you might be shocked at the results. I still don't know why our ped or dermatologist never even mentioned allergy testing or medicine.......Good thing we have the internet....

 

[trancechylde]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fridgeart Good advice so far. I think the first thing you have to do is get the eczema under control. Nothing worked for us until we "broke down" and used hydrocortisone to help get her skin back to normal (in conjunction with limited baths, greasing up/preventative greasing, humidifier, etc. etc.). The nighttime itching can become a habit that's hard for LOs to break, and also can lead to infection...which is sad and grody. We resisted the steroid cream b/c it seemed harsh, but our DD was in so much pain. It seems ridiculous that we waited, in hindsight (I know this is unpopular here, but it's how I felt). What we did: We had DD tested for all the main allergens. Nothing showed up. Doc said some kids are just "eczema kids", and grow out of it. (which seems true: she's 3 now, and it is so so, so much better. Knock on wood, not a spot in sight.) Some ppl have luck with an elimination diet, but you have to be really stringent: check labels, and it can take up to two months to see a difference. Although DD isn't allergic to milk, we did notice her eczema seemed worse when she was consuming it, so we give her goat's/rice milk instead. We used the steroid cream minimally and only until her skin was cleared up, and then relied a heavy duty preventative routine that consisted of 2x a day oilings (sweet almond oil, evening primrose oil). When we go outside, her face gets a coating of vitamin e/unpetroleum/something barrierish, we run a humidifier, we use perfume/dye free detergent, she bathes 2x a week (sometimes more) with a really gentle cleanser... CLO/flaxseed oil also seemed to help (when taken daily)...though this may just be anecdotal. Good luck, hope your babe feels better soon!

Great Post Fridgeart! This is us to a tee. From the "breaking down" and using the darn cortisone cream already, to the scratching becoming a difficult habit to change, to the dairy. We also cut out gluten entirely.
Now we have been flare-up free for a while, we are slowly re-introducing cheese and it seems to be going well.
Flaxseed also seems to help us.

WHY do so many kids have eczema? It seems to be quite a common problem, does anyone have any info on studies or research done on this?

 

[LittleBlessings]

WE use Spectro Kids EczemaCare cream and body wash. It has so far worked out well

http://www.spectroskincare.com/kids_..._care_faq.aspx

I hope this helps

 

[nolansmummy]

aveeno advanced care has worked really well for us. I was so upset when they discontinued it for a few months (to change the name i guess) . We also have a prescription from the doctor that we use when it gets really bad. Prevention has helped a lot.
Infrequent baths, frequent lotioning, and no dyes or perfumes in anything! She also reacts badly to tomato sauces, so we've cut out those as well.

 

[JessicaS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rebeccajo For us, corn is the answer. We cut corn out of my son's diet and his skin is like "normal" baby/kid skin. It makes me want to cry remembering how dry he used to be and how he'd scratch and scratch until he bled.

Oh wow corn is REALLY hard too, I don't think I would try to eliminate corn AND dairy at the same time unless just going full tilt.

 

[flapjack]

We love Aveeno too.

We identified allergies by removing them one at a time, and corn was the last one to be found. Removing that from Isaac's diet made a huge difference. (Our total list was dairy, eggs, tomatoes, wheat, soy, corn, raspberries, nuts (through breastmilk and on the skin) and shellfish. He was having true allergic reactions to the dairy, eggs and wheat and all the others just provoked the eczema.

If it's severe enough that she's losing sleep over it, you need to be working with a ped and an allergist now, IMO- the presence of the eczema now puts her at higher risk for asthma later on which needs full-blown medical treatment. (It's also worth working with a homeopath to try and interrupt the eczema/asthma/nut allergy cycle. )They can also show you a wetwrapping technique which brought a lot of relief to Isaac, and can prescribe different strengths of steroid creams for those occasions when they may be appropriate: there's a balancing line between thinning the skin to a dangerous extent and keeping the skin intact enough to avoid infection.

The antihistamines have never made a big difference to either asthma or eczema in Isaac, btw- as fridgeart says, some kids are just eczema kids (and they inherit this from us.) The big thing you can do, though, is to get some good fatty acids going in your breastmilk, and in her food when she's big enough for solids. It'll help you cope emotionally with the impact and will help the skin replace itself.

Also, one word of advice. Take LOTS and lots of photographs, even if she isn't having a good skin day. They are small for such a short period of time, and it's so hard to see especially if the eczema is on the face. Don't put it off- have that record to look back on of your tiny, tiny daughter. We didn't take enough pictures of Isaac when he was a baby, and I do regret it now.