my friend told me to lotion up every day to prevent my baby from getting eczema but to me this sounds really odd! is this something parents pass on thru genes or just a rash the baby will get on his own i dont have it and im not sure if the father has this or not. this has been on my mind for a couple days ever since she told me that.
2007-02-16 09:39:31 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
they just do. There isn't a cause, you can't "prevent" it and there's no cure. It can be passed on from family (my dad has it). Sorry but it's awful!!!
All this stuff about a milk reaction or too much bathing are wrong.
2007-02-16 10:02:10 · answer #1 · answered by Dizney 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A cornstarch bath may help with the itching. Use cetaphil cleanser as a moisturizer, then put Eucerin cream over the top of that. The cetaphil cleanser is VERY thin and will go INTO the skin; the Eucerin is thick and greasy and will sit on top of the skin to trap in the moisture. Use the steroid cream on the worst spots IF you have to, and when you do, apply it every day for 5-7 days then don't use it again for 7-10 days or more. The skin will develop a tolerance to the steroid and you'll have to get stronger and stronger prescriptions. So use it daily to heal the bad spots and then stop using it for several days. But DO take a close look at the food he is eating. Most of baby eczema is a food allergy. Usually dairy. Sometimes soy. If he's on formula, then it is almost definately the formula. If it is a dairy allergy, then if you avoid the dairy altogether then the eczema should go away and he'll likely grow out of the allergy in a couple of years. My daughter is now 4 years old and is able to drink milk without any outbreaks, but when she was a baby it was the dairy that caused her eczema. And her eczema was very very bad, head to toe, red angry itchy. Strange, but the doctors I took her to never even mentioned a possible dietary cause. I guess it is easier to prescribe steroids for a baby than to see what is actually wrong with the baby. Oh, and be very sparing with the baths. Sitting in the water for more than about 2 minutes will dry the skin out. And hot water is more drying than warm water. When you take him out of the bath, immediately rub in the thin lotion then cover the bad areas with a heavy lotion to seal in the moisture. Some people use Crisco, it's about the same consistency at the Eucerin cream.
2016-03-28 23:05:57 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know alot of mothers who have babies w/ eczema, who's dr's said the babies got it from too much bathing! The dr's say it's good to not give the babie's a bath every day but maybe every other day or two. A daily bath actually dries out the baby's skin too much. I've also been told that adults shouldn't take a daily bath or wash their hair day, daily hair washing strips hair of the natural oil and nutrients it needs, same with the skin. If I were u, I'd talk to the dr about it cause it could also be hereditary.
2007-02-16 09:50:39 · answer #3 · answered by claricevane 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Eczema is very often secondary to allergies - either to something that is touching the skin or from food allergies.
Many children develop eczema from consuming pasteurized cow's milk but it clear up after they switch to raw (which is hard to find in the U.S.). It's b/c they're allergic to certain proteins in the milk and the pasteurization process destroys the natural enzymes that help to properly digest those proteins.
2007-02-16 09:45:21 · answer #4 · answered by Kim B 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, it is not passed on from the parent, at least not in my case. My baby had this for several months. I had to discontinue all frangranced lotions and shampoos and it cleared up. It was just an allergic reaction.
2007-02-16 09:50:49 · answer #5 · answered by rachelle8274 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋