BABY Eczema??? HELP?

Question

i think my son has Eczema we go to the doctors tomorrow. I had it when i was younger. He will be 6 weeks old sat. and its all around his neck, chest, back, and its on his scalp... and tiny bumps on his arms and legs. He has been crying alot in the last 2 days. and has been really fussy. when he crys he tends to pull where the rashes are.
what can i do to soothe him and also anyone who has been through this what products work best??? (laundry soap, baby wash, shampoo etc) whatever help you can give... & please serious positive people only!!!
Thank you

Answer 1

I use All Free & Clear for all our family's laundry. I figure that she spends as much time snuggling on us, and in blankets, etc., that it doesn't make sense to have one detergent for her and another for everyone else. Plus, it's affordable - way cheaper than Dreft. Buy it at Sam's club for even less.

I haven't got direct personal experience with eczema (can hardly spell it!) but Burt's Bees products worked GREAT on my daughter's cradle cap (isn't that sort of similar?). I used the apricot oil and it was gone within a day. She nursed and was very gassy, so bonus, she was the Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity Baby! :)

Now we use Johnson & Johnson's stuff because I like the smell. Maybe you could quit with soap altogether and just wash the baby with warm water until the eczema is under control? How dirty can a 6 week old be getting, right? It's not like he's out making mud pies in the yard just yet. Ha ha...

If you take regular quick cooking oatmeal (plain ol' Quaker Oats in a big tube - not flavored! Hahaha...) and put it in the blender (I use my Magic Bullet for this, and baby food, love the Magic Bullet! As Seen On TV!) until it's a fine powder, you can make your own oatmeal bath rather than spending gazillions of dollars on it at the store. Add a little powdered milk to soothe, some baking soda to soften the water, and you've got a gourmet bath. Run it by your doctor first, and make sure it's ok for eczema, but it worked really well on my daughter's awful, awful, awful diaper rash.

Also, I would think that you'd want to keep him cool, and in natural fabrics like cotton, until it's gone. Cotton will breathe well and help his skin cool itself better than say that baby-sized polyester leisure suit that Great Aunt Edna sent. Avoid letting him get too hot, and avoid hot baths.

One last thing - if it's winter where you are now, get a humidifier for your house, or at the very least, for the rooms where baby spends the most time. Dry skin is no fun for babies. Maybe he just has really bad dry skin?

Here's hoping that it goes away quickly. Hope some of this helps!

Answer 2

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.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

My daughter didn't have eczema but does have sensitive skin, and I ended up just using Dove soap instead of baby shampoo and bathing her less often (around 2x/week). Definitely use the Dreft laundry detergent in case it's the clothes causing the rash. I have heard of the same symptoms being because of a food allergy as well, so at least keep that in mind and ask the doctor if this could possibly be the case. (this is more likely if you're breastfeeding- he may be allergic to something you're eating- many times it's the milk the Mom is drinking).

Answer 5

One of my daughters and also my son have had Eczema real bad. What worked best for soap and shampoo were Dove and Aveeno. Aveeno even makes a line of baby products for infants now that were not out when mine were younger. I prefered Dove. Be careful not to get it in his eyes though because it will sting. Eucerin Cream worked well, not the Eucerin lotion. For Laundry detergent All Free and Clear worked best. Look for a detergent that is free of dyes and perfumes. Dreft is also good. You may need a prescription for a cream like Elidel that my children used as infants...but try the others first. He may need a different formula. This may be an allergic reaction to his diet or if you or some one else that holds him alot uses perfume/cologne he may be allergic to it. Try to lay off of these for now, or use light body sprays instead and do not put any on your clothes.

Answer 6

My little boy had eczema on his cheeks. I was not sure what method to use but I didn't want to make my boy go through any surgery treatments at this young age. Some suggested a plastic surgeon since it was in a very visible location but our family doctor recommend this natural guide.

Best Eczema Treatment?

Answer 7

Hi! I am so sorry about your son. My best friend as a baby who is 1 week older than my daughter (5 months). Her eczema was so bad she bled on her cheeks, SO sad. Anyway, she switched to washing Aubrey in Cetaphil, which is a facial clenser you can find over the counter. She used Aveeno before and it wasn't as good as the Cetaphil. She also uses a baby lotion from Whole Foods in the baby section. It is a creme bottle with a green top. Hope that helps...oh, and maybe he has a food allergy, if you are nursing...and make sure to use Dreft for laundry. Take care

Answer 8

I Cured Eczema Easily Permanently : http://Eczema.neatprim.com

Answer 9

There is baby laundry soap that is hypoallergenic and it works real well one is called Drift "works the best", and All now has a baby laundry soap. My daughter developed eczema around 9 weeks and the doctor prescribed her Tropicort.. It work really well and with in days you could see the bumps going away.. They also have baby soap that is hypoallergenic wipes and many more products....

Answer 10

There are several things you can do to ease his discomfort. I have eczema and my god son has it too. Oatmeal baths are helpful, also be careful with what kind of laundry detergent you use. Dreft is best. Hydrocortizone cream is good, but there is a certain kind that is best used for babies. Try not to bath him in water that is too warm and don't use anything that is scented. Baby aveno lotion works well too. I hope this helps. It is definitely uncomfortable.