Baby Eczema

dreambirdie

Wondering if anyone here has a child with eczema and what their routine is everyay.

My 16 wk old son seems to be developing eczema. he has red patches of dry skin all over him and his head is so dry its like sandpaper i brought him to the doctors and was prescribed hydrocortisone.

i have reduced bathing my baby to twice per week and the only thing i put in the bath is oilatum. everyday and night i put hydrocortisone on his red patches and e45 everywhere else. but this doesnt seem to be easing it at all. is there anything else i can do?

Sublime_2

My son gets eczema. He gets Zerobase on prescription, which I apply twice a day.

Plans_all_plans

Olive oil can be quite good on the head if it's like cradle cap. Not tried it anywhere else on the body tho. Beaten egg white is good for nappy rash, but not sure if it would work anywhere else. Might be worth a try? Maybe ask your health visitor about that.

I didn't personally bath my DD til she was 6 weeks old, so I wouldn't bath him unless you really think he's getting grubby. A wipe with a facecloth will do.

ETA: I have bad eczema myself and was worried my DD would have it so I didn't bath her often as thought it's dry her out too much!

I don't like the idea of putting creams on really small babies (no idea why though!) Does he seem to be in pain with it?

newmoneysaver_2

Hi dreamiebird, I suffer from eczema and so does my LO (18mnths)

Hydrocortisone is a steriod cream, which will help to clear up the cracked open patches etc. Were you given a moisturiser to use. We moisturise as much as we can, at least every nappy change and especially before bed and only use the steriod creams when and where needed. We also only bath 1 a week and don't use anything in the bath or any soaps/shampoos.

My LO's is triggered by dairy so we are on a dairy free diet too!

dreambirdie

Yes its really annoying him he is constantly trying to scratch at his face etc and when put down for the night he moves his head from side to side trying to get at the back of it.

newmoneysaver - i only put the hydrocortisone on the red patches. i wasnt given any moisturiser because i told the doc i had already bought the e45.mwhich moisturiser do you use? is e45 ok?

sublime - is zerobase like a moisturiser?

thanks for the replies so far, its awful seeing him trying to get at it its must be so uncomfortable for him

gill_81uk

My baby boy has eczema also but we were fortunate that ours didn't show until 6 months when we started weaning so I was able to pinpoint cowsmilk as the cause.

I was also fortunate that my HV has recently been trained and runs an eczema clinic so she gave me loads of good advice.

Firstly she told us that (altho the doctors won't tell you) hydrocortisone will help but it will also dry the skin out so you need to put some sort of moisture cream on approx 15 mins after the steroid cream. She also told me I wasn't putting enough moisture cream on, you need loads, and his skin should never feel dry to touch. If it does then the cream has stopped worked and you need to put more on. Always make sure you put in on in a downwards motion to prevent infection and skin damage.

We use doublebase emolient and in the bath, but the best thing we have been prescribed is epaderm. It has a vasaline consistency and comes in a tub, you need to spoon it out (again to prevent infection). If he has a flare up this calms it very very quickly. We use this morning and evening and the doublebase throughout the day if needed.

Other advice she gave me is that his bedroom (or the room he sleeps in) should always be cool and airy. Keep windows open during the day and locked open at night if possible. Make sure the temp is always between 16 and 18 degrees. Only let him have 100% cotton touching his skin, including bedding, and make sure it's washed at 60 degrees in nonbio. Keep the room he sleeps in free from cuddly toys and anything that harbours dust. Dust his room with a damp cloth twice and week and also hoover it twice a week. Hoover his mattress also.

I think that's everything I was told but if I remember anything else I'll come back and add it. Please also feel free to pm me if you have any questions. HTH

go_cat

My 3 1/2 year old suffers from ecxema on his face - sudacrem works wonders when he is asleep

pupsicola

dreambirdie wrote: »

Wondering if anyone here has a child with eczema and what their routine is everyay.

My 16 wk old son seems to be developing eczema. he has red patches of dry skin all over him and his head is so dry its like sandpaper i brought him to the doctors and was prescribed hydrocortisone.

i have reduced bathing my baby to twice per week and the only thing i put in the bath is oilatum. everyday and night i put hydrocortisone on his red patches and e45 everywhere else. but this doesnt seem to be easing it at all. is there anything else i can do?

Both my sons suffered horrendously with eczema from a month old. They outgrew it completely by the time they were 3. The younger they are when they get it the more likely they are to be clear of it early.

Both my kids had allergies - dairy, fish and wheat were the main problems. My eldests skin improved greatly when I changed him on to a soya based formula. My youngests condition was so severe he had to be put onto a presecribed formula called Neocate.

Washing powder - The only one that hasn't irritated their skin is Surcare.

Dress in 100% cotton and use cotton bedding etc

Dont wash regularly - water can dry out the skin

Hydrocortisone is a steroid cream that over time can thin the skin. With my eldest hemp body butter from the Body shop worked wonders. With my youngest Aveeno moisturising cream, lotion and bath oil was magic. You can get this one prescribed by your gp

Cotton Comfort sell sleepsuits that mean baby cannot scratch. The less the ksin is broken the less infections they get. The suits are expensive but so worth it.

I use to cover my 2 every couple of hours with their moisturising creams. Thin layer so it doesn't clog on the skin.

Hope this has helped.

workinmummy

We have two moisturisers:

Hydromol, which comes in a tub and is very greasy and is more of a barrier cream. And Cetroban, which is in a pump action tube and is more user friendly and less greasy. But i have heard of others such as Doublebase.

Your health visitor will be able to give you a prescription for a moisturiser and / or barrier cream. Plus Oilatum for the bath.

faithcecilia

My brother has very severe excema. He had his first bath when he was 18mths old, and first slept through the night when he was 7:eek:. From birth to age 7 he was creamed and bandaged top to toe twice a day - daytime with a white moisturiser cream and nightime with a smelly beige steroid cream. He was given antihisthamines to stop the itching and valergan syrup to try to help him sleep.

I hope none of your children have to go through this routine, it was horrible to watch and horrible for my parents to do.

dreambirdie

thank you so much everyone for your replies they have been so helpful i didnt realise there was so much more i can do.



fingers crossed he will grow out of it. for the minute i guess its my job to just keep him as comfotable as i can