Baby's eczema

Usually with a baby that young we would start by recommending changes to hygiene and washing. Using unscented and gentle washing powder/liquid for baby's clothes can be helpful. When baby is bathed, it's a good idea to slather baby with lotion prior to even drying baby off. This helps to lock in moisture.

If your daughter or someone else has eczema and uses steroid creams, do not use them on baby unless the doctor recommends it. Infants have much thinner skin than adults, and the skin on the face is even thinner than on other parts of the body. Children and babies are much more sensitive to systemic absorption and systemic side effects than adults, so many topical medications are too strong for babies.

A colleague's child suffered from eczema and ended up with steroid addiction syndrome. She was at her wits end.

I gave her a block of raw/pure shea butter to try to see if it would help her child's eczema. She gave it a try and saw good results over a few weeks.

Each person/baby/child is different on how they respond to certain lotions and creams so what may work for someone may not work for another.

I have seen some good suggestions including allergy testing.

Good luck!

Oh, and if she's still breast feeding, put some milk on it.

Careful of washing powders you use for sheets, towels and parent's clothes. If someone is holding him, have a cloth for them to put over their clothes.
I used to get eczema. I used a tar based shampoo..far too hard on an infant. And vinegar rinses ...also too hard.

My friend's son had it as a baby and she just used aveeno creams. It went away after a year.

I had severe eczema as a baby and thoughout childhood. I eventually decided to try my luck jobwise in London, my bedsit did not have a fridge, so keeping butter or milk was out - my eczema disappeared too!! Worth a try? But take medical advise with a child so young.

My little GS tore his skin until it bled night after night due to eczema. We were frazzled with lack of sleep. Eliminating dairy certainly helped but all the creams prescribed by doctor did not help one jot. Try some of the creams suggested on here until you find the one that may possibly help. Definitely get allergy testing done. DGS is 95% clear of eczema now. He is 8 years old and only gets flare ups when he consumes egg

DD had eczema as a baby ( not as bad as some babies) and multiple food and skin allergies. She’d largely outgrown it by 5 but continues to have food allergies and allergies to products - she has an epipen. Luckily DGD has no allergies. When she was at uni we moved house. Whenever she came home her eczema erupted again and got better when she left for uni again. We discovered it was the water softener so took it out.

Is your daughter breastfeeding? If so She needs to discuss if cutting dairy out of her diet will help. My granddaughter had an allergic reaction at 4 weeks (sudden covering in rash). Mum had to go dairy and wheat and soya free. Really helped.

Liz Earle's skin repair moisturiser has received some very good feedback from eczema sufferers. It is 100% natural so no harmful ingredients. You can buy it on-line from her website and some Boots Chemists also stock it.

Many thanks everyone for your advice and words of support. My daughter intends to go back to the GP and ask for a referral to our local hospitals dermatology dept. My daughter has breast fed Anna as well as topping up with bottles since she was born. However we also have a history of asthma and allergies in the family. Hopefully things will settle down eventually for them. I will take time to read everyone's posts properly.

Most babies do not react to mums diet via her milk, but a few very sensitive ones do. Keep a diary of what she eats and how baby is, likewise when introducing other foods. If mum needs to cut out anything it is a dry run for cooking for a little allergic person, if food is a cause or an aggravating factor. With introducing solids coming up diary very important, not just food, anything else that might be relevant. Add potentially tricky foods one at a time www.nhs.uk/start4life/weaning/what-to-feed-your-baby/around-6-months/#anchor-tabs.

Every sympathy! Your poor little granddaughter! I have had eczema since infancy (when my mother weaned me from breast to mixed diet & cow's milk). It has flared up from time to time, but I'm not too badly affected. One of my daughters had it in infancy, but grew out of it and is fine (now 40). One thing I would caution against is using Chinese traditional skin remedies, which someone mentioned. A study of them a few years ago showed that many of the preparations contained powerful steroids and some contained toxic chemicals, such as lead. You don't know what you are getting! Have you looked at NHS Choices?

A second vote for Dream Cream (one of the few things I'm not allergic to). I must take the pot back and get some more soon. My GP said to always get some out with a plastic spoon. Never dip your fingers in the pot (or bacteria can grow in there)!

Know a wee boy who was the same. He grew to be covered in it and the whole family had years of sleepless nights with the horrible condition preventing the boy from having any comfort. At times he looked as if he was on fire, skin looked raw. Saw numerous experts with no decent outcome. By the time he was 6 desperation set in and the family consulted a chinese medicine practitioner. Didn't recognise him next time I saw him, totally cleared and what a difference in his personality. Cost quite a bit but family felt definitely worth it. Do hope your DGS doesn't develop quite such a serious condition though.

My granddaughter is 10 months old, and has dreadful eczema too. Hers is food related. She has allergies to milk, dairy, eggs, nuts, peas, nuts , soya and anything grown in a pod oh and strawberries ! She had skin tests at 6 months. At this point it was being caused via breast feeding, so my daughter has had to completely change her diet and obviously granddaughter now she is eating. She is seen at allergy clinic by dieticians and finally the dermatology department on 28th jan. maybe keep a record of what she eats.

Dianehillbilly a good point.

I've used rainwater when we've been in Australia but our town water back here smells very strongly of chlorine.
Come to think of it, my skin itches far more here than there, (unless I get mozzie bites).

Centraban cream but reall it sounds like she needs an urgent referral to paeds/ eczema specialist nurse . V hard on mummy and child ....... no fabric conditioner , cotton against the skin, oatmeal in the bath and cream her up at least 4 x per day . Also wash her down well if she gets chlorine on the skin . Good luck but most of all insist on a referral !!!

My best friend suffers from severe eczema and she has been seeing a Professor Harwood at the London Hospital and has huge respect for her as she has been very helpful in managing it.

Check your water. Although my daughter lives in Australia, both her 3 year old & 2 month old are allergic to the town water, as they have just moved & are using their own rainwater they are fine once again. When the water runs low they have to get the town water delivered & obviously it starts over again. It just goes to show that anything can cause it, even innocent water! Hopefully all will soon sorted.

check out the NES - National Eczema Society - if you have not already done so. Lots of support and advice from professionals and other eczema sufferers.

Could your granddaughter have a milk allergy? However I really think the poor little soul should be referred to a specialist. If it goes on like this she may end up with scarring.

Not DD, DGD's.

DD's eczema has erupted again and she remarked yesterday that it's always worse in the winter- could that be lack of Vitamin D I wonder?

I'm afraid you probably just have to cross your fingers until the eczema clears up on its own. A lot of ointments just seem to make it worse, even when they are prescribed by a doctor.

An old-fashioned treatment for nappy rash, was to boil small pieces of a gauze bandage in clear water, then apply the gauze when it was completely cold to the badly affected parts .

I have no idea whether this would work for eczema, but it cannot do any harm to try it.

icanhandthemback such triggers are not supposed to pass through into breast milk but I also am convinced that they do. My breast fed child was extremely fretful and suffered with severe colic until she was put on to formula milk. We found out years later that she is coeliac so I believe that gluten did pass through into the milk.
If only I had known back in those days, I could have cut gluten out of my diet.

The same may be true for mothers eating dairy products who have a milk protein intolerant baby.