6mo with eczema scratches till bleeds

[HLROB1]

Hi,my 6mo was diagnosed with eczema when he was 3mo and since then we have tried everything under the sun to clear it up (he sees paediatrician and dermatologist regularly) ! We have gone down the milk allergy route and it appears that's not the problem. Since the hot weather started and he's been spending most of his time in a nappy his skin has cleared right up but some night he scratches himself so much he bleeds (nails are kept short, can't put scratch mits on as he's a finger sucker). He doesn't cry but I hear him wake in the night cc and go to check and he's covered in blood! What can I do to stop him scratching?? Should I be worried that he's not feeling any pain from the wounds he creates?

[FernGullysWoollyPully]

My 8 yr old has had terrible eczema since about the same age as your boy. It's affected by someone things including the pollen count. My gp prescribes Piriton to help.

[FernGullysWoollyPully]

Someone? Apologies, that's supposed to read so many.

[HLROB1]

Do you think they would perscribe that to him even tho he's still so young? X

[FernGullysWoollyPully]

I'd take him to the gp and ask. Explain how bad the itch/scratch is and show them if he's sore. They need to help stop the itch. My son has had secondary infections from scratching in the past, then they need antibiotics or creams to clear it up.

I can't remember how long my son's been taking Piriton, as long as I can remember so maybe they will be able to.

[HLROB1]

Thankyou

[nuttybananas]

We were prescribed piriton at about 6 months. (The standard label on the bottle says 12 months but obviously my pharmacy label was specific for DS at 6 months)
To be honest I'm not sure how much it did or didn't help but I felt better that I was doing something.
I ended up just having broken sleep (in a bedside cot next to me) and would try to just hold his hands until he settled back to sleep.
We've been lucky that the worst seems to have passed and now at 2 years its just in 2 small places - but I do remember how frustrating it was when it was at its worst and my poor baby was so uncomfortable.
(You may already know this or it may not apply if your sons eczema is so bad - but one of my key learnings from my eczema specialist was to not underuse the steroid cream out of fear about the steroid. If its needed then use it thoroughly on all the affected areas. So even when the eczema is under control but I can feel the tell tale texture with my finger tips or the area comes up red after moisturising - I'm straight in there with the steroid to stop it turning into a full on itchy flare up)

[cjm10979]

My DD had eczema at this age and because of this I made sure that she was sleeping in gro bags to prevent the scratching. You can get them is all different tog strengths which means they can be used in hot weather if the room is well ventilated (fan). Of course, this didn't prevent scratching on the face/arms if no sleepsuit.