If you have a dc who does ballet and has eczema please can you tell me

[Aladdinsmagiclamp]

What ballet tights they wear. I would like to enrol my dd for ballet and Tap but she has really bad eczema on the back of her knees,ankles and it's starting to spread a little too. I think she will be okay in the ballet tutu but I am really concerned if the ballet tights will worsen her eczema. So please if your dc is doing ballet and has eczema please can you tell me what ballet tights they wear. It would be shame if she has to miss out on something that she would potentially love just because of her eczema 😕Tia

My dd is 4

Does she have to wear the tights? My DD does ballet and wears ballet socks with her leotard, would the dance school be ok with yours doing that if the tights will irritate her skin?

@FionnulaTheCooler thank you for replying. Perhaps I should ask them before enrolling her. Wouldn't they be cold during the winter months though?

Hi

My daughter’s class wear ballet socks, rather than tights. She doesn’t get cold in the winter (but wears a onesie on top of her ballet clothes on the way to and from her lesson).

Dds ballet school they have to wear socks until grade 3 or 4. They don't get cold.

Oh and no tutu either!

Sorry to hear about your eczema challenges with your DD OP. I have 2 DCs who dance. They both get eczema from different things, but neither of them seem to have a specific problem with their ballet tights. But as everyone's eczema triggers can differ, it might be worth trying a few different types of tights (eg made of different types of fabric) to see which ones suit her best. Or if you know particular fabrics do /don't trigger her eczema you can check the labels before you buy them and try to get some in a safe fabric.

I'm not sure if this is helpful for you but it has been really helpful for us:- my DCs' eczema has improved enormously since we started putting salt in their baths. My DD with the worst eczema has a warm 20 minute salt-water bath a few times a week (or more often if she has a flare up from something) and it has calmed everything down enormously. We just use a cup of plain table salt, or a mix of table salt and Epsom salts, and no soap or detergent. I thought it would be really drying but it has been absolutely the opposite - a complete game changer.

I hope your DD has a lovely time dancing 😊

Thank you all for replying . Much appreciated 💐. I think my dd might be able to wear a leotard , I will speak to the school first. The photos they have online show older girls in leotards but there is a photo of little ones wearing tutus and tights.

@Crackersnack when my dd wears normal john Lewis tights it really irritated my daughters eczema. If the school insists on tights ill probably have to trial a few to see if perhaps there are any that won't irritate her eczema. Thank you so much for the info about salt baths. We've got rid of our bath tub shortly before dd was born. I bought some Epsom salts the other day and diluted it and sponged down my dd's eczema , but it didn't quite work. I now wish we didn't get rid of our bath so my dd can have an actual salt bath. Given she is only 4 , I am looking to see if I could get an inflatable toddler bath for her to have a salt bath in.

Hi OP you could initially test whether the salt water is helpful or irritating by giving her a foot/ankle bath in a basin (or even the kitchen sink if she sits on the side), and gently sponging some over her knees. If she tolerates it, you could try it for a few days or a week and see if you get any improvement and then maybe look at baby baths (or even bigger laundry tubs or paddling pools!).

Rather than straight Epsom salts, I'd suggest maybe starting with just regular table/cooking salt (we buy the 1kg bags of cooking salt from the supermarket for this), as for my dd the regular salt seems to be the most important ingredient. But I think a mixture of regular salt and epsom salts is really good as well.

Just be aware that if her eczema is really raw or the skin is broken, then a strong salt solution will really sting, so start with quite a weak one and see how she goes. I use 1 cup salt in a full bath for my dd, so you'd probably only need a tablespoon of salt in a footbath.

Also if she bathes for too long it can make the skin drier. About 15-20 minutes seems to be the right amount of time for my dd.

Best of luck- I really hope it works for her!

Some more info here

www.allerchic.com.au/eczema-help-stop-scratching/salt-baths-for-eczema-treatment/

For really young kids most ballet clubs are really not that strict. Plenty of kids in my dd ballet class at that age would have worn their casual dance wear or leggings with the leotard. Especially since she has a skin complaint. I bet if you speak to the ballet school owner/teacher and explain they’ll be happy for her to wear an alternative such as leggings or socks with her leotard. Even perhaps she could wear the boys uniform which is normally a leotard and shorts.

As they get older the uniform becomes more strict in my experience (and for exams/recitals etc) but her eczema may well have cleared up by then. One of mine had it badly as a toddler/preschooler but it cleared up as he got older.

Mine wore socks except for exams for ages. I don't think she started wearing tights every week until she was about 10 or 11.

My DD does dance (admittedly not ballet) but the dance school website mainly has photos from their shows on it. They have a uniform but it's fairly relaxed for normal lessons and more strict for exams etc.
I would be surprised if tights were compulsory esp if you explain about her skin.

At age 4 my dd wore ballet socks with her leotard and skirt. Now she’s a bit older she wears the tendu convertible tights. They’re lovely and soft. I think ballet socks will probably be best for now.

Thank you everyone for all your replies, much appreciated. I am so sorry I couldnt reply earlier. I've contacted two dance schools and they both said they don't really wear ballet tights and it's mainly leotard and ballet socks and one place said a ballet skirt too. So I've signed dd up for trial session this week. I was feeling so discouraged before my OP but thank you all for all your advice/ experiences. I am so excited for dd because she loves dancing and seems to have rhythm so I am sure she will love it.
@Crackersnack I will definitely trial her with a foot/ankle bath with diluted table salt to start with and see how she gets on. Tbh, I didnt really have a clue about what I was doing with Epsom salts. Ine desperate morning, feeling quite demoralised, I researched stuff on eczema and saw that Epsoms are supposed to be good for eczema, and in desperation bought some and tried sponging her down. Trialling her with a little bit of table salt first makes more sense. Thank you so much for the advice, I am very grateful .

Eczema is just a whole world of trial and error and frustration isn't it! But sometimes you get a little breakthrough and it is marvellous. Really hope the salt (and ballet!) work out for you guys