Ezcema or food allergy?

[chicca]

How do you start in determining this?

After a couple of weeks of worsening blotchy spots around DS's eyes and mouth I am finally being a good mother and doing something about it.

It started at the same time as he started nursery (stress?) but comes and goes a bit.

The spots are not pussy or like acne at all - they are not raised. He has a red patch under his eye which looks sore and dry but doesn't feel dry to the touch.

If it is food how do you go about finding out what it is - it could take ages! I am starting a diary now.

He had a bit of chocolate yesterday and also gazpacho and it's partic. bad this morning so perhaps it's one of those??

how old is your ds?? I don't really know much about eczema. My ds was 4 months when he got a slight rash around back of neck and dry red patches behind his ears and below his eye. Turned out to be eczema related to food allergy (he was only bf at the time). He didn't have any around mouth though. Steroid cream helped to clear and then an emolliant daily to maintain. Once on solids he had severe allergic reaction to wheat and we got allergy tested. Now we avoid those foods and his skin cleared completely. Don't know anything about food diaries as our allergies were very obvious. Hopefully someone else might be able to help you with that.

Do they feed him at nursery or do you send in food?

its not too difficult to find out what it is.
Food can cause excema, either on contact or eaten.
Most people advice cutting oput dairy first although it often isnt that but maybe a good starting point! in my experience it was citrussy things mainly.
Just choose a group of food to exlude,like citrus dont feed it for about 10 days then reintroduce and see what you find out!

It has worsened today and have so far cut out citrus and tomato. Will do as you suggest. DS is 16 months and I send him with food to nursery so it's unlikely he has eaten anyone else's food.

He has also had a cough for a while which he can't shake off and I am wondering if there might be some kind of link there??

Hi I had eczema as achild and dread my kids having it the most likely causes are milk and dairy and eggs also this time of year the weather you are in and out all the time my son 3 months has a rashy face the hv recommended avenos cream it is made with oatmeal and has worked a treat ! There is also a bath oil bathing less ofen also helps. there is an alternative medicine place in south hampton that I went to that did the allergy testing it is expensive but well worth it the other thing that is good for eczema is seeds in the diet sesame etc I cared for a little boy who was coverd and he had lots of seeds and grains in his diet and it seemed to work