What am I missing?

[ZebraZeebra]

Just wondering if anyone with experience can see what I'm missing - if anything.

DS - 13 months - has severe egg and peanut allergies which result in blistering skin and intense itching which then leads to bacterial skin infections. We have this under control and I never, ever eat those things (I'm still BFing) or anything that causes similar reactions, like guar gum. I guess he also has quite sensitive skin and has eczema flare ups - I would differentiate these from the allergy reactions.

I keep it under control by doing the usual things but lately, he's been itching so frantically. Specifically in the middle of the night, for a few hours, getting into a real frenzy. Last week he had a massive flare up but it's under control now. This morning, he was wriggling and trying to itch himself from 5am until I eventually got up with him at 7am. But when I checked his skin to put cream on, it looked totally fine - no redness, a bit dry but nothing major. It's been the same time every night/early morning and I just wondered if anyone had similar experiences and know what might be causing it?

He sleeps in cotton vest and sleepsuit, has a cotton sleeping bag that's so thin it doesn't have a tog, and then a 4 tog duvet - it's VERY cold in our room (12 degrees) and so if he kicks off the duvet, still has some cover via the sleeping bag. We co-sleep. I haven't changed washing powder or deodorant or anything.

Any ideas gratefully received! The frenzied wriggling is driving us both nuts. I've just started using a propolis cream for the intense itching, and use Epaderm ointment twice daily to keep his skin hydrated.

Oh OP I'm sorry to hear of the suffering your DS is experiencing. Me and my DS both suffer from a few allergies but especially eczma!

It really flares up in the winter. A few things i would advise you of if you haven't already -

• washing powder - always a non bio and try not to use fabric softner and maybe give the wash an extra rinse for his sheets and clothes.

• Milk - If you are using cows milk, this can cause eczma. Some doctors say nutritional explanations are non sense, some completely believe it makes a difference. As for me, and one of my friends with a DS we swear by it and switched our DS's to goats milk and it helped A LOT.

• Soaps/Bubble bath - Never use Johnsons or anything with a scent. My son just bathes with the luke warm water and aqueus cream (if that's how you spell it)!

Hope that helps a bit xx

When DS was little we were told to apply emollient 4-5 times a day, particularly during flare ups. Central heating is a major cause of eczema flare ups in the winter as it dries the air plus the changes in temperature from going outside in the cold to inside in the warm also make eczema worse. DS's eczema is pretty bad at the moment too :( Try placing a cup of water in the bedroom (and maybe the lounge too) near the radiator to keep the air moist. In fact, we always turn off the radiator in DS's room and only turn it on occasionally for a couple of hours during extremely cold weather.

I would also add that a flare up can look like it's gone when in fact it's still lurking in the lower layers of skin which is why you should always continue to use prescribed steroid ointments for at least a few days after the external signs seem to have cleared up otherwise it will simply come back again.

environmental allergies?

dust mite?

I know the feeling, DS has eczema and during the bad nights he would start wriggling the moment I put him down and wake himself up. I just used to carry him till he was deeply asleep and then put him down. Ive read that night time is the worst not only because their skin gradually dries out over the course of the night but also because there are no distractions to take their minds and hands off the itch. So when they start itching they continue itching. There really is something called the itch-scratch cycle. There were some really rough nights, our GP prescribed an anti-histamine which also has a sedative effect to use very sparingly. Itching the flared up skin makes it worse. The anti-histamine is key to breaking the cycle and allowing the skin heal. At least that what I think has (some what) worked for us.

Is your central heating on high in the rest of the house? Saying this as you think that 12 degrees is your bedroom is very cold. To me, that's quite warm.

(I spend a lot of time outdoors).