Need ideas for coping with eczemary 11 month old who is not sleeping...

[SwallowsInSpring]

I realise this could be better placed in children's health or the allergies board, but I'm hoping to get ideas not just specific to eczema-ridden or allergic babies.

DS (11mo) has multiple food allergies and intolerances, which is obviously a massive PITA in itself and makes cooking, eating out etc a big faff with limited easy/cheat meal options. I can generally manage all that ok, but when he's sleeping badly as well it starts feeling much more difficult to cope with.

But the two main problems are the sleeping and the crying when we're changing his nappy or his clothes.

Sleeping: he generally sleeps from around 7.30pm to 2am, feeds, then sleeps again til anytime from 5am-doesn't sound too bad I know, but the second waking is it for the day. He starts scratching his wrists (he has scratch mitts from the doctor that go up to his armpits so he either scratches through these or manages to pull them off with his teeth!) and just starts waking up more and more.

Changing: nappy changes are just about manageable but getting dressed or undressed is super stressful. We have to strip him off and apply steroid cream and ointment, and then redress him, but for the whole process he's crying, desperate to scratch. If we let him, he damages his skin, and if we stop him he howls like the world is ending. We go for the latter option but it is so unpleasant for everyone!

Our DD (4) is very patient but I also think it impacts on her. I'm after ideas to keep him happy while we change him, any tips from fellow parents of eczema sufferers and maybe an idea for getting him to sleep a bit later in the mornings?!

Failing that, I guess just some sympathy on a rainy day when I am feeling fed up with it all!

(Disclaimer-he is the sunniest, funniest baby, which obviously helps enormously)

Also, giving toys etc works a bit, but they do all end up completely covered in the grease from his ointment, ditto the carpet if I let him cruise or crawl around while I'm greasing him!

I've asked for this to be moved as didn't get any replies on chat.

I've been spending time online looking for support groups etc. Have discovered scratchsleeves so have ordered some of these.

My parents came up today and I had a chance for a short nap so feel miles better than this time yesterday!

Just wanted to say hello! We have an 8month old with awful eczema and he also wakes up ALL the time! In the process of working our allergies. I wish we could just magic a wand and make them better!

What do you use in the bath??

Not sure I can help but I've had eczema since I was a baby and it is itchy, tickle sore hell.
Dermalex do a baby eczema treatment which stops mine itching too much but it is expensive.
Hydromol is a lovely all Over moisturiser ( but at chemist) and has helped me with my dry patches - coat the little one in it

I also use hydromol in the bath and it helps.

I'm so sorry everyone for writing such an essay and then buggering off. I did actually check every half an hour or so for the first couple of days after I posted then gave up...

But thank you so much for your replies-nice (in a way!) to know we're not alone and also I hadn't heard of Dermalex so will check that out.

We're using Zerolatum in the bath, which is like Oilatum - makes the bath white/cloudy and oily. I have joined an online eczema support group and they recommended using his thick moisturiser (zeroderm) as a soap by applying it but not rubbing it in pre-bath, then lather it and wash off in the bath.

I've also got some of these:
www.scratchsleeves.co.uk/
Which are brilliant at stopping him scratching.

And I think we weren't leaving long enough between steroid cream and ointment so probably the steroid cream wasn't really able to work, so we're leaving longer now (I'm happier to leave him bare while this soaks in as with the scratch sleeves on he can't hurt himself).

It's still really hard particularly getting the ointment on him without him either scratching it off (onto whatever we've covered his hands with!) or if I let him crawl about and play the ointment stains the carpet, furniture, walls, our clothes... and he ends up covered in little bits of fluff, and he isn't sleeping great, but I feel marginally more in control now.

Thank you again and sorry for not replying until now!

What is he allergic to? Eggs are a big one with eczema.

I would try and ensure allergens are totally excluded as it will be exacerbating the eczema.

My son (now aged 8 and much much better..) was similar to this, it was sheer hell on earth when he was younger.

We worked through his allergies but it took a long time to figure everything out. He still gets unexplained reactions every now and then and eventually, he did also develop asthma but this is largely under control without medication.

We discovered fairly early on that anything with petroleum (most of the ointments, steroid creams etc) were making things worse, while we were able to make his skin look better, he was insanely itchy and really uncomfortable. We have had to strip right back on the products we use around him and in the house, he sleeps on a coconut fibre mattress on a wooden bed, we have rescue sofas which have been reupholstered with wool for stuffing, we have no carpets, most of his clothes were organic cotton (he is much less sensitive now) and he has also had a huge amount of focus on his gut. We had private stool samples analysed then the GP prescribed antibiotics as he had some horrible bacteria in his gut. He sees an immunologist who has prescribed probiotics, a range of fish oils and other oil supplements, lots of vitamin C, vitamin D and his diet is very restricted (no processed, gluten grains, soya, additives, dairy) but he is happy, relatively healthy and eczema free.

At the stage you are at, finding something we could put on his skin that didn't make him scratch was life changing. Unfortunately it is so individual but we used rosehip oil, and an earth friendly baby product that is no longer sold (the current offering looks like it has a few things in that I would be wary of for my son). We really did have to find things with only a few ingredients that we could test.

It lead me further and further down natural routes and away from conventional treatments but it has made a difference for my son.

Eczema is so individual so it is impossible to find a solution that works for everyone but ensuring that they are absorbing enough vitamins and minerals to give their bodies the best possible opportunity to heal is important.