Eczema, saliva and dummies ....

[Ghosty]

Toddlerbob ... I know you are there so hopefully you can see this and answer my question ... if not I will have to wait till everyone in the UK wakes up!
DD has recently started with some eczema (which is new to me as DS never had anything like that) ... I sent a big panicky email to Jimjams about whether she might be reacting to the MenB jab that she had 4 weeks ago (that is when it started) ...
Anyway ... it was awful and is now not too bad (giving her soy formula to mix with breakfast and giving her some of my children's vitamins crunched up in her breakfast too which seems to help) but it is now just localised around her mouth where her dummy is and on her thumbs where she chews her hands (teething) ...
Is it her saliva causing it do you think? And what could I do to her dummy to help (eg should I find a dummy that doesn't touch the skin so much?) Can I put some cream (the doc gave me UREA cream) on the dummy to protect her skin ...
Feel like a bit of a dunce with this ...
TIA
G xxx

Must have missed you Toddlerbob ... nevermind ...

Hi Ghosty - I'm here!

Dribble for us was more or less cured by taking probiotics. The Nature's own ones from the pharmacist are fine, mix a large spoonful up with some pear. But then it could be the dummy that's causing the dribble, something of which I have no knowledge of. I am presuming that the MenC has some antibiotic in it, so it could be that your dd is reacting to.

Get the doc to prescribe some emulsifying ointment and smear around affected areas after a bath and then to clean skin many times a day. It's free on Pharmac list and very greasy but totally wonderful for contact rashes.

Personally I would just mix up the cereal with water and fruit as you are breastfeeding so her calcium isn't something you have to worry about.

Rashes love bacteria, so it's time to sterilise dummies again and change it often! I would also avoid latex ones.

If you have a digital camera and want to send me an email photo I will try to assist you more. Do you still have my email address?

Thanks toddlerbob ....
Poor baby has not been a happy bunny since her first MenB jab ... she is due for the second one in 2 weeks and I am seriously wondering whether to go through with it.
Less than a week after the jab she had an ear infection so was on a course of antibiotics and the doctor has admitted that the jab may have 'put her off balance'! Silly man suggested I stop all dairy and give her soy formula ... I told him that I am not a cow ... and reminded him that breastmilk isn't dairy! I have, however, stopped giving her yoghurt now (that was the only dairy apart from the 100mls of formula that went into her cereal).
I am pretty sure it is to do with her dribble ... and therefore the saliva collecting under her dummy so will start the boiling thing again (yawn).
Probiotics ... right, will get some ... ta!!!
Digital camera ... on the video camera IYSWIM ... so will have to wait till the weekend ... I will send you a pic (yes, do have your email address still - should have mailed you direct really ... derrrr!)
Thanks again!

Hi toddlerbob. Are you in the uk? The reason I ask is that dd saw a dermatologist yesterday who said that the rash on her cheeks is eczema. Can I get the nature's own probiotics in the uk? dd is 8 months old- is it safe to give her this? Cheers

Absolutely safe pixiefish. I am in NZ, so I am not sure of brands etc. I would ask at a health food shop, make sure you check if it contains dairy if that is important to you. Flax seed oil improves it's effectiveness.

Ghosty - shocked that your doctor would suggest soy over BM. Think that his lovely antibiotics could have a lot more to do with the rash than yoghurt. Dairy after antibiotics would be more likely to affect poos than skin. LOL at your "I am not a cow" comment! Give max strength probiotic if she is recovering from antibiotics, after a while see how little you can give whilst maintaining perfect skin.

Funny, the other day another mum asked me for an opinion on her son's eczema, when I had a look it was miles worse than Bob's has been for ages and ages. I gave her this huge list of things to do (and an even bigger list of things not to do). I realised how little a doctor can cover in a visit, especially if they are just working from textbooks and don't know all the little tricks you pick up from mumsnet!

thanks for that toddlerbob

Had a mad day today Toddlerbob, running around like a headless chicken with DS and his friend in the car looking for a chemist that had probiotics .... my local pharmacy were hopeless.
Anyway, found a lovely lady in the local health food shop ... really sympathetic who made me want to cry she was so nice ... and she told me that I could put the powder from an acydophilus (sp?) capsule in DD's food (I have some Kyo-Dophilus that I take) - DD has had 2 doses today so fingers crossed her dribble will stop being so harmful to her. The lady also sold me some MEBO ointment (anti itchy one) - have you heard of that? Seems pretty good ... and did seem to soothe the irritation ...
I have also banned DD from having her dummy outside her cot ... and she has been foul ALL day - I have ended up carrying her around on my hip rather than give in to giving her the dummy. Not a bad thing really, at 8 months it is probably the right time to get her used to only having it to go to sleep ... I hate it anyway ... looks awful stuck in her mouth when she is playing ...
I have also got an appointment with a homeopath next week ...
AND have put my Usana flaxseed oil on her skin too ...

Ghosty - at least you are getting to use your hipseat! I hope she cheers up soon, can you do lots of distracting trips for a few days to break the associations?

How's it going Ghosty - have you knocked it off yet?

BTW is it next weekend you are in ChCh?

Ghosty- Is it ABC Dophilus you mean- I got some from the health food shop- similar to probiotic thingy

abcdophilus is designed for babies and contains the right probiotics for them which are different to the ones adults need - check the label of the stuff you've got to see if it's suitable for babies

My DS has eczema but is very much under control thankfully. My dermatologist prescribed Daktakort ointment for his face/from the neck up twice a day when necessary (I try to use it as little as possible). He advised me to pull out the dummy when DS sleeping as soon as I could as the saliva which creates wet conditions which exacerbates the whole thing. I know that MumsNetters prefer more natural things, but I am posting this just in case anybody is interested.