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Original poster

7 wk old with eczema - best remedy?

36 replies

becsta1 · 13/09/2007 13:10

My 7 wk old son had developed eczema. He's been on antiobiotics for impetigo and the eczema has followed. I was bathing him in warm water every night but have cut back to every second night, am using loads of aqueous cream, which seems to help a little. I swaddle him when he sleeps and worry this might make him too warm, but if I don't his arms flail everywhere and keep waking him up. Seems like one thing after another at the moment. Does anyone have any advice?

OP posts:
chloesmumtoo · 13/09/2007 13:22

Oh lots of sympathy here as my dd suffers from eczema. One thing I would say is how is he with the aqueous cream. This is what the eczema society says in their mag :
An audit carried out at a paediatric dermatoloagy clinic of children with eczema showed that aqueous cream caused irritant reactions in over 50 percent of children, when used as an emollient!

Original poster
becsta1 · 13/09/2007 13:24

Oh no. I've only used it for a couple of days and it seems okay but his neck has really flared up actually. What do you use?

OP posts:
sagitta · 13/09/2007 13:27

My dd got excema when she had her first jabs (six weeks?). She got it very badly. Aqueous crem didn't suit her so we used soya oil for the bath and epiderm for her skin, when not using hydrocortizone. I swaddled her still, because I think it made it harder for her to scratch.

The only thing that actually cured it - and I don't know if its the same for you - was finding out that it was caused by dairy and eggs. When I stopped breastfeeding, she got better. Went for allergy testing and found out what it was. It might be worth changing your diet if you are BFing - cut out dairy and see if that helps. Its a very common cause of excema.

Good luck with it. We had a hard few months - made worse because it was all over her face, and people kept asking me what was wrong with her.
I hope you solve it soon. If we had been referred to excema clinic / specialist much sooner, it would really have helped. Ask your GP - although they don't take it very seriously.

kiskidee · 13/09/2007 13:30

You can buy AVEENO over the counter at Boots. Loads of MNers have great success with it.. It is non prescription but can get it free on prescription. if you are desperate to try something that works, buy a bottle and then ask you GP to prescribe it.

I found aqueous cream did nothing for my dd.

Another thing, the dermatologist told me to bath dd every night but for no longer than 10 mins in water that is not hotter than blood temp.

do not use any soap. even now at 2yo, i still don't use soap on her.

kiskidee · 13/09/2007 13:32

if she is being prescribed hydrocortisone ointment or cream, put the Aveeno on first then the ointment after. I find i need to keep putting on the hydrocortisone for a few days after the redness has gone or it comes straight back.

chloesmumtoo · 13/09/2007 13:33

I currently use on my dd Diprobase cream emollient in a pump action bottle. My dd seemed to sting with most creams but this we found the best for her. In the bath we use Dermol 500 lotion. All on prescription. Sounds good about the bathing. It is hard to know whats best,our dd gave many a sleepless night and still does. She is 5 years now. I dont know what to advise with him being so younge ATM but I know a site that was a god send to us. It wont help you much now but by the time he out grows baby grows and begins to itch legs wrist and ankles you will be please to know you can by special clothing. I used to desperatley sew socks onto pj's and onto sleeves in desperation. This is the site eczemaclothing.com

chloesmumtoo · 13/09/2007 13:35

Where is his eczema?

ruddynorah · 13/09/2007 13:36

put a few spoons of dry porridge oats in a sock. tie know in sock to keep oats in. put the sock in the bath. squeeze it a bit and the bath water will go all milky looking. the oat 'juice' is fab for dry skin. i 'wash' dd with the sock, so rub it all over her. don't use soap. don't dry the skin after the bath, just quickly apply emmolient to wet skin.

the aveeno mentioned before is based on oats also. i never found the aveeno worked for my dd, but we did find oilatum cream a good one. we have tried many. should add also, oilatum bath oil made dd's skin very red and itchy.

since doing the porridge baths plus the oilatum cream twice daily she has no eczema and has not needed steroid cream since. it's been 6 months now. they do grow out of it quite often anyway.

chloesmumtoo · 13/09/2007 13:37

use a non bio washing powder. We use Surecare Liquid. Non bio and unperfumed

ruddynorah · 13/09/2007 13:37

knot not know!

ruddynorah · 13/09/2007 13:38

oh yes, we use soapnuts not detergent for washing her clothes. started that at the same time as the porridge baths. they are proper nuts, from indonesia i think, which release a natural soap in warm water. you can buy them from inasoaptnutshell.com not expensive, cheaper than detergent.

ruddynorah · 13/09/2007 13:39

...and they go in the washing machine as normal, not like you have to hand wash or anything. dead easy!

chloesmumtoo · 13/09/2007 13:42

My dd is allergic to nuts. Life threating allergy. Are they really actual nuts? If they are, with our dd's health history with allergies I would be to scared to use them

ruddynorah · 13/09/2007 13:42

will find link..

ruddynorah · 13/09/2007 13:44

here

ruddynorah · 13/09/2007 13:45

this is better, it says they are a fruit officially

chloesmumtoo · 13/09/2007 13:50

interesting, thanks for that. Learn something new everyday. Probably still be to anxious to try it though as dd is allergic to everything. Or thats what it feels like. I forget the list now its becomming to long!

Original poster
becsta1 · 13/09/2007 13:57

I think I'll give the soapnuts a try. The eczema is all over his tummy, arms and knees and it's really bad on his neck and the side of his face. Interestingly, he has none where his nappy is. Does this indicate washing powder?
Has anyone tried E45 on it?

OP posts:
chloesmumtoo · 13/09/2007 14:03

My dd was like that as a baby, I forgot all about her nappy area being clear. Somewhere I heard something about the urine does sommit. Not sure mind lol. You'll have to let me know how the soap nuts go then

chloesmumtoo · 13/09/2007 14:06

Whilst your still using washing detergent just make sure you do extra rinses and if worried about possible dustmite allergy you could make sure you wash bedding on 60 degrees. I know what its like, you just want to do everything possible to help

MrsMarvel · 13/09/2007 14:09

I don't know much about Eczema, but I do know that anything with lanolin in it brings me out in a rash - so that includes anything with wool in it.

ruddynorah · 13/09/2007 14:10

yes dd was the same. no eczema in nappy area.

oneplusone · 13/09/2007 14:12

Have a look at this website elenasnaturecollection.co.uk, has fab stuff for eczema especially for babies and children, we all use her trinity soap and it's lovely. Can get it on NHS too. Also if you're bf avoid dairy and eggs and see if that helps. Good luck, it will get better, my dd seems to have grown out of it now and she's just 4.

chloesmumtoo · 13/09/2007 14:14

Have you tried to question the doctor about possible referel to a dermatologist for help. It took a new doctor to finally get me refered in the end and now we see them every 6 months. We even had to go through all the wet wrapping with dd

chloesmumtoo · 13/09/2007 14:15

Ah will have a look at that site also