7 wk old with eczema - best remedy?

[becsta1]

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?

DD1 had no eczema on her bum until she came out of nappies and now it is one of her flare up areas - odd!

Just to say good luck really - lots of good advice on here....I'd second the bit about using steroid cream after the redness has gone for a few days.

This thread has reminded me to use oats again too. I just got some soapnuts today from Flame's nappy site (Bumfluff - see sm business ads on MN) so will give them a try. Currently use Clear Springs....

Its weird but when you live with a child with eczema its just a way of life and then when you have to think about things to tell someone else you go blank!! Very important is to keep him in cotton clothing and even bedding. I struggle to find school clothes for dd and yet I forget that vital bit of info to tel you. Allows the skin to breath and prevents overheating

I worked with a woman with a baby with terrible eczema, who laid her on a lambskin to sleep. That's why I ask about wool and lanolin.

I never knew lanolin came from sheep. Yes I have heard about lanolin being a problem and wool but never linked the two

I think lambswool isn't as bad because there isn't so much lanolin in it but it's still high up there on allergy lists.

didnt read the whole thread but for your lo. I recommend swaddling to stop itching (though you do have to wean them from it eventually, but by then hopefully the eczema is improved), and try a different emmolient - it can take ages to find one that works. Rightnow, we use epaderm, though doublebase is also pretty good.

Is your lo ff? If so, push for a hypoallergenic formula from the doctors..

hi just wondered if ur lil 1 is on formula milk or breastfed? my son had lots of eczema wen i put him on formula milk after b-feeding,it turned out he is intolerant to cows milk. Giving him Goats milk sorted the eczema within a week - amazin - but he was about 16 months old when we tried it, don't kno how u wud get on with giving goats milk to such a small bby. And i agree, aqueous cream didn't do much! if you think the milk thing is worth considering, my second son has been dairy free from birth, farleys soya formula is fab and can be had on prescription good luck!

aqueous cream can have really bad affects on skin
i used to use it religiously and my doctor prescribed it but turns out it was counteractive in my case

applying it after a hot bath can just trap in heat and make the skin way more irritated

try bathing in oilatum, then applying a natural oat based cream like aveeno

you can get both of these on prescription

this is not true for every of eczema but it was certianly in mycase case

hope this helps

if you use disposable nappies, and the bottom area doesnt have ezcema , its always worth thinking about dustmite allergy.
you could buy some dustmite cot covers, and see if this helps.

how does baby sleep?
does he itch /move/wiggle more in her cot/basket more than in your arms?

ezcema before 3 months is a indicator of food allergies, also slow /poor weight gain, and poor sleep pattern.

still, early days at 7 weeks, i would be cautious about your diet, no remove loads of things, your health is important. and even if your milk is irritating , your protection against infection is very important.

hope the ezcema improves. good luck.

Hi

sorry for this very long reply, but I actually wrote my doctor a list of all the things that helped in a very awful first years worth of eczema for my son.

We use Aveeno like many posters, and, if there is any redness/ chafing we also use soft white paraffin too as a protective balm.

His environment:
Laundry - A big step forward has been the advice of the Colchester Hospital dermatology nurse who advised we wash everything on as hot a temperature as possible, using detergent. She said it needed to be 60 degrees whenever possible to
? get rid of any irritants such as dust or pollen
? to effectively wash out any remains of the lotions we've applied to his skin

We obviously cannot say for sure, but this seems to have made a huge difference to his skin. We are now ironing all his clothes/sheets etc. We think this also helps 'sterilise' the laundry.

Washing detergent -
We now use Persil non bio liquid which seems to cause no irritation to him.

We have previously tried Surcare(made us all itchy) Fairy (son- rashy) and eco balls (didn't wash laundry well enough and seemed to therefore make rash worse)

Skincare
? For days or nights where he scratched badly, we have found 'scratch sleeves' a god-send. These are like a little cardigan with scratch mitts built in - like 'un-get-off-able' scratch mitts! www.scratchsleeves.co.uk - we have three pairs so one could be worn, another washed, and another drying all at same time. They are well worth the money.
? We 'hug' him dry with a towel rather than even pat or rub him.
? We try to tumble dry his towel where possible as it makes them more soft to his skin. Tumble dryer balls (rather than fabric conditioner which we NEVER use!) help make the towels fluffy.
? We try to keep his skin as cool as possible. Use lightweight cotton layers. Cotton pram blankets etc etc.
? We line his car seat with a muslin square. We always take off his cardie/ coat in the car, as he gets very warm in the car seat.
? We only use cotton clothes. H&Ms sell a very reasonable range of short sleeved vest suits and long sleeved vest suits which are 50% organic cotton and very soft.
? Pyjama weight trousers are good for the house - Tesco's, Sainsbury's sell these.
? We use a cotton sheet or fleece blanket on the floor for him to play on, which can be washed regularly at 60 degrees.
? We did find the cold-pressed coconut oil more effective on his flaky raw scalp than coconut oil, which is much lighter. ? Nappy changes - we try to use cotton wool and water whenever possible for nappy changes. We've found the Boots 'Expert Sensitive baby range' good for nappy wipes which do not upset his skin, for when we are out and about.

sorry... told you it was long..!!

i havent had time to read all the posts so sorry if i repeat some of the things previously mentioned...

i am nearly 16 and have suffered from ezcema for as long as i can remember

i used to cry and scream all through the night and scratch myself raw

i was always told i would grow out of it, first when i was 6, then 7, then 11, then 14, yet here i am, still with ezcema.

however from years of trial and error, FINALLY i have it under control and you cant even notice my skin, apart from a tiny bit on my hands.

so here are my tips... they wont work for everyone but you can try.... they work for me :)

firstly, showers/baths were a killer for me. try rinsing off skin with cold water at the end of a shower and then 'hug' dry. this cools skin before moisturising.

i cant use any aqueous creams as they trap in heat and irritate my skin more, however some people find they work well for them. instead i use AVEENO, which i love. you can get it on prescription in the uk which helps :)

if neither or these work, try using straight olive oil, its really natural and an amazing moisturiser. it can be a little messy but sinks in really really quickly.

so, moisturise twice a day, i know its a chore but try and made it as bearable as possibly, for example, warming up cream a bit in the winter.

for those flareups, (i always get back skin when it gets cold outside and the heating goes on, and again in the spring when it goes off and the weather improves,) ask you doctor for a steroid cream. as soon as dry skin or red blotchy patched appears apply cream immediately. you have to catch flareups in time. if however, cream stings and hurts when applied, try using ice packs and stress balls. another thing is hotwater bottles but try the ice first.

oilatum bath oil is ggood to use when the weather changes as it keeps skin moist while your body adjusts to the climate.

probably the most important thing to keep my ezcema under control are anti-histamines.i take cetrizine every day in the morning and ucerax in the evenings. these make you drouzy so you sleep all night without scratching. they do not affect me in the mornings and i still do wake in the night sometimes but not because im ripping my skin appart. i used to get so tired, even if i was sleeping all night due to the scratching. sleep loss increased greatly when i turned 13.

i think thats all... please ask me if you have any questions

i am thinking of setting up a website to help and advise people on how to live with eczema. do you thing this is a good idea and would work?

good luck

avalon