Getting in a stew about eczema: help please

[Jane7]

My six month ds has eczema on his back/ backs of knees/scalp. It's only started in the last month, since weaning really, although doctor told me there's no point stopping weaning since he's six and a half months and very hungry for it. However, the eczema's really getting me down. It's not got bad yet, just bumpy and lots of red spots, but its spreading across his chest. I had it severely as a baby and a child and want so much for my ds not to have the same itchy childhood... I've been prescribed aveeno sachets for his bath and doublebase for moisteriser but i've been using them for two weeks and it hasn't got any better -doublebase just seems to make his skin soft, which i suppose is good. I know there have probably been similar threads, but I just wanted to find out what worked for other people and how I can manage his eczema to prevent it getting as severe as mine was. My partner (who doesn't have eczema) thinks i'm being a bit neurotic about it since it's not officially bad yet, but I'm so keen to do something preventative, but maybe there's no point and if it's going to get bad there's not much I can do. Eeek, you can see, i'm getting my knickers in a twist

Sometimes eczema can be linked to eating certain foods. If it has appeared as you started weaning it may be worth introducing foods one at a time and keeping a food diary to see if any type of food appears to be triggering his eczema. If you do this though, you need to be quite meticulous and note the main ingredients of 'mixed' foods like biscuits that often contain egg or milk etc.

Actually, in your case I'd be tempted to start again with simple fruit/veg purees (no dairy,wheat,soya,egg etc) and see if that helps (obviously only cut out dairy if he is breastfed) - but I had horrible eczema as a child and am hypersensitive to any sign of it in my children.

Ds2 does have a bit of eczema and we have had some success with probiotics, plus a thorough moisturizing regime and use of steroid cream when necessary. I kept a food diary and so was confident that his eczema was not linked to food (unlike myself as a child)

thanks for this wb - can i ask what probiotics you used with your dc? i had amazing success taking probiotics myself to cure recurrent thrush a few years ago. strongly believe in them, so might give them a shot. ds is breastfed and i've recently given up milk in my diet because it seems to make him possset more. soya milk makes him less pukey. but i haven't given up other dairy in my diet - do you think that's worth a shot?

We use lactobacillus GG. I buy it in capsule form, slit open the capsule and pour the powder on ds2's food and this seems to work for us but I was recently advised to buy it in a form that is supposed to be taken as a powder as the capsule gives the bacteria protection from the stomach acid.

As to giving up milk, you could try it but it is a pain. I think if you are going to try it then do it thoroughly for a couple of weeks, so you know one way or another (so nothing with milk in including biscuits, cake, sausages, pate etc-you'll need to read a lot of labels).

FWIW though - my ds1 did have a dairy allergy but we only found this out during weaning. He was always fine with my breastmilk and I ate lots of cheese etc. He reacted with hives/vomiting which was scarier than eczema but in the long run makes life simpler as you get an immediate cause and effect

that's great advice, wb.
I would also be tough on the moisturizer. Double base is nice as you said- it makes the skin soft. But sounds like it's not doing enough. You might need something thicker. Eumocream is good. You could use it for the tough patches. Or Hydrous ointment. Apply any cream as many times during the day as you can- eg whenever you change a nappy.

If it gets worse, don't be afraid to use a low dose steroid on just the bad bits- hydrocortisone 1% might be enough.. Just use for a few days tops

Food diaries are good too. Be meticulous.

Jane7, I too desperately wanted my dd to avoid eczema, she had lovely skin, then one day at a bout 4 months old, her skin turned into dry spotty skin, and I knew it was eczema straight away (my dh suffered badly as a child). I felt crushed, upset, and angry. So disappointed for my dd that she had this horrid condition.

On the positive side, she is now 5yo and her skin is lovely.

When she was a baby I originally did what the doctor said with regard to creams and bathing. The more I read I came across a few things:

try swapping cows milk for goats milk. It's easier to digest and can help with eczema.

If you are not keen on chemicals for your baby, put oats in a cloth bag (or pillow case tied with string) in the bath for a soothing bath.

Washing powder: try surcare.

Avoid giving your youngster cheese. It makes eczema so itchy. If your ds ecazema becomes particularly itchy over time, then a good book to look into would be the "The allergy bible". It has a section on a regime for reducing the itch, its the low amine diet. Unfortunately amines are in loads of foods, but even following the "diet" you are not cutting out any food group. Real offenders are anything vinegary, grapes, anything processed. It's a long list, but when I did this for my dd, her eczema reduced in 5 days and she was much better. I would approach this regime with caution whilst your ds is at such a young age, but it is something to think about when he's older, and eating a varied full diet. I'm not sure I'd follow it at such a young age, but just reading it may be useful. Having said that, by not introducing processed food, that's a positive step for health anyway!

If I think of anything else, I'll add it to the list!

HTH.

I spoke to a doctor the other day, told her proudly that I put cream on my son 3 times a day, she told me it had to be 6-8 times a day. Now I've upped the number of times his skin is much better, but that's also because I noticed a reaction to tomatoes and cut them out of his diet (this was when ds was about 10 months). We also use a low dose of hydrocortisone (0.5%) which I only ever use for 2-3 days to clear up bad patches.

All these things combined seem to have helped. We are going to see a paediatric dermatologist soon for a scratch test, I hate second-guessing, but only got referred once his skin got really bad. Having said that, it's almost clear at the moment.

thank you so much for this advice, very reassuring. can i ask you two's plenty - is it me who is supposed to drink the goat's miilk or my ds when he starts having proper milk?

I hadn't thought about that (who should drink the milk!) - but definitely your ds when ready. If you want to see if cows milk is making the eczema worse, then you could follow wb advice for your own diet. For me, I waited until my dd was off the bfeeding, then I could change her diet without too much effort. It's far easier to tailor make a child's diet, than your own, especially at the beginning when just being weaned.

Just a thought. When I took my dd off cows milk, and onto goats milk, her nappies became "normal" poo rather than the stinky mess she produced before (sorry). I hadn't linked this to milk. But thinking about it, that's one of the symptoms of intolerance.

Hi, I have started a new group which is for parents dealing with allergies, Reflux, colic and skin problems.

I read your post and think it may be of interest to you to have a look and hopefully join. It is a new site and open to make better so any input you have on the site will help others too. We have a few memtor members who are ready to help you settle in and welcome you and have files and links to intresting topics and items.

It has a info page where we can upload great things we have tried and the more people we encourage to use the site the better it will become. Also latest articles and advice and a place to input your tried and tested things. Many of our members are going through exactly the same thing right now and could do with the support of meeting you too.

I hope this is of some use to you please use this link and to join click on the purple button and I will aprove you membership when I get it through.

Hope to speak soon Michelle
groups.yahoo.com/group/reflux-baby-you-are-not-alone/