Not to bath ds?

[humanoctopus]

Ds,aged 2 gets horrible eczema flare ups a number of times a year so far.

We have about 3 months of normality, then the horrid red, sore bits start. GP doesn't think its allergy related, as its so infrequent. He has had some infected weeping bits whenever its gotten infected, really rotten for him.

My observation is that whenever he has a bath (just warm water, no detergent), which we did about 3 times weekly, until about 4 monts ago, he has had pre-eczema looking bits, which I blast with tons of aqueous cream, etc.

I am now using plain oil or lotions to massage him, then a soft muslin cloth of wipe him all over. We are 4 months into this regime, without a flare up, so that's good, right?

He doesn't smell, his skin is lovely and soft, and he is happy, without the disturbed sleep that the flare ups bring.

I said this to the HV when she called to do a developmental check. She was asking about his daily routine, etc. She was visibly horrified at his lack of bathing, I was at her reaction. I explained about the eczema and how it was working out so well at the moment.

She phoned me at work on Friday and said that she would like to visit to discuss how I was handling ds. I wouldn't agree to setting a date/time on the spot, as I wanted to get my head around this.

Is is so unreasonable not to bathe him given how it affects him. I really do keep him clean and lovely looking, just feeling worried now.

[BootyMum]

My son also has occasional flare ups - Oilatum [prescribed by GP on repeat prescription so is free otherwise it is quite expensive if bought from chemist/supermarket] in bath worked wonders. Fantastic stuff.

Hope your DS sore skin is better soon

[valiumredhead]

Ninkynonker Diprobase is one of the 'good' creams, along with Doublebase, which don't contain the detergent that irritates. It's the leaving the Aqueous cream on that irritates, apparently it was only ever meant to be used as a soap substitute but GP's started prescribing it as a moisturiser, more than likely because it's was a cheap way of controlling it.

[valiumredhead]

Aveeno is lovely stuff. Costco do 3 big tubes for the same price as one in Boots, so if you have one near you it's worth stocking up. If you are VERY lucky your GP will prescribe it for you but mine won't - refuses point blank.

[mathanxiety]

'Aqueous cream can make eczema worse' article here.

[valiumredhead]

Thanks mathanxiety - the only link I had was from the DM and was too embarassed to post it

[mathanxiety]

Me too til I found the one I posted.

[valiumredhead]

Oh just tell the HV that you DO bath your baby OP - she'll write it down in her book then everyone will be happy

[elmofan]

Another vote from me for using oilatum in the bath water & Aveeno moisturising cream (made from oats) we can not get these on prescription here & they are expensive but worth it .

[plopplopquack]

Idea - I don't have children with this problem (not badly anyway) but was wondering what it is about the bath that makes it flare up? If you are just bathing in water do you think it could just be that the water is hard? I was thinking about this last night and was wondering if it might be worth buying those huge bottles of mineral water, warming it on the hob and giving him a shallow bath (or in some sort of bucket type bath). Maybe in the kitchen so you don't have to transport it too far.

Don't laugh please if this is a stupid idea.

[IWantAnotherBaby]

Hi. I'm a GP. FWIW, aqueous cream should only ever be used as a soap substitute and never as a moisturiser. It thins the outer layer of the skin and increases water loss through the skin; the OPPOSITE of what you want to achieve. It is good as a soap substitute, though!

For a moisturiser there is no one-size-fits-all solution, but I'd suggest you try diprobase, or consider epaderm (which is thick, greasy and yuk, but works very well).

If you are using a decent emollient regularly (twice daily) then there is no reason to add something to baths. What I'd suggest, though, is that you do allow weekly short tepid baths (10 minutes or so) especially as your DS gets older, to reduce the risk of infected skin.

HTH

[valiumredhead]

Is having a bath better than showering iwantanotherbaby?

[flyingspaghettimonster]

I don't see the problem if he is cleaned somehow. My middle child was utterly terrified of having his hair washed, and even with two adults pinning him down we would get kicked and bruised until we just gave up on washing it. 6 months later he finally grew out of it and started allowing me to wash it again... nobody noticed any odour and it didn't look any different during the no washing stage. Do what is best for you, not the HV, sod her - lie if you need to.

[SofiaAmes]

I have very very very dry skin, though never had eczema. My dd had very bad eczema until about 3 (when we moved to los angeles, so not sure if she outgrew it, or if the difference in water and climate was what did it). In any case, I found it effective with dd (and myself) to shower, rather than bathe her. I only use soap on the smelly bits (for both her and me) and it really seemed to make a huge difference. Aveeno (which my gp was lovely enough to prescribe) also helped enormously. And I also used canesten on the super red bleeding bits behind her knees and inside her fat folds (she was the fattest baby ever) and that worked well too (much to gp's surprise). The usual aqueous creams that most people use give me terrible rashes, so I didn't even try them on dd. Sunshine helps too.