To be shocked that BabyCenter advise me to bathe my baby in bleach?!

[wobblyweeble82]

I'm a bit astounded to be honest. DD is 6 months and has a little bit of eczema. Nothing worthy of a GP visit - not yet at least - so I thought I'd have a google to see if there's anything I can do to ease it rather than go down they hydrocortisone route just yet. Found an article on BabyCenter and lo and behold:

Read the What Can I Do To Treat My Baby's Eczema section halfway down the page

I'm not disputing the study or evidence. It just left me agog that it was so blase about it ... Frightens me the internet, sometimes.

Bridge/Valium She's got troublesome creases in her armpits, a teeny tiny teeny bit crusty and rather red but not troubling her one iota until I start poking around a bit. Would you still use Aveeno?

The BBC article is much better, with a lot of "don't try this at home, children" emphasis.

ooh and drops of tea tree oil in the bath, - but i am no doctor, - just works for me.

And oats?! Not heard that one! Tell all!

Yes, ds's skin is worse when he's been swimming too (very drying), but to be fair the study is looking at bad, infected, weeping eczema and whether killing bacteria on the skin can help it heal.

It should probably be made clearer that this isn't treating the cause of the eczema and I guess isn't appropriate for mild/moderate cases.

Yes, the BBC report states "chronic" eczema, with bad skin infections.

wobbly, my mum put oats in the foot of a pair of tights (unworn) tied the top and then I put it in my bath. SOmething in the oats softens the skin. I think she read online about it when she had some weird rash!

Ha brilliant! Guess it can't do any harm! Oooh does it smell porridge-y in the hot water?! DD would prob try and eat it if so!

That's the American site.

This is the British site. No mention of bleach.

For infected eczema it does make sense in theory - the infections are coming from bacteria naturally present on the skin that can get through the skin barrier because the eczema has broken it.

I was a bit when I saw the title but actually when my eczema is really bad, inflamed and weepy then sometimes swimming can help.

And it's all very well advocating oats and Aveeno but when you really suffer with it, neither have much of an effect! Only antibiotic cream will help when mine is really bad, even Aveeno (which I admit helps when very very mild) irritates.

OP go cautiously at first - try a very tiny amount. Oats would be ok in the bath as they are very soothing - I have used them when ds has had a skin infection.

Yes it does smell porridgy! And the bath needs a good wipe afterwards, but it's worth it!

When mine is really really bad Avveeno is the answer whack but of course different things suit different people.

whackamole, I agree that neither oats nor aveeno help when my eczema is really bad! But since I have been using them regularly, it hasn't got infected/really bad. They are a prevention rather than a cure I have found. Although different things work for different people. Alot oof people I know swear by E45, but it makes me want to cut my arms off!!!

I use raw oatmeal in dollar store knee highs I buy just for this purpose or else tie some up raw oatmeal up in cheesecloth. I use the cheesecloth and oats as a sort of gentle scrubbie once it has soaked in the bathwater for a while. Oatmeal is really good for dry itchy skin. Yes, it smells a tiny bit porridge-y.

www.fpnotebook.com/DER/Pharm/OtmlBth.htm
Preparations: Homemade Oatmeal Bath

Fill one leg of nylon stocking with 2 cups of oats
Tie stocking end in a knot
Set bath faucet to comfortable temperature
Turn on bath faucet (comfortable temperature)
Hold stocking under faucet flowing at full force
Swirl stocking through water several times
Wring stocking out over water
Discard stocking (do not reuse)
Patient soaks in tub for 15 to 20 minutes 

Preparations: Alternative Homemade Oatmeal Bath

Grind 1 cup oatmeal into fine powder in blender
    Use only 1/3 cup for infant bath tub 
Sprinkle oatmeal powder into bath water and stir
Patient soaks in tub for 15 to 20 minutes

I had no idea there was an American site. Wonder why google directed in that direction? How dare they get something wrong ...

And thanks for that iscream :)

Center is the clue!

my husbands eczema has almost completely cleared up since he started putting sea salt crystals in his bath... that has to be worth a try. It is cheap, wont do any harm even if it didnt work, and will not cause any discomfort either.

It makes sense for very bad infected eczema but abit irresponsible to put it on a site like that, I can imagen people not diluting it enough