To ask for help for poor SIL and her baby with Eczema? Desperate SIL...

[MrsWinnibago]

I know it's not done to post here just because it's busy but poor sil and her 6 month old. He's got really bad eczema and she's so miserable :(

He won't stop crying generally unless he's on her she says....so all day long and all night (she is single) he is on her. He's breastfed and eats little tiny meals lately too.

She's seen specialists (the're in Oz) and been told he's allergic to Salicylates which apparently appear in most fruits and veg!

His little face is all red on one side and sore and itchy and though it;s got a bit better lately with some cream, she says it's now spread all over his body.

What if anything can she do? I can't offer to help as she's on the other side of the world!

[SilentBob]

Please let us know how she gets on, MrsWinnibago

The little girl (just under 12 months old) that I know with suspected salicylic eczema is also allergic to soya- which is found in all sorts of unsuspected foods including sliced bread, so maybe see if SIL can cut that out for a while and see if it helps? Her "safe" foods ATM (alongside meat) are cod, swede, potato, sweet potato, banana, broccoli, weetabix...erm, I can update tomorrow if you'd like?

Her definite no-nos are berries, kiwi fruit and nuts*, soya, lactose, tomatoes, most spices...again, I can confirm more tomorrow.

*allergy tests have shown this, she has not actually eaten berries, kiwi or nuts.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

I use a'kin fragrance free replenishing body moist.

I've tried over a dozen prescribed or shop bought creams and this is the one that helps the most.

I also use sulphate and parabans and silicone free shampoos and shower gels pm me if you want the website address (I've posted it a lot and so to wanna he accused of advertising )

I hae a family member allergic to sacilates too and they are in everything to varying degrees.

[SourSweets]

Oat baths or oilatum in the bath and cetraben moisturiser (obvs check with doc first but this is what helps me and my son and my extended family - all have eczema)

Good luck, poor baby.

[Firsttimemummy33]

Dermasilk garments worked wonders for my Ds . They're very expensive but managed to get them on prescription.

[VeryStressedMum]

I tried every cream under the sun for ds, the only one that has helped is Aveeno. When his eczema is bad i mix it with hydrocortisone and that clears it up.
The only hair/body wash he can use is Tesco own brand baby wash, but i have also used aqueous cream as a wash which didn't irritate.

[whydidyoudothat]

My friend used Robertsons skin repair ointment. She had it sent from Australia for her little boy. The difference it has made to their lives is amazing.

[FabulousFudge]

Agree no fabric conditioner needed.

[RonaldMcDonald]

This stuff is amazing

Cleared up DD1's atrocious eczema when all else failed

[bellarations]

My beautiful baby had severe eczema all over her body and face. It was red raw and weepy, nothing really cleared it up much until she reached 12 months when it all disappeared.
She is atopic. So allergic to many things, has eczema and mild asthma. It is worth checking this, because if you are aware, the effects are simple to manage.
We found scratch mitts stopped her damaging her skin from itching.
Hydrocortisone, which I was against but with severe eczema it is essential, helps reduce itching too.
Moisturiser over the hydrocortisone so as not to dilute the effect. Often we did this whilst she slept.
Some creams sting, this made her cry and scream, we tried many different creams, in the end, "unguentum" and "diprobase" worked well.
Never wash with soap, use a light moisturise instead.
Don't wash too often, water dries the skin.
Get allergy tested.
Best of luck that you find some to give relief, I sympathise, I honestly had days when I didn't go out because I was fed up of people looking and asking what was wrong with my baby.
The nurses were fabulous and taught me how to use warm wet bandages when things were really bad or infected.

[overthemill]

Just a warning re aveeno/oats in bath - my dd severely allergic to both! Really be careful about introducing any new products. We used plain tepid water for years and no soap or shampoo. After about 5 years used Dermal products after much patch testing. It's a real case of trial and error. Try not to get too stressed. We found it settled down age 8 then flared up very badly indeed when we moved. Currently completely dreadful again at age 15

[redcaryellowcar]

similar to doing a Kate ready
what worked for ds was daily baths in dermol 600 using dermol 500 as a soap substitute. (better to have regular baths in the right products than have infected eczema)
at least twice a day but if really bad every couple of hours, apply epaderm cream or ointment, the latter is more of a vaseline consistency but not as sticky.
wash everything (bed sheets clothes, babys and parents) in surcare washing liquid, use less liquid than recommended.
turn vests and babygrows inside out, the seams can irritate the skin, you can buy eczema clothing but this is a cheap alternative solution!
keep a food diary and list skin condition too. include what mum is eating if bf.
we saw a lovely community children's nurse who recommended this, sheets specializing in eczema, not sure if the same available out there, but might be helpful? ours looked closely at the ingredient list for cream as someone else mentioned they sometimes contain something you are sensitive to?
there is an eczema society website which has lots of helpful info too.

[redcaryellowcar]

forgot to say

[redcaryellowcar]

we also have have mild steroid ointment called eumovate, we saw a Dr who herself had eczema and she Saudi it was much more effective as an ointment and i think she is right!

[TestingTestingWonTooFree]

Might be worth cautioning SIL not to try everything all at once. Otherwise you can't tell what did/didn't work.

[estya]

Definitely look into the scratch sleeves. They worked amazingly for us, breaking the itch/scratch cycle (where the eczema gets worse due to it being rubbed which makes it get even worse) and giving dd's face time to heal.
Creams work by improving the fatty barrier layer in the skin to prevent allergens and other things that the skin is sensitive to from irritating the skin. So it won't heal the eczema. It's a preventative. Steroid cream will help the healing process. Then emollients (there are so many any what works for one could irritate the next person) will help to keep it at bay.

[Eva50]

We tried almost everything. What worked best was Aveeno bath oil and cream. Wet wraps (one damp layer of tubigrip with a dry layer over the top). I believe you can now get little wet wrap suits to make it easier. Hydrocortisone 1% and fucibet for really bad bits.

As it has spread all over baby's body she should check with her GP that it is not infected as they may need an antibiotic. Ds2 needed several doses as a baby and I worried about overuse but he has not had any since then and is now 16. He had outgrown the worst of it by the time he was 6 and has only needed occasional eumovate for small patches since then.

Agree with looking at her diet whilst she is breast feeding. It doesn't matter if the baby isn't eating much in the way of solids at the moment, milk is all they need.

Your poor sil, it is so hard.

[ChickenMe]

Poor little mite. I had eczema as a child and it was caused by cows milk. I still get it now on face and scalp but mild. Triggers are nightshades, gluten and hard water. Ind

[ChickenMe]

I don't eat gluten but can't quit the nightshades (pots, toms, peppers). But they are two common triggers. Watching this thread as I am preg atm and fear my future child may have intolerances.

[noclevername]

Agree re diet - Our daughter's eczema flares up if she eats too many potatoes and tomatoes.

Also might be worth seeing a GP again to check eczema hasn't got infected - I think thats not uncommon - easily treated with antibiotic cream if it has.

[AWombWithoutARoof]

DD gets prescribed a bath liquid called Cetraben and some spray on oil called Emollin. We're not in Oz so perhaps the names are different. The Cetraben is much better than Oilatum for us, and I've never seen a product like the Emollin to compare it to.

If she gets a bad patch we put hydrocortisone cream on it until it settles down, but we're pretty much managing it with those two products.

[YeGodsAndLittleFishes]

For us, not using biological washing powder/liquid and sticking to simple sorts of non-bio has helped. No softeners.

Agree with others that whatever mum eats, baby gets some of and so her diet is important. Friends found their babies were allergic to dairy, gluten, eggs, nuts, tomatoes, strawberries etc. Once these were cut out of family diet, child's skin cleared up.

Watch out for harsh cleaning products, especially anti-bacterial sprays. They can trigger skin problems too.

[PumpkinsMummy]

A friend used these on his little boy who had terrible eczema. I have also had them and they are pretty fab, clean really well etc so not a hardship for your SIL to wash everything in.

[FabulousFudge]

chickenme - how do you get round the hard water issue?

[smilingthroughgrittedteeth]

I have eczema and the only thing that helps is coconut oil, I put a small amount in the bath then smoother myself in it every morning and evening.

we also use it on the little girl i nanny for and its worked so much better than anything the doctors given her.

mine is caused by citrus fruits, even an orange segment gives me a flare up.

[thismumismad]

Avoid avoid avoid anything with sodium lauryl suphate in it, this is a detergent and is in almost anything that bubbles. Aqueous cream even has it. Hand made olive oil soap is the gentlest cleaner you can find for the skin. I made my own body butter using coconut oil, shea butter and cocoa butter. I found this incredibly soothing. I used to have psoriasis over almost the whole of the top half of my body, it took three weeks avoiding sls and using my butter to completely get rid of it and it's not come back. Please pm me and I will contact soap making forums I'm on to find someone who could supply in Australia if you'd like.