Bathing your kid twice a day .... is it me? Am I an evil step mother.

[lickencivers]

I’ve gained two lovely step children. One of which suffers from pretty horrific eczema. Especially on hands (all cracked open at the knuckles etc). Whilst I have dry skin myself I have zero experience of this sort of stuff with my own DC.

DP and their mum seem to be using a lot of steroid based cream and epiderm but it doesn’t do a thing to ease him.

I’ve suggested alternative things (like putting porridge oats in a sock in the bath) as helped the itching when Mine had chicken pox etc

However, they bath their kids normally twice a day. If not twice then definitely religiously every night. Without fail. Gina Ford babies —I didn’t do routine either— any way. Any help or advice? Because I’m getting ulcers biting my tongue.

I have a nasty recurrent Eczema monster that visits 5 yr old. Always same advice from GP limit baths, additives and creams, Steroid cream only when it gets really bad..
I spent a fair bit on Aveeno about 6 months ago everything for bath additive, bar soap and oil, cream for after and use it religiously (and sparingly). I am winning.
The oils from his own skin and the creams aren't getting a chance to do anything beneficial if they're being washed off twice daily

No , don’t bite your tongue
You are a
Medical worker and can clearly see it’s aggravating it . Say something for the poor child

Both my dcs have mild eczema, i bath them with emoliant 2 maybe 3 times a week (depending how mucky they get. Steroid cream is too harsh on them so after i bath them i use double base on rough areas. Twice a day seems really too much imo but maybe they find it helps??

Myself and my son suffer from eczema. His is awful, top to toe. He gets a shower twice a week to limit his contact with water. He can't have a bath as it just flares up and makes his skin tighten and crack. 2 baths a day will be torture for this wee souls skin, really surprised their GP hasn't told them to stop.
We use the dream cream or charity pot from Lush and it's made a vast difference to his skin and mine. The childs farm moisturiser worked well for me as well, but my son was allergic to one of the ingredients. We've tried every steroid cream and emolient under the sun and they will work for a week or so then back to square one.

Love the assumption that because you are a step parent you have “zero experience” as though you can’t have any experience of parenting or life if an SM.

I have eczema and I doubt washing all the time is helping. Have washing powders etc all been changed too? As that sets me off. Look at the eco egg as that has no chemicals and replaced detergent.

Our hospital care plan recommended baths twice a day in special emollients etc. We also used a water based Vaseline style ointment after every bath. Used to be after every nappy change when he was much younger.

It can sometimes look yucky when its flaky and the 'fraying' skin can look dirty, are they worried about that?

Are you advised how long to keep him in the water?

Twice a day makes the eczema worse,I suffer really bad eczema on my hands and feet but one thing I can recommend is dream cream from lush it really does soothe the skin and takes a lot of the dryness away

keep biting
with eczema it's finding a routine that works. unfortunately even with a good routine and treatment it sometimes is living hell for the affected person.

Twice a week I was told for eczema and the oats were suggested

I agree more baths equal worse eczema. I had eczema growing up and still get it occasionally of I'm run downn or very stressed. DM had had it as long as I can remember. She bought me a load of child's farm baby products for DS, in car he also had sensitive skin, DB has all kinds of allergies, dust etc so it clearly runs in the family. His skin is gorgeous and I had a flare up when he was a few weeks old and cluster feeding, I used the body wash instead of shower gel and the moisturiser it cleared up in a couple of days. DM heard about them from a friend and only uses then his, I've never seen her skin so clear and without steroids. Epiderm doesn't work for her and never helped me or DB. I do realise this sounds life an advert, I really have no vested interest is just worked for us and if you Google you'll find a lot of others who say the same.

A homeopath may help. I'm sure the doctor didn't advise all this washing

I have stepped in. I’ve asked dp not to bath them. Repeatedly I get ignored as I get told it’s what their mum wants.

I have sent web links to medical articles regarding skin care to him. I get ignored.

When they’re with me I slather child’s farm moisturiser and then put socks on his hands. All day. Religiously reapply. It helped loads.

They’ll take them swimming. Shower them after. Then bath again when home. I literally bang my head against the wall while I can hear the tears from the bathroom. I have reached my limit tonight tbh.

Twice a day? Are they nuts? Do they bathe twice a day, too?
Common sense... not all that common.

As a psoriasis sufferer I can assure you that twice daily bathing is probably making it worse particularly if they use soaps etc.

Dr provided emoillant was useless. Best thing would be to get some good quality moisturisers. That child’s farm one is made for this kind of thing

@SpinneyHill - 5/10 minutes so the emollient could soak into his skin. My son's eczema was really severe and he was put under hospital care quite quickly as treatments like wet wraps etc made him worse.

How often are they swimming?

A previous poster mentioned this and I swear by it.
www.amazon.co.uk/Childs-Farm-moisturiser-grapefruit-organic/dp/B00IOPZBH0/ref=asc_df_B00IOPZBH0/?hvlocphy=9045311&linkCode=df0&hvptwo&psc=1&psc=1&hvnetw=g&hvadid=310233425912&hvpone&hvlocint&th=1&hvpos=1o3&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl&hvqmt&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&hvtargid=pla-350079540863&hvrand=7691092552308570187
Don’t have any advice for your step-issue sorry.

A homeopath may help

No, it won’t.

Depending on their age they should have gp, health visitor, school nurse. I would speak to them. This is quite cruel.

As a Paramedic, you would be able to find some decent evidence based research to support the theory that bathing this often is not good for eczema, surely. Do this and show their dad the evidence. Then leave him to it.

Why do they think twice a day is necessary? I don't know why you'd do that for anyone let alone a child with ezcema. But presumably there is a reason that they think this is best for their child.?

It may

Can you drag DP to the GP and get it spelled out to him?

It's really cruel even if inadvertent or unthinking to do that to the children.