Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Children's health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

can you 'cause' eczema? feeling very guilty

5 replies

greeneone12 · 20/01/2011 10:11

Hi All

My dd came up in a rash yesterday that looked quite sore. She is also red under her arms and in her leg folds dispute us drying her properly.

She is 12 weeks and we have tried a few different things on her skin before the skin flared up. Simple for bath time, olive oil, oilatum, and e45. We also used almond oil which gave her a bad reaction.

Her dad has eczema but I can't help but feel like I have caused this some how :( Have I?

Sarah

OP posts:
RoseMortmain · 20/01/2011 10:39

How often do you bath her?

Small babies don't need bathing everyday, once a week is absolutely plenty and topping and tailing will keep her clean.

With DS1 we fell for the 'bath every night as part of the bedtime routine' and his skin became very very dry as we were washing away all his natural oils.

Once we reduced the baths to once a week his skin cleared up and there's been no sign of eczema since (he's 7 now).

DS2 has 'proper' eczema, despite only ever being bathed once a week. I can't remember when it first flared up (6 months ish?) but it's definitely an allergy rather than something I've done.

If eczema runs in the family then she does have a higher risk of developing it, as you know, so if she has it isn't your fault.

However, there are things you can do to minimise the symptoms.

As few baths as possible in plain water only - all of the additives don't really do anything to help and in ds2 cause extra allergic reaction because they are full of chemicals.

We cover him in moisturiser before he goes in the bath and then pat him dry very gently when he gets out. We then cover him in moisturiser again once he's dry.

Personally I love Pure Potions Skin Salvation as it's completely natural and has no chemicals in. We tried all of the emollients available from the GP but they all made it worse so we assume there's a common ingredient that he's allergic to.

When it's bad we moisturise the sore bits morning and night, if he's okay I do it every night before bed. The softer and moister you can keep the skin the better where eczema is concerned.

HTH

DameShirleyKnot · 20/01/2011 10:41

No. My youngest son started suffering at about the same age as yours.

I cut all dairy from his diet and that helped and then he grew out of it. Hooray!

Are you bfing? Because the nut thing sounds like something you could pursue?

Also, if your husband has eczema then it has probably been passed down genetically.

greeneone12 · 20/01/2011 10:57

I am breastfeeding but haven't been eating many if any nuts myself. Thanks for your support.

OP posts:
DameShirleyKnot · 20/01/2011 11:19

Maybe speak to your HV about whether or not you can try and elimination diet (for example, cutting all dairy from your diet for a week, seeing if his symptons lessen) to see if you can pinpoint any intolerances?

(I have NO IDEA whether you should do this or not, as my son's eczema flared after I had stopped bf (at about 13 weeks) and had moved him over to formula. Ask your HV.)

I think the nut thing is interesting just because you say she had a particularly bad reaction to almond oil? This seems significant to me, and the thing with nuts is that they are in almost every bloody thing.

Schulte · 20/01/2011 20:20

Of course you haven't. This is the age when it can show up for the first time - it did with my DD2. Hopefully you'll learn how to manage and control it, see a doctor and get a range of creams and try out what works best. Be careful with the weaning - eczema children can be more prone to allergies. Good luck!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread