Baby eczema - should oilatum be avoided?

[Knackeredmum13]

5 month old DS has severe eczema on his face that is really causing him a lot if discomfort.
I've been to the GP countless times and nothing is working. I'm waiting for a dermatology referral.

Meanwhile my poor baby is constantly clawing at his face. Lots of people have suggested oilatum to me. I've used it on myself and it really helped with itchy pregnancy skin. However on reading past mumsnet threads people seem to think that it made their child's eczema worse. So I wondered what the general consensus was? I'm headed to Boots to buy up every oilatum product they sell if there is a chance it will help my baby to stop itching.

The only thing that reduces the redness and stops her scratching with my 11mo DD is old fashioned calamine. I get the acqueous calamine cream (it's £2 A tube in super drug or independent chemists) and smother her in it twice a day. I then apply a bland moisturiser on top at bedtime and moisturise a few times a day separately. Avene trixera or hydrous ointment are the best I've found. Also eucerin bath stuff - sorry can't remember the name - is better than oilatum.

Seriously the calamine is worth a try. It is dirt cheap and i use it preference to hydrocortisone now. She is covered from neck to ankles in redness if I miss a session or two and if left exposed, can scratch herself to bleeding in 3 mins.

Oilatum was good for my DCs ezcema, but it was quite mild and they have all outgrown it now (youngests are 3). For my skin, any inflammation, cracked lips etc, it's always Lucas Paw Paw cream. Worked wonders on the DCs cradle cap, too.

We use Aveeno every bathtime (it is awesome), doublebase gel moisturiser every day (had dermol 5000 and it was no good at all) and 2.5% steroid as necessary. Cotton everything, non bio and comfort pure, also Vaseline cheeks on cold days. Remember to apply all creams and dry skin with the grain in the 'right' direction. Dry carefully after a bath. Watch extremes of temp. I found Oilatum and E45 made everything worse. Good luck.
Ps - all above lotions and potions on prescription - you do not have to pay for them!
PPs - for more help google the national eczema society, they have a help line.

Yep we use surcare too. Don't find oilatum bath or diprobase to have much effect on eczema at all.
The one thing we have found that has worked a treat was Special Ointment Number One. Sounds like something from a childrens book but works like magic for our kids. A friend who has older kids recommended it. Our Gp had never heard of it but our chemist had and wrote out the ingredients and asked our gp to prescribe them. The Gp agreed and the chemist mixed the ingredients and hey presto - a grey paste that smells of fence preserver and makes eczema patches vanish overnight. It might well be fence preserver for all I know, but it seems to agree with us so I'm all for it.