Help! Eczema keeping toddler awake

[Rollermum]

Hello,

DD is 22 months and has a bad eczema flare up on her ankles / top of feet, wrists and back of knees. Have been to Dr but the cream given (Diprobase Ointment Emollient) for bath time and Oilatum for bath haven't helped. For a while not using soap too much and coconut oil applied cleared it up worked quite well.

Now though this isn't enough and she is waking up, clawing at her ankles and really unsettled.

I'm currently applying Sudocrem to see if that helps but not sure it is.

I will go back to the dr but wondered if anyone had any advice / checklists to try. We recently stopped BFing and she is having more cows milk, I'm worried it could be that.

I haven't changed washing powder.

Oh and I keep her nails as short as possible.

I don't think the sudocreme will do much to help. A couple of non-prescription things you could try are aveeno cream, I personally love double base dayleve (not the ordinary stuff, has to be the dayleve ). Eucerin atocontrol bath oil is excellent.

I would definitely reduce cows milk idle you think there could be a correlation.

As a desperate measure, I found calamine lotion/cream helps with the immediate itching. And if you have any HC1% hanging around, do slap it on. A top dermo has told me that it's practically impossible to thin skin using it and better tocontroll damage to skin

Thanks Free I just saw Sudocrem said eczema on it so tried it but is very useful to have names of other stuff to try. Thanks!

My three year old suffers really badly with her eczema we have loads of creams and see the dermatologist. At the moment she's on antibiotics (again), this is the worst thing to have cuz it can't be treated just managed hard to tell a three year old! I would defo recommend getting an antihistamine for bad nights,like piriton which should help. Also my daughter has these special vests, leggings and gloves which are excellent for keeping the skin moist during the night. If you have a good dr ask for them or even better ask to be referred to a dermatologist. I'm sorry if I have gone on

Sorry forgot to mention her creams they are double base gel, dermol 500 for washing and hydromol ointment this is a very greesy cream think of Vaseline but even greasier. It's brilliant for night time. I'm afraid you might have to go through a few before you find something that works.

Thanks Yousuf, that is really helpful. Can I just ask are those creams on prescription?

Most excema creams can be bought from the chemist but if they work, you can get the doctor to prescribe them - saves you money in the long run and sometimes it takes time to find the right cream/lotion.

Dd has had eczema since she was a baby.

We have been through over a dozen creams off the shelf and prescribed.

the ones from the drs made it worse without a doubt.

I found that using shampoo shower gel etc that were SLS and paraben free helped alot. and the same with the cream. vegan SLS, and paraben free moisturiser.

steroid cream is needed to clear up the really bad patches obviously and sadly the products are not prescription and rather pricy but worth every penny.

I'm a beauty therapist and from my experience with clients I would say avoid steroid creams where possible as they thin the skin and can cause long term problems (e.g worse eczema when you're older due to thinned skin).

Have a really good look at ingredients on products you use (even if they say natural on the front) and do a bit of research. Avoid anything that contains sodium laurel sulphate (or any other SLS) as it can be very drying.

Avene is a french brand and has some great products and isn't very expensive. Have also heard good things about aveeno. Coconut oil also, or any other natural oils e.g evening primrose, grapeseed, vitamin E or jojoba. All have different properties.

Aromatherapy can help, as can acupuncture although this is relative to age/amount you can spend.

Maybe try using bicarbonate of soda instead of perfumed washing powder for a bit?

Likewise with dairy - personally I'd cut it out for a month or so and reassess.

If I think of anything else I'll let you know (and I'm sure you've tried lots of these things already!) but know how difficult it can be for people to deal with eczema as adults, let alone young children.

Hope I've helped xx

Thanks Free and Giles. Looks like quite a lot of trial and error ahead of us, but great to have some options.

Thanks also Jules not sure how I missed your post earlier.

jules if someone needs medicated cream (ie steroids) they need them. yes they have side effects but scars and infections from scratching are very unpleasant.
imo very dangerous advice for eczema sufferers!

op go back to gp, ask to be referred to the eczema nurse for advice.

steroid cream are not the work of the devil, maybe your dc needs an antihistamine as well to break the itching cycle and give thd skin a chance to heal.

Agree with last post.Steroids are a necessity when things go out of control and the potential for infection sets in which can be very nasty, believe me.I hope you get referred to a specialist who can set you on the right path.Good luck, eczema is a distressing and unpredictable condition which requires proper management and care.

also I wouldn't cut out a whole food group (dairy) without medical advice and more research for such a small child.

what helped us:
2 creams, one light moisturiser (aveeno oat) and a barrier type one on top (weleda skin food) mornins and evenings.
light cream a few times during the day on the worst areas.

steroid cream underneath when skin is very angry.

short and cool baths, no soap, just gentle shampoo for pits and bits. oats might be soothing in the bath.

what creams work for you is trial and error, every skin is different

half the detergent and extra rinse esp for underwear. everything 100 that is worn directly on skin. silk is also nice and light and smooth.

antihistamine at night (ask gp/eczema nurse) brought peaceful sleep and gave the skin some rest to heal. in hindsight dc's eczema is hayfever, but luckily nearly outgrown it.

My DS suffered with eczema when he was smaller I tried all the creams & lotions from the doctor. The steroid cream was the only thing that gave him any relief for a short while until I stopped it.
Eventually I found the Liz Earle Orange Flower Botanical Body Wash & Botanical Body Cream & switched to just using these products on him (no other soaps or lotions). I use only the persil non bio washing liquid and the comfort pure to reduce the amount of chemicals in the clothes too.
Happy to say this combo did make a huge differnce for him & 6 years on I am still going with it. The cream & body wash are not overly cheap but they do last & the odd time I have had to use something different (maybe if we've been away for eg) his skin has flared up quite quickly.
Hope this helps

DreamCream from lush is a miracle worker! Cleared my DD's eczema up quickly and it hasn't came back at all x

We have Balneum Plus cream for my 2 boy's eczema for when it's itchy, it's an anti-itch cream and works really well. It was originally prescribed by a GP who had a special interest in 'skin things'.

Mousmous and seoda - yes completely agree! I said to avoid steroid creams 'where possible' as in not using them excessively or at times when maybe the eczema isn't as severe. Certainly they're needed when there's a real flare up or at times when infection is possible.

I also hope me stating that I was a beauty therapist at the beginning of my post would mean the OP wouldn't take my word as gospel and apply bits to it they may think is relevant to their personal experiences.

I've also found that sometimes sufferers just haven't heard of particular alternative treatments and they tend to then go and do their own (much more detailed) research on this kind of basic information.

I also just had a thought about Chinese medicine and the nightshade family of foods. Again, something to research a lot more and may not be appropriate for a young child but I know that a friend of mine that suffers terribly has had some great relief from this.

Having seen a top Harley St dermatologist who also works in the NHS, she said that skin thinning is very rare and mostly reversible if it does happen and she has never seen it from using mild or moderate steroids on eczema. She also advised using a maintenance dose of HC1% twice a week indefinitely once it's under control (if necessary).

Oh and don't use steroids at the same time as moisturizer. You should use them at separate times as the moisturizer can dilute the steroids and make them less effective.

Obviously if you can find a non-steroid option that controls the issue, then great but I found it very reassuring to understand that using the steroids wasn't a bad thing if that was what's needed.

Thanks for all the new contributions. Thankfully regular application of Aveeno and less frequent baths has helped a lot and we had a clawing free night last night.

Useful to know the score on steroids if needed in future, though.

I'm not cutting out all dairy, just the thing that has recently been added - whole cows milk as a drink. Once the flare up has completely gone I will try her with it again. If it is bad, I will switch to goats milk I guess. That sounds vile to me though...

I can recommend koko if your after a milk drink.sub.

Dds eczema improved after we eliminated dairy. She now only has it maybe once a week or at parties.