Toddler eczema in summer, tips please?

[lightningpeach]

My DD is 1 and has always had a dry skin and slight bit of eczema on her arms and legs but its not really bothered her until the last few days.
Aveeno and Dermol usually help keep her skin from getting too dry but it has really flared up and she has been scratching all night. Her arms and legs are really raw from the scratching. I cant work out if its the sun, heat or suntan lotion, we've been outside a lot but she has kept cool and have had a breeze so not really sweating. Has anyone else found eczema much worse in summer or figured out if its the actual exposure to the sun making it worse?
I know everyones skin reacts differently but are there any other general tips to help reduce the itching other than trying loads of creams?! I feel like we have tried everything going (apart from steroid cream so far) and they only make it worse and am trying to find something before we get to the really hot, sticky months to come.

Anyone?!

Sorry, can’t help @lightningpeach but I’m following as my 2 year old has eczema too and it has flared up in the last few days. I’m assuming it’s sun cream related, but she didn’t have it last year so I’m a bit lost this summer.
Hopefully someone will be able to help us both

Have you used an antihistamine for the itching? And maybe cotton gloves at night to stop the scratching damaging the skin.
I would also get a gp to look at it and go the steroid ointment route as it could clear it up pretty quick and stop it being a miserable summer for your little one.
Suntan lotion is a pig for flaring eczema up too, might be worth trying a few different brands or opting for long sleeves.

My little one also gets eczema (although it's worse in winter rather than summer). She had a bad flare-up a couple of weeks ago because she was allergic to the sun lotion I put on her. I then got her a new anti-eczema moisturiser, which brought her out in hives! Anyway, long story short, we are currently using Child's Farm sun lotion and Aproderm emollient cream as a moisturiser and it's all calmed down.

I do use the steroid cream sometimes - it does help to calm a nasty outbreak.

kid with chronic eczema, what works for one will not work for everyone but ive got mine under control now;

e45 cream, do not bath your child every night, toddlers mabey twice a week tops!, e45 bath cream too. If you must use "smelly" stuff for hair use childs farm its designed for eczema

Once that stops working (e45), which it will, switch to aveeno.

You can get hydeocortizone (spelling)! steroids from the doctors but it does thin the skin so i would not reccomend but for short term (2 weeks tops)! get on top of it mabey its an option?

Other creams, oilatum but its greasy

trial and error guys! hope that helps ive been through several years of this and found our working now!

I haven't really answered your question! I would:
Keep fingernails as short as possible
Go to the GP and get steroid cream and moisturiser / emollient
Keep trying moisturisers / sun creams until you find one which your lo doesn't react to
Bath every night to remove sun cream / sweat
Bath should be less than 15 minutes, nothing in it but water, lo dried off and covered in moisturiser as quickly as possible after

A lot of people recommend child's farm sun cream for little ones with eczema. Lots of moisturisers are recommended - Aproderm, Diprobase, Zerobase, Cetraben. Some people swear by Child's Farm and Aveeno, but I don't find them as good.

Thanks for all the advice, unfortunately the Child's Farm suntan lotion was the one we tried that caused / contributed to the flare up. We're only bathing twice a week plus when shes had sun lotion on.
I wish I could work out the cause of it! Shes already has a dairy and egg free diet due to allergies which Ive read is a common cause of eczema.

Mine had eczema but has grown out of it now.

We found the following helped: cool baths in the evening, scratch sleeves, la roche posay Cicaplast B5 Baume, cotton only clothing, no cheese and at the worst times, hydracortozone.

It's horrible, but hopefully it'll pass.

Antihistamine is a good idea for the worst flare ups though, hadn't thought of that! Will try that when she's really itchy.

My eczema was very sensitive to being hot and wet - so creases of arms, backs of legs etc. I found too thick cream / too much cream especially in the summer made it so much worse.

I discovered that thin and light creams suited my skin so much better and keeping my skin from getting hot and sweaty helped too.

However different people are suited to different creams so it is a bit of a trial and error,

Try Calendula Cream from Neals Yard. My teenager gets eczema and it is worse in the Summer, it has also gets worse around her mouth due to mask wearing. It’s about £7.00 per tube. It’s really helped her and is natural x

Also CeraVe is quite good as well x

I would say keep it as well moisturised as you can and try to get them in the sun (with no sun cream on) for a short burst to get the sun on their skin. Then cover up with long sleeves rather than apply any sun cream.

Be warned: antihistamines (piriton) make them sleepy, so give it to them before bed.

I've heard good things about SunSense sun creams as they don't contain a lot of the irritating chemicals in other sun creams.

Yes. My DS is also dairy egg and soya free as he has very serious allergies. He has eczema - worse in summer.

He's on prescribed oilatum for his bath and cetraben to wash with & moisturiser. Speak to GP and get a good system going.

The oilatum is very soothing

I also have a hydrocortisone cream for flare ups / stubborn patches.

Also - child farm is hideous and full of perfume and other nasties - don't use it.

I've found boots soltan baby 'protect & moisturise' to be good.

I do now use boots soltan kids all day 8hr sun cream if we're out and about and top him up on exposed bits - but if I don't wash it off he's sore.

If he's had suncream on he needs a bath. Plain water or just oilatum to sooth unless it's actual bath day though.

Watching with interest - I have an 18-month old with a couple of recent nasty flare-ups in the creases of her arms and knees. It sounds as if what works for one child doesn't necessarily work for another, so it's a case of keeping trying different creams . . .

I tried sudocrem today and yesterday, and it looks to have calmed down considerably. Hate the steroid creams; I really worry about what they're doing to her skin long-term.

@bumpyknuckles

Be warned: antihistamines (piriton) make them sleepy, so give it to them before bed.

I've heard good things about SunSense sun creams as they don't contain a lot of the irritating chemicals in other sun creams.

loratadine is non drowsy.

agree with the anti histamines though