How to care for eczema-prone skin in children - tips from parents and experts

[ClareMumsnet]

Watching your baby or child suffer with eczema is really hard on you both. The good news is that, while eczema is common, there are also lots of things you can do to help.

So we’ve gathered together wisdom from dermatologists at La Roche-Posay and Mumsnetters who’ve been there to help you calm the itch and calm everyone’s nerves too.

Already found a solution for your child’s eczema? Please do share it on the thread below.

Tips for managing eczema in babies and children

1. Limit baths

Baths can really dry out the skin, so try to cut down how many your child has per week, particularly if they currently have a bath every day.

Showers are less drying on the skin but, if you do give your child a bath, keep the water tepid rather than warm and don’t put anything in the bath that might irritate their skin.

“My toddler has it too and I’ve found that cutting down baths to every two or three days does help.” - Logic

2. Ditch the soap

Soap can also make the skin dry so replace it with a soap-free cream body wash, also known as syndet, to tackle dry, itchy and eczema-prone skin. This will help to retain moisture rather than dry the skin out.

All the handwashing children now have to do is no help for eczema sufferers either, but obviously it has to be done. You can buy handwash made from emollient rather than soap and look for hand sanitiser that foams - the clear alcohol stuff will sting and make the skin dry.

“You need to avoid soap and bubble bath. Just plain tepid water in the bath only.” - PancakeSunday

3. Keep their skin hydrated

So much of keeping eczema at bay is keeping your child’s skin well hydrated. That means getting lots of water into them as well as lots and lots of moisturising - three times a day (or more if you can).

If they’re at school, try giving them a moisturiser stick that they can use on their hands and on the inside of their elbows and knees, and really slather on the moisturiser both morning and night.

“Has she seen the GP? My baby DD’s cleared up with twice a day moisturising, no more than two baths a week and steroid ointment. It’s staying away with regular moisturising. [...] For eczema you need to moisturise, moisturise, moisturise.” - AnneLovesGilbert

Related: Eczema quiz: can you sort the myths from the facts?

4. Choose natural fibres

Aside from specific baby eczema ointments, keep things as natural as you can. This includes opting for cotton clothes, hypoallergenic bed sheets and minimal products in the bath (though a handful of oats in an old stocking can do wonders).

“I found that if I avoided contact with chemicals and manmade fibres that really helped [my son]. So we've always used organic bubble bath, [...] 100% cotton etc.” - MilaMae

5. Try to get scratching down to a minimum

The eczema itch is so irritating and it can be hard to get children not to scratch. Try asking them to ‘gently stroke’ with their fingers or palms of their hands rather than with nails if possible, or give them a little moisturiser to rub in whenever the itch gets too much.

The more difficult bit is at night. Tiny ones can wear mitts but, for older children, socks will do the same job well.

“I would make sure they aren't too hot as that can dry out skin. You can also put socks on hands to stop any itching.” - Cookiecake

6. Keep them cool

Eczema often flares in hot weather when kids get sweaty and their skin irritated. Keep them cool at night with fans and a cracked window if you can, and ensure that their clothes are breathable and that they don’t have too many layers on.

“Keep them cool as overheating means they'll scratch more, and try to use natural materials etc as much as possible.” - Whitelisbon

7. Reduce stress

A bit of rest and relaxation is a cure for so many ills, so don’t underestimate its effect on eczema.

Many adult eczema sufferers find it flares up when they’re stressed, so it stands to reason that children will find the same. Do all you can to smooth the path for them when eczema rears its ugly head. Lots of early nights and relaxing play will help too.

“We found that sea water on holiday cleared up eczema in DS. Stress tends to make auto-immune disorders (allergies and eczema included) much worse, so lifting stress could well have helped. Sounds like a good case for more holidays!” - neversaydie

Related: What is imaginative play and how can I encourage it?

8. Consider diet

Infant eczema often goes hand in hand with other allergies, so you should seek advice from your GP if you think there may be allergies at play as they will be able to refer your child for tests.

Dairy is a common issue, but things like highly coloured fruit and veg, wheat, fish, eggs and peanuts can also trigger eczema. Don’t cut anything out of your child’s diet without consulting a doctor or medical professional first.

“My DS has severe eczema and has done since he was born. Nothing and I mean nothing seems to work - even the dermatologist is baffled. Recently we’ve switched from cow’s milk to goat’s milk and, fingers crossed, his eczema seems to be improving. It's early days yet but it's worth trying.” - jimmyjamas

9. Talk to the experts

There’s a large product offering on the market and it can be very confusing to know which one to use for your baby or child, but eczema is not something you have to deal with alone. Even if the solution happens to be a moisturiser you can find in your local supermarket or pharmacy, your GP can often get it for you on prescription.

You should always seek advice from your GP or health visitor and then follow it up afterwards. If preventative measures don’t work, your child may need a short-term steroid cream or a referral to a dermatologist. The help is out there though, so make sure you get what your child is entitled to.

“First, take her to the GP for a diagnosis. Whatever the GP gives you, make sure [...] that when you apply it you use gentle downwards strokes with the grain of the skin (a tip from the National Eczema Society who are awesome and have lovely nurses who will chat to you).” - overripebanana

Related: How to encourage healthy eating in kids

10. Be prepared to roll with the punches

Eczema is a tricky thing. The solution that works for someone else’s child won’t necessarily work for yours, and you may find you work through several different options before you hit on the one that works.

But (yes, we’re afraid there is a but), occasionally something that has worked in the past suddenly stops working, so be prepared to go back to the drawing board once or twice along the way.

“Trial and error guys! I’ve been through several years of this and found our working [solution] now!” - GettingItOutThere

About La Roche-Posay

"At La Roche-Posay, our mission is to provide a better life for sensitive skin, for you and for your little ones, so that you can enjoy some peaceful time together.

This is why we have created LIPIKAR Baume AP+M, a hydrating, soothing balm for dry and itchy skin, suitable for the whole family, including newborn babies. It’s also suitable for use on eczema-prone skin.

The minimalist hypoallergenic formula has a triple action efficacy. It immediately soothes the skin and provides up to 48 hours of hydration so that itching sensations caused by dry skin are reduced for long-lasting comfort. It also restores the skin barrier function, reducing the frequency of dry skin flare-ups, and helps to rebalance the skin microbiome."

Thread sponsored by La Roche-Posay

[Bakingtraypan]

After trying all sorts, diet creams bath soaks steroids oils etc I realised my skin was suffering from all the moisture I was applying to it. I believe I had a skin infection and eczema. I stopped everything and left my skin alone and the intense crazy itch that I believe was skin infection also stopped. I don’t put any moisturiser near my skin now and it’s never looked better. I think some type of eczema benefit from moisture but it makes mine worse. Now when I spot a tiny bit of eczema forming I dab a bit of benovate on it - just once usually kills itch and stops it from taking hold again.

[Battlingongraciously]

Sufferer of all my life, here's what works for me.

Apply coconut oil to my scalp using a bottle with a nozzle, you could buy one from ebay. Apply directly to the really bad patches, then use a tangle teezer to brush through the hair.

Wash once with normal shampoo and rinse, wash secondly with t gr neurogenic shampoo, then condition.

Body, Apply coconut oil to the dry parts of the skin. Then apply t gel neutrons shampoo to exfoliating gloves and wash the body gently.

Apply coconut oil periodically as many times a day as possible to the skin and wash hair using above method every other or every other two days.

Also, Apply coconut oil to the body and soak in a salt bath once a week. Pour in a mug full of table salt.

Buy coconut cooking oil, £5 for 500g tub from the supermarket isle and basic table salt.

This method gave me relief from a 20 year flare up.

I don't drink, smoke, not overweight, blood pressure is excellent, the psoriasis is hereditary, lots of us have it in my family, so although I'm healthy this inherited issue will not go away.

I gave this recommendation to a young mum for her under one year old in the doctors waiting room, she checked it with the doctor and the doctor gave her the green light, but obviously, for children check with your GP first.

[Fraser0704]

I've suffered from eczema for years and had some really nasty flare ups, I spent a lot of time when I was younger going backwards and forwards trying different steroid creams and moisturising creams, in the end I realised my eczema flare ups use to settle more if I lowered my intake of dairy and the creams worked better!

[HeyDuggeesFavouriteSquirrel]

I've been told bathing more helps and don't dry them completely. Moisturise quickly to lock in moisture.

[Reflections2021]

@secular39 out of interest what did the endocrinologist diagnose as the underlying reason?

[secular39]

[quote Reflections2021]@secular39 out of interest what did the endocrinologist diagnose as the underlying reason?[/quote]
Over treatment of high potent steroids.

[SingingInTheShithouse]

For my daughter it was mostly caused by intolerances to chemical additives, in food, shampoos etc & the worst culprit for us was medicines. Azo Dyes & Benzoate preservatives are known to cause Urticaria, which turns out to often be mistaken for eczema. Cutting these out of anything I ate or used when BF & anything she had later. Medicines needed to be additive free & we even ended up buying colourless capsules to switch antibiotics into etc. Prescription creams made things worse, as did much of what was recommended at the time.

We kept her once very bad flare ups to a minimum by avoiding Azo dyes & benzoate preservatives in anything & treat any flare ups with a natural herbal oat based cream that I ended up making as nothing else worked at the time.

She was also lactose intolerant & avoiding this also helped, but that mostly helped her gut issues. We just had to choose cheeses carefully & buy lactose free milk fir a while until she grew out of it

[lovelyupnorth]

Moving was the best solution for us moved to a soft water area and eczema cleared up completely.

Dd1 now 20 and at uni in a hard water area and it’s playing havoc with her skin.

[Summergarden]

The biggest improvement came when I switched washing powder from bio to non bio. Also no longer using any fabric softener.

The amount of eczema they all suffer has significantly reduced.

[Frazzledd]

Can I ask the expert MNers on here some advice?

My 2.5 year old has patchy eczema, I've managed to get on top of mostly all (using Oilatum junior wash, Dermal 500 and Sudocrem).

But about 2 weeks ago she developed a patch on the inside of her elbow which really flares up (bumpy, red, itchy, scaley).

It looked great yesterday and like it was on its way out, but this morning really angry looking (red, almost dark in some spots?)

Does this sound fungal? It's in one of those 'warm/constantly rubbing areas and in the bendy crease so should I be using a hydrocortisone cream?

Also, long or short sleeves? She's not rubbing or scratching at it right now but occasionally picks when she spots it?

Any advice really welcome, thank you!

[buttercup1001]

Porridge oats in the bath is amazing.got rid of mine and my son's.i swear by it.

[Thewildonessince2008]

All 3 of mine have eczema, two very badly as babies. Now only get patched in winter when heating is on alot. When my first had it I tried everything and was lucky that I got aveeno. The only thing I will use on any of them now, including the odd bath with aveeno wash. Non bio washing powder always, no scented bath stuff only very occasionally I use farm ones. Cotton clothing and when babies they were in long legs and sleeves to stop the scratching. My son had mittens in the bath as a baby. He was the worst but I'm convinced he was allergic to something I was eating and then breastfeeding, although no one said that to me. Also swimming surprisingly helps, the chlorine helps but obviously cream straight after. I used aveeno on them as often as possible but at least morning and night after baths. Steroids when it was very bad but sparingly for no more than 3 days. Now all three are fine, except for the odd patch in winter. No known allergies. It's a heartbreaking thing to see your kids suffer.

[Kaileighj]

Have you ever tried CBD balm? It's all natural, I use it on my son who has allergies so often has eczema break outs. It's not cheap but worth it as the pot lasts months. We all use it now, instead of those harsh steroid creams the doc gives out. I get mine from //www.thehempgarden.net or go into their shop.

[Doyouthinktheyhearus]

Remove all products containing sodium laureth sulphate. Any shampoo or baby bath or body wash or aqueous cream containing this ingredient can cause irritation. It has been proven to be a cause. We removed it and our children’s eczema cleared up so did my dermatitis.

[outofservice]

Moisturise every time you do a nappy change. I used emollients, Aveno, Nursem etc. I find at least 6 applications a day works.