eczma

[peachpud]

Is it possible for my dd 3 years to have eczma just on her hands and for it only to trouble her at night? For last week or so she is waking two or three times a night and frantically itching and rubbing her hands which look sore and like they have eczma but in the daytime they seem fine. Am fairly exhausted and wondered if anyone had a solution before i take her off to the doc? Have been putting sudocrem on but not much help.

Having suffered with eczema all my life, I defo wouldn't put sudocrem on it.
As it's only her hands, it could be a reaction to a soap she washed her hands in so you could swap to a very mild baby wash, rather than a foam frog type thing if that's what you have. Other than that, yes, it's possible only to have it on your hands. I had it on my hands and feet for years (teens) and then only my hands as an adult (sometimes face). At night, my hands would get very hot under the duvet. The GP told me to wear cotton gloves but tbh, this made them hotter and more itchy.
Perhaps try massaging her back before she goes to sleep to completely relax her - if she's perhaps not relaxed as she starts sleeping, any itch could get worse.
Also make sure you're washing her bed clothes in something very pure, in case it's the covers causing a reaction (fairly unlikely though).
Try smoothing a vey thin coat of vaseline over her hands (not rubbing) before she sleeps and try to get her as relaxed as possible and see if it gets a bit better.
It may be though if it's quite bad and her hands are weepy and inflammed, that you'll need to take her to GP to get looked at and possible have a topical steroid cream for a couple of days to heal the skin.

thanks for that advice - it makes sense that her hands are hotter at night so i guess that could make it worse. i do use all mild soaps and washing powders but maybe she used something elsewhere that started it. It's not weeping or anything near that bad yet so i'll try what you've suggested and see how we go. interesting to know that you can just get it on hands or feet as my other girls have had it occasionally but always in creases behind knees and arm creases.
thank you.

my dd 2.3 has had a similar problem. I have taken to smoothing on her palms before she goes to sleep and it seems to be doing the trick.