sheets for baby with eczema

[vivie]

My 8 month old has eczema and the patches on his cheeks have recently got a lot worse - much more red, 'wet' and easily infected - and I think it might be because he's rolling over and sleeping on his tummy and rubbing his face on the sheet. He has ordinary mothercare brushed cotton sheets. Are these bad for babies with eczema? Should he be using something else? If so, what should I look for in a sheet and where do I get it from? He uses an organic cotton sleeping bag with nickel free zip and this seems to be okay. Thanks everyone!

Cotton should be fine - maybe it is what the sheet is washed in? are you doing non-bio etc? also if he is repeatedly infecting, maybe you need to change the sheet daily, or if that is a bit of a bore, cover the sheet with a muslin at head level and change that daily? the muslin might also be cooler and a bit less abrasive than the brushed cotton.

It may also be that he is just dribbling a bit more and lying on it because he is on his front, which may irritate his cheeks. I don't know if you can do much about that, but maybe doubling up with a muslin will again soak that up a bit more than the sheets.?

my only other thought is if you have a cot mattress like mine - cotton ticking on one side and plastic on the other - maybe try and turn it so he is sleeping on the cotton side rather than the plastic side, as it may let everything breathe a bit better. But that may be a long shot...

good luck!

wash the sheets at 60degrees in non bio soap powder. cotton is the best material for eczema so dont change the sheets for a man made fabric. if he has an infection in his eczema then see the doctor who can perscibe some anti biotic cream, and a short coutse of anti biotics as well. could be worth inversting in a anti allergy matress protecter, if u cant find one for cots (never seen any before) then buy one for a single bed and tuck in it very well under the fitted sheet.
keep him nice and cool, make sure his skin doesnt dry out, (very hard in this weather) and hopefully his skin will improve soon. it might be worth trying different brands of soap powder to see which ones suit his skin best. my little girl can only use arial non bio. all the others flare her skin up. cant even use a fabric softerner.

We got an `anti-allergy' cot bed mattress protector from John Lewis (I expect they do cot size too). Sorry can't give any more advice, but it does sound like he needs some antibiotics to clear up the infection.

oh yeah, if has an infection, then try and wash the sheets daily. a right bugger i know, but sometimes it has to be done to help clear the infection up.

Thanks everyone - you've saved me spending money on stuff I don't need - brilliant! I wash the sheet most days because it's sticky and dribbly so I'll make sure I do it every day. I do so much washing that one extra little sheet won't make too much difference! He has Fucidin antibiotic cream but perhaps he needs a course of antibiotics. I'll speak to the GP tomorrow.
Isn't eczema awful? I've never had it but I hate seeing my baby itchy and sore, and hate feeling like I can only do so much to help. It's hard for mums to cope with too. You know what I mean....
Thanks again.