6m ds has suspicious-looking patches on his skin...

[PhantomHaunteDDeath]

one is right under the waistband of his nappy, I thought it was just chafing and I've been putting sudocrem and/or weleda nappy cream on it - it's moving around his waist. (getting better in original patch though)

now he's developed another patch, right in the middle of his back, and perhaps a tiny spot of it on one shoulder.

I really, really don't want it to be eczema - how would I know? should he go to dr? anything I can do?

Sorry it does sound like eczema. What does it look like up close. Is it itchy?

I can't tell if it itches. He's only just discovering his nappy area, so to speak; he does grab at that fold of skin but only when his nappy is off. and then he is just as like to grab his penis/testes IYSWIM. It is pink/red (more or less), the one on his back looks a little scaly. The ones on his tum just look like the skin is being rubbed off. But there's not really that much difference between them I don't think.

where/why would he be getting eczema??

both my dds had/sometimes have eczema - it started around 3-4 months old, but gets worse in winter when the heating is on (drier skin).

I would double check with the GP, in case its not (though it does sound like it, my dd's always got them in skin creases) and because a good GP will reassure you that it needn't be a big deal, is easy to treat, and in the majority of cases goes away when they get older. Honestly, I really really didn't want it to be eczema either - I understant that. But its not got very bad in either dd, and dd1's got lots better (often not there at all) by the time she was 2 - dd2's is almost all gone and she's only 11 months.

In the meantime, you can buy Doublebase or a similar emollient over the counter - but its a bit pricey, and free on prescription. The GP might also give you a very mild steroid cream/ointment - and my big tip with these is to use them as soon as you spot a patch and zap it asap: you end up using a lot less that way.

It could also be a fungal infection - dd1 had one for over a year - I'd get a GP or pharmacist to check it out.

yup, could be a fungal infection

dd had a couple for months, then they just disappeared. Read somewhere that it can be caused by the bug that causes dandruff (can't remember what it's called) so started to use a little Nizoral shampoo on the patches a couple of times a week, don't know if it helped, but they've gone!

okay thanks this is all v helpful

my bump broke into eczema when I was 38wks (they said it was a pg thing) so I have a large tub of diprobase. (Ended up needing a steriod to clear it up)

I also have an anti-fungal cream as ds had nasty, fungal cradlecap

will put diprobase on him until I can get to a dr. Just hated the thought of eczema as my dnephew has had an open sore the size of a £2 coin on his collarbone for something like 3 years now...

thanks