SUPPORT THREAD - BABIES WITH ECZEMA

[Amani]

Hi,

I know there have been a couple of threads relating to eczema, but really would like to start some sort of recent support/sharing information thread for parents whose babies have eczema.

My DD2 has had severe eczema since she was 2 months old (nearly 6 months), and since then we have been in and out of hospital to treat it (i.e. infections, wet wraps).

Am finding it really hard at the moment with the weather being warm, as I can't let her wear t-shirts/short etc as she will itch herself badly, but I feel guilty for covering her up as I know it is making her warm. Can anyone share how they manage?

I know different creams are suitable for different people, but at the moment DD2 has been prescribed 50-50 white liquid paraffin, hydrocortisone for flare ups, oilatum for the bath and she is back to wet-wraps to hydrate her skin. Does anyone know if any of these creams can create long term damage to skin? Am very reluctant to use the hydrocortisone as it thins the skin. Also she is on Piriton twice a day to relieve the itchiness - will she get any side effects to it?

Also - how do you cope at night? DD2 wakes up every 3 hrs not because she needs a feed, but because she is itching. We've tried swaddling her but she always manages to break free.

If anyone can share any other information on how they keep on top of their LO eczema I will be really grateful.

Hi

I dont currently have a baby with eczema, but have 3 daughters with various degrees of eczema.

dd1 is/was the worst affected, she has had it since birth.

we have used every cream going and currently use aveeno, hydrocortisone ointment and balneum in the bath.

Have you applied for DLA?

cold cloths or a cold wheat bag is good at releiving the itchiness, dd1 spent many summers with her legs wrapped in cold towels.

Hydrocortisone is fine, and the % used wont do long term damage as long as it is used correctly. its better to use for the time stated and to clear the skin, then to use it too little and end up using it for longer periods IYSWIM.

i buy the girls pj's from eczemaclothing.com and try to get as many of their clothes 100% if possible.

at night, keep her room coool with a fan on.

Sorry to sound a bit thick but what is DLA?

Oh, is it disability living allowance - didn't know eczema was classified as a disability.

disability living allowence. if a child needs extra care for any reason then you can apply for it. its hard work filling in the form, but if it helps pay for the expensive pj's then its worth doing it.

i'm not sure if its classed as a disability but its certainly comething that needs extra care. dd1 got it from age 2-8, but we could've applied a lot earlier apparently. she has the added extras of allergies and asthma as well.

DLA is apparently available if you can demonstrate the need for additional expense. Not done it myself but there was a thread recently about it.

The prescribed medications sound fine, you may swap and change a bit as they can become "immune" to the effects of creams or even sensitive to them. Personally I can only use a cream for a few months before I have to change.

With DD we got rid of fabric conditioner all together, use Surcare powder to wash everything. Also we put a handful of porridge oats in a muslin, tie it with an elastic band and drop it in the bath instead of Oilitum. The difference it made was amazing We use the pouch of muslin to wash her skin instead of a sponge.

yes we do the oats things as well. the dd's like squueze the 'goo' over themselves.

DLA can be applied for if you can show they need extra care, not expense.

we have had t swap creams a lot for dd1 as she does react after a whle.

I find that not bathing DD too often helps aswell. Also try not using the oilatum and make sure its not making it worse (as it has with DD)

Thanks Misdee - that's it - additional care. As I said, no expert but I know others on here have had help. I also remember something about reduced water bills. It might be worth looking into that.

LuckySalem - Oilatum did that with DD. Her skin felt nice to us but it made her more itchy. Proves my point about actually being sensitive to things that are meant to help!

ohh this thread is really interesting, i was looking after myt nephew today and he has really bad eczema he was trying to scratch while i was changing his nappy and getting quite upset when i was stopping him.

i will tell my sister about the oats thing and the dla but what about immediate relief? is there anything we could do for that? i know that she used to put socks on his hands to stop him scratching but he is too old for that now he just pulls them so i didnt know what to do, i just distracted him with a cup of juice nice healthy water because i know he likes that.

cold cloths micci. or a cool pack wrapped in a tea towel. or wheatbag kept in the fridge/freezer. provides immidate releif and is drug free, so if you have nothing cream wise you can use for any reason then its a quick releif.

really useful info here, anyone else??

some people swaer by sea salts in the bath, or of possible lots of bathing in the sea. this works better in warmer climates though.

dd's got much worse on holiday , i think aggrevated by sun cream and the heat but we found the oilatum bath oil and cream helped her!

we dont use sun cream on dd1. i used to be able to get her to wear sunsuits, but now she wear tops which cover her shoulders/tops of arms, large brimmed hats and longer shorts. and avoid midday sun.

okay they would need to be washed in ecover right? ill have to get some and wash some special towels/cloths just for my nephew as i use surf or daz which im sure he would be allergic to. he was the same when i had today but i distracted him with one of dd2's toys this time.

i dont have any tips but if i get any ill let you all know. tbh we dont really know what to do for him atm. he sees a specialist but all the creams etc dont seem to make much of a difference. he has to have another cream and be wrapped in bandage type wraps at night now.

Yes even a face cloth washed in Daz could cause a reation if he is sensitive to it. Just make sure you follow the instructions from his parents and be aware of any nasties you may not think of normally. Such as airfreshners or toilet soap etc.

Hello all - so glad I've found this thread! DD has suffered from eczema since she was 3 months old - she's now 11 months. It's generally under control but she has regular flare-ups requiring hydrocortisone etc.

We have identified certain triggers and the main one seems to be when she gets too hot. However she'll also be in a state for no particular reason at all! Fingers crossed we've not had to do wet wraps yet.

We presently use Diprobase as an emollient and at one clinic they advised applying it all over at leat 6 x a day. This does seem to have improved things, but I have a constant battle getting the repeat presciption from the GP - they think we are getting through it too quickly, so I often have to buy it myself! We have to see the GP tomorrow to discuss if this is the right cream for DD. Can I ask what emollient creams you are all using, and how frequently you have to reapply them?

Also which sunscreen have you found to be best?

I would be interested in a Suncream recommendation as well. DD has started to react to the one we have used so far. Looks like she takes after me!

DD sounds similar to yours. She was 6 weeks when we were first given HQ .5% for her head. If she gets hot her face goes all itchy and puffy. We currently use Double base but also use aqueous cream as a soap substitute. I have also found calomile aqueous cream from Boots this week as she has had Chicken Pox, at least she is used to having cream put on.

Along side all that we do the natural remidies I mentioned earlier. I think we are lucky that we both understand excema as we both have it. I promise not to be like my Mum, I will not tell her off for wanting to scratch.

my boy is 20mths and has had very mild excema but it seems to be getting worse since summer started. he says its not sore and i've never seen him itch it, i've never heard before that it can be un-itchy. it also seems to be all over, on his back, on his neck and even little spots on his belly. the stuff he gets on his folds (like inner elbows)looks more classic but on his neck it looks more like acne. has anyone else had that?
anyway, we don't use soap on him cos i don't want to make it worse. but could only using water be doing anything bad? water alone seems to get all the dirt off, and we bathe him every night, but do you HAVE to use soap on a child? i have mild unperfumed soap anyhow cos of my skin, but unless theres a reason for using soap im not going to bother with him.
we were using that 50/50 emollient, i tried aveeno, and recently just got some aqueous BP (excuse my spelling of all these odd potions!) from the chemist. its all you can get from the chemist on the minor ailments scheme (eg free)but that seemed worse than useless. so i've tried doing nothing for a bit but im back to looking for something new or returning to the 50/50.

we dont use sun creams.

My dd used to have bad eczema too, thankfully now it is fairly mild, she's 4yo.

We use the oats in muslin for the bath and her skin is soothed and soft after her bath, but I don't add any more creams once out of the bath.

For washing of clothes, someone told me Ecover is rather bad, surcare is much better.

Finally, when weaned, goats milk is much easier to digest than cows milk, with all the same goodness. It tastes fine, unlike soya! The same person (nurse) told me that about 80% of people with eczema cannot tolerate cows milk, but once on goats milk, the eczema improves in many youngsters.

thanks call me over. i wont let any one spray anything while he is here, dp wanted to spray flyspray the other day, in front of mine and my sisters dc's whih is bad enough without nephews allergies.

he is allergic to my carpet because i clean it regularly with vanish carpet cleaner and a vax, but am moving soon so he will be fine on laminate. atm when he comes here he is always cuddled or in my dd2 hop and pop or high chiar to keep him off the carpet.

and i dont use soap on him i buy the sensative baby wipes that his mum uses now i have him as they are same price as what i used to buy anyway.

nephew gets worse when he is hot or tired always wanting to scratch.

Maebee, the eczema looking like acne or pimples sounds just like that of my dd when she was that age. I never used soap then, and only bathed her once per week, just washed her hands and face the rest of the time. She was ok with that! I now use oats for bathing (in muslin) but for handsoap I finally found soap with no additives, and is ok for her hands. I will try and remember where I found it on the net.

My dd is 18 months and has not specific eczema whereby she itches EVERYWHERE and is consantlt covered in scabs from where she's scratched herself raw.

Until recently I had a big problem with suncream because they all iritated her - Simple being the worst!

Then an Australian friend reccomnded the SunSense brand which is an Australian product. I now use SunSense sensitive but have also used the toddler milk. Both are SPF 50 and she hasn't reacted to either of them. I bought the 1st lot online as it wasn't on the high street, but saw some in Boots last week.

Not the cheapest but DEFINITELY worth every penn to me!