My 4 month old's skin - pic attached

[fee1234]

Hi, I'm worried about my 4 months old DD's skin, I showed the nurse earlier this week when she was getting her jags and they think it's eczema and prescribed zeroveen emollient which I've been using every couple of hours but it seems to be getting worse. Clothes are washed in small amount of non bio, and she's formula fed. It's only really on her front and small amount on back.

Does this look like typical eczema and does anyone know how else I can treat it? She itches it at any chance she gets. Thanks

[Suzi888]

So hard with keeping the little ones cool in the cold weather, but still warm.
Read your update OP and I’m also allergic to cats, I get more of a hives reaction though, coupled with lots of sneezing. Hope it’s not that with your lo.

I can’t think of the name of it but the doctor will know, there’s a cream that you can use as a wash instead of soap. I’d try not to bath every day too if you can help it and keep them very quick and as luke warm as possible, as it can dry the already very irritated skin.
Echo @UniversalHadIt with the extra rinse and surcare when you wash clothes, towels, bedding.
We also used ibuprofen to help with the discomfort - but check with your doctor. We were back and forth for a little while trying different things.
When it does clear up be careful introducing new washes/creams etc. I stupidly used my (not cheap) shower gel with my DD, when she was a few years older and it all flared up again. As soon as you’ve used something you shouldn’t, you can just feel your skin flare and by then it’s too late! Hope she grows out of it, mine is almost five and she no longer seems to suffer with it- fingers crossed!

[elmfield4]

My Dd had eczema at the same age as your daughter. The doctors prescribed hydromol to use several times a day and we started using non bio washing powder. It cleared up within month or so and she's never had it again and is now 16months. I think it's fairly common for babies to get it and I think when the weather starts to go cooler and the heating is put on, it aggravates their sensitive skin.

[JJSS123]

Hi not sure if it’s been mentioned but what do you or your cleaner use to clean the bath? I was told not to use anything like bleach as no matter how much you rinse the bath some always stays in and it can be awful for sensitive skin. Bless her I’d be getting her seen first thing she looks so sore.

[elmfield4]

Oh forgot to say we stopped using any baby products other than baby dove and aveeno

[endofthelinefinally]

I agree with pp saying you need to get your baby seen asap. That looks nasty and very sore. Don't wait for it to get worse. My DD was Px ABx for infected eczema and it wasn't anywhere near as bad as that.

[OhDear2200]

This looks like my DS skin. The only thing that helped (after trying everything and very strong steroids) was elimination of allergies in his diet.

Please please see a DR and do not be fobbed off. I can’t tell you how angry I am at the GPS who didn’t take my sons skin seriously. You wouldn’t take it as an adult.

[applespearsbears]

We also make sure all bedding and clothes are 100% cotton. We also use the Dr Aaron method
And was everything with ecover Zero fragrance free laundry liquid

[saiditbetterthanme]

Also looks like eczema. Hope you can get it sorted soon.

(As a complete aside @feel1234 where did you get your paisley bedding from?!)

[Straysocks]

I also took one look at this and though milk/cat allergy.

As PP said you might need to start with a mild steroid to bring the flare down and then look to keep it under control. I was very against using them at the beginning but have since found the quicker you can control the flare the less you need. If you do use them, put the steroid on about 20 mins before the emollient not afterwards. Emollients vary from creams to lotions to ointments. Creams & lotions used to make my son scream, only ointments helped. Hydromol ointment & Hydromol Intensive especially good. We also have wet wraps on prescription and they are very good. Eczema goes through layers of skin so if the don't stop using a cream when it looks better, continue for a week or so to get to the skin coming through.

You might find Clinifast clothing (prescription) useful too, it maximises the way the cream work - other brands did not offer the same relief. They have gloves/socks/leggings/long-sleeve tops/balaclavas.

My son has eczema and Fairy was awful. Surcare is targeted at those with skin issues but agree a non-chemical wash is better and I would ensure this includes the rest of the household's laundry too.

I also would get to GP ASAP as it will worsen. Over-the-counter products are probably unhelpful when it is this sore. If your GP can't help you resolve this within a few weeks don't be afraid to ask for a Paediatric Dermatologist referral, we suffered for years until we saw one. Really hope this improves soon.

[Retrovibe89]

As many previous posters my first thought was an allergy. My DD had similar rashes and cleared up completely when we cut dairy from her diet but I had to really push to see a dietician. Her first words were “I can tell she has a dairy allergy from her skin”

[FippertyGibbett]

Use Ecover washing liquid and no softener for ever that touches her skin.
And try Elena’s Nature collection. The oil and creams helped my DD.

[DinosaurOfFire]

The other thing I would look at is what her clothes are made from. My DS can only wear 100% cotton, nothing else next to his skin. If you are already using Fairy then like a pp suggested, try different washing detergent. Also are the rest of the family using the same detergent? As the detergent/ conditioner residues on other peoples clothes can trigger a reaction as well. Same goes for fabrics that those who hold her are wearing, and soaps/ hand gels you are using for hand washing. Once you find the trigger, it'll get easier but it can take a while and lot of trial and error. It wouldn't hurt to ask the dr for a prescription for a specialist milk for a short time (it takes 2 weeks for dairy to work its way out of the body) and then if its not the milk, you'll have one answer at the least.

[RubaiyatOfAnyone]

Dd2 had eczema starting at 5 months - dairy allergy suggested, and 1% steroid cream for about 10 days brought down the flare up, and dermol 500 cream for bathing/moisturising several times a day ever since. Came as a big shock because we have no allergies in the family and dd1 was fine. We use ecover washing powder which seems v.unreactive. She looked like your pic.

Had a couple of small flare ups over the next couple of months, mostly in hot weather or when the central heating came on.

We are now doing the milk ladder to reintroduce dairy and it’s going fine, but it was horrible at the start when she was so red and raw. Good luck!

[NameChange30]

Poor baby. Definitely call GP in the morning. Get a prescription for a hypoallergenic formula in case it is CMPA. The only way to be sure is to try the formula and see if symptoms improve.

Info about CMPA at www.allergyuk.org/information-and-advice/conditions-and-symptoms/469-cows-milk-allergy
Check the list of symptoms and see if there is anything else that might fit

[fee1234]

Thank you for all the replies, some really good advice here which I'll read over again once I've settled my 17m old. There's definitely some changes I can make just now with regards to washing her clothes. I make sure she wears 100% cotton and doesn't get too hot. The bath I wash her in is just rinsed after she uses it and we don't use any chemicals in it. I will phone dr in the morning.

@saiditbetterthanme Bedding is from ikea!

[DuckBatRabbit]

When my son looked like this it was impetigo, confirmed by a swab. He had eczema and it had got infected. It was all over his body including his face. He had antibiotics and a week of oral steroids which cleared it up and has only had mild eczema since then. The doctor said it's really important to keep it under control and always take him in if it got bad.

I hope your little one gets better soon.

[Disappointedkoala]

This looks painfully familiar! Hope the GP will be able to help - we visited one by luck who suffered from Ezcema so had some good advice that just one cream might not clear it up and we might need to chop and change regularly.

Oilateum and Aveeno have worked for DD - child's farm made it significantly worse! I use persil non bio and comfort sensitive fabric conditioner and did an extra rinse and spin on all her washing for probably over a year. It's really hard to get it sorted and keep the skin healthy I found - good luck OP.

[Nefelibata86]

Sorry I fired off my response without properly thinking. Have you checked there's no temp too and done the glass test (blanching) test?. We were in contact with 111 due to similar presentation except temp too in older age baby and were helped very quickly.

[fee1234]

@Nefelibata86 no temp, and she is otherwise fine in herself. She was a bit off for a couple of days with slight temp after the vaccinations on Tuesday morning but that's her usual reaction to them (3rd set).

[peasoup8]

My son has similar and the GP said it could be 2 things

1. Sore skin due to dribble rash.

How could a doctor even suggest that a red rash all over the chest and stomach is dribble rash? I’m pretty sure that dribble rash only affects the neck and top of the chest, it wouldn’t be all over the stomach.

[Grimbot]

That looks very much like my sons eczema when he was a baby. I went to the GP and she said emolient alone wouldn’t be enough to clear it up and prescribed an emolient (zeroveen) and a steroid cream. The steroid cream made it so much better even within a few days. I kept using it until it had all cleared up and carried on with the emolient. His skin is perfect now. If I stop using the emolient it does come back so I make sure he has it on x2 a day and that is fine.

[SamPoodle123]

Is the baby breast fed or formula fed? Once you find the culprit the eczema will go. My sister dd had allergies and was breastfed. Once my sister realised what she was allergic to (had her tested), she avoided eating those foods and the eczema went away (turned out she was allergic to nuts, banana etc).

My dd used to have eczema on her legs and we realised it was caused by the daily oranges she would eat. Cut that out and no eczema for years. Its trial an error to figure it out. Good luck.

[Peach1886]

Poor little scrap - and poor you having so much worry over it. DS has v sensitive skin (prone to eczema and very dry) and we use surcare washing powder/liquid which hasn't (yet) caused any problems; I was initially using Fairy non-bio because it suited the rest of the family (all eczema sufferers), but suddenly it made his much worse.

If you have some proper porridge oats you can just sprinkle a handful straight into the bath - looks strange but really helps with skin that has got inflamed. Or you can make up a paste with them in a bowl (just mush them around in a little water) and then dab that on to the worst bits with a clean flannel.

Best of luck with it x

[Nanasueathome]

Surcare for clothes washing
Child’s Farm for bathing and moisturising
May also be worth checking if she has a milk allergy

[fee1234]

Thanks everyone, we are just back from the GP. She's been given a different emollient to try, a mild steroid, and an antihistamine for the itching. I will try all of these tonight.

I've also re washed all of her clothes and bedding to make sure there are no chemicals against her skin, and I put the machine on a rinse cycle beforehand.

Hopefully the steroid makes it more manageable and I will keep on top of it from there. I have to hold her hands when I undress her or she goes straight to scratching her skin, fingers crossed the antihistamine helps with that.