Please help - 10 month old scratching himself so badly

[JKDcot]

Hi all

I am at a bit of a loss what to do so hoping for some wise advice here please. My 10 month old son has always had dry skin with eczema flare ups mainly when teething. He has the right creams and ointments and we manage it well.

He has however started a bad habit of scratching himself when he is tired and trying to fall asleep. It’s either his neck or his wrists and he will frantically scratch until he finally falls asleep.

We have put socks on his hands so it’s more rubbing than nail scratches. We also try to hold his arms away but it makes him frustrated and he keeps scratching. Any advice?

I forgot to say. I don’t know if it is actually due to his skin being itchy or if it’s just a bad habit he has got into? His wrists are not dry skin and he just targets them for ease as he has clothes and a sleeping bag stopping him from scratching his legs (which he loves to do when we change his nappy...).

At a bit of a loss here so any advice is appreciated. Might he just grow out of it?

It's hard to say if he is itchy or it is a comfort thing!
I don't think there is much you can do without restraining him in some sort of way and that will make him distressed.

Just make sure his nails are short and no sharp bits on them.

Any ideas please?

Is he scratching because he’s itchy or because it’s habit?

Not quite sure what else can be done.
Antihistamines could help with itching but not sure he’s old enough for them.

If he is only scratching when going to sleep I would take a guess that it's a habit/comfort thing rather then genuine itching which you would expect to see present at other times of his day.

Distraction I suppose, a teddy comforter? Dummy?

Have you tried scratch sleeves? And an antihistamine at night?
My son is 5 and has had scratch sleeves since 1, they are brilliant. You can get them on Amazon or direct from the manufacturer.

Another vote for scratch sleeves - much better than socks.

Thank you so much for the advice