What did you do to prevent your LO’s eczema from flaring up again

[Hope54321]

What did you do to prevent your LO’s eczema from flaring up again, especially after using steroids and moisturisers to clear the previous flare up?

Changed his diet.

He had awful eczema that even steroid cream didn’t shift. Changed his diet -which we didn’t think was that bad-it cleared up within a couple of weeks. We didn’t gave him a single processed thing so no sausage roll or occasional packet of crisps, juice, squash, chocolate or anything. Made homemade cakes & all meals were home made. I even made my own skinless sausages with pork mince and herbs. Sounds crackers I know but it really worked.

We were gradually able to re introduce things as he got older. He eats awfully now as a teen, I hate to think what he buys on his lunch break! He never had an issue again though.

Changed washing powder to Fairy, and bubble bath to Johnson and Johnson baby bath

Moisturise with a fragrance free sensitive cream every single day. Only shower/bath when grubby (as opposed to every day) to avoid drying out his skin too much. I asked the doctor about dietary changes but she doesn’t believe that allergies cause eczema which I was a bit 🤨 about.

Ecover zero or ecoegg to wash clothes, no fabric conditioner. Bathing everyday is fine but need to moisturise immediately after they get out (within a couple of minutes). Ideally bathing with just water or using something like sanex zero. Moisturise with a proper emollient as often as possible.

Changed their diets and careful with what products touch their skin. Still susceptible at times due to weather but on the whole, as long as they stay off certain foods, no rashes for months at a time.

Stopped feeding her bananas. It cleared up most of her excema in less than a week. It came back and we realised we'd introduced prunes to her diet, so they went and it calmed down again. There are still shall outbreakes, the last was under her arms, but it's 90% better than it was 6 months ago.

I find using a steroid as soon as any tiny areas showe up means I very rarely need to use more than 2 or 3 applications. So barrier cream if dry to not let it get to the point of drying out and being careful of exposed skin when cold/ wet.

My dcs reacted to dairy so we cut that out. They’re fine with goats milk but cows milk makes their eczema flare up.

Diet change for ds here too & only weekly baths otherwise just a wipe down.

Use the steroid freely and early to clear up flare ups. Slather in emollient in between. Try a different emollient cream just in case your child is reacting to that (mine was! We use epaderm ointment now).

Don't use anything that foams- no bubble bath/body wash/shampoo, just use a soap substitute.

Nothing scented (surcare laundry detergent is the only one I've found that's completely fragrance free)

Ultimately my older kids peaked at about age 4,and were much better by age 6. My 3yo is still in the thick of it. It's heartbreaking, but don't beat yourself up if you can't "fix" it- it's basically a balance between clearing it up with steroids, then trying to keep it at bay for as long as possible. Speak to the GP again- they might recommend a stronger steroid for a shorter time, or a less potent one more long term depending on your child.

Moisturise moisturise moisturise! Find an emollient that works best for your DC and stick to it. It was diprobase that worked for us. Also a emollient for bath time is better than using any shampoos or gels which have chemicals in them. We found the Double base one worked best.