18mo just diagnosed with excema - any tips?

[bethdivine]

DS has ony just been diagnosed with excema. I know I can (and will) google this, but just wondered if there are any real tips from parents who are already dealing with this?

GP says it might be brought on by a virus, so I don't know if that means it won't be permanent, but are there any things I can do to help? - have hoovered carpets, sofa, playmat etc. religiously (2cats), he's been given oilatum for bath and lotion to put on 4-6 times a day as well as steroid cream 2 a day. anything I should avoid food-wise - or anything that helps? TIA.

My baby had a very mild case. I used olive oil on her skin.

oh thanks, that sounds good. I'm a bit unsure about the steroid cream as it seems a bit extreme to use it straight away without giving something else a go - but I don't know if it just needs that boost to shift it, then stick to the oilatum after.

My ds had eczema from 3 months and we used all sorts of cream and potions but the only thing that really shifted it when it was bad was the steroid cream.

Porridge on the bath is also very good at calming the skin down.Put a handful in a j-cloth,tie up and pop in the bath.

Milk is an antagonist for ds' eczema which he stopped drinking at 2.

BTw he's nearly 6 now and it is much improved,just a tad on his joints now

The steroids really do clear it up quickly when it is bad. I moisturise my dcs every morning and every night. We have doublebase gel from the GP.

ok, thank you both, I'll persevere with the steroid cream for now then, - just a lot trickier to get on him, with the oilatum I can just rub it in all over, but the GP said the steroid cream just goes where his skin is dry and of course he wriggles about, so I don't manage to get it on everywhere!

I'd read about the porridge last month in a magazine, so will give that a go too.
thanks.

Aveeno lotion (a moisturiser) was recommended to me by a friend and it did the trick with us - it's much better than Doublebase, Diprobase etc. You can get it on prescription...

DD2 has mild eczema. Aveeno keeps it under control. I still haven't worked out what causes it.

I treated DS1's eczema with a combination of homeopathy and aromatherapy. Like you, I was concerned about using steroid creams. Once it was under control, his skin responded very positively to the blends we used whenever he had an outbreak. In terms of aromatherapy, rosehip seed base oil is excellent for eczema (and works brilliantly to prevent scarring and reduce existing scarring), and sunflower oil too. I also found aloe vera gel (the pure form) was incredibly soothing and healing as its anti-inflammatory. With all those bases, you can use a variety of essential oils diluted within them. Frankincense, lavender, geranium, palma rosa, roman chamomile are all excellent oils. However, would always recommend consulting qualified aromatherapist and not make your own blend (contact International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists - IFPA - for qualified practitioners near you).

BTW, I also found that many sun lotions gave my DS an outbreak. I had real problems finding a lotion which didn't cause a reaction. Just a thought....in case its implicated for your lo.