Share your tips for how to manage children’s eczema with La Roche-Posay

[EmmaMumsnet]

This activity is now closed.

Eczema is a common skin condition amongst children and at times can be very tricky to manage and keep your child’s skin from being dry, sore, and itchy. It can be especially difficult to keep in check at night and can affect your DCs sleep. La Roche-Posay would like you to share your tips for how you handle your child’s eczema or what has helped you manage your child’s eczema in the past.

Here’s what La Roche-Posay has to say: “Here at La Roche-Posay we understand how eczema can impact quality of life for your child and the whole family. We ran a clinical study which showed that 9 out of 10 children with eczema suffer with sleep issues, spending up to ¼ of the night scratching, which can easily take its toll on day-to-day life. As we are committed to a better life for sensitive skin, we are encouraging Mumsnetters to share their top tips on looking after their children’s dry, itchy or eczema-prone skin, including bedtime hacks to reduce itchiness during the night.”

So what things have helped manage your child’s eczema? Are there any particular creams, lotions, or balms that have worked particularly well at soothing the itch? Do you keep the window open at night and make sure your child is wearing light, loose pajamas to keep them cool and stop them scratching while they sleep? Perhaps you avoid scented washing detergent to prevent your child’s skin from flaring up?

Please share your tips for coping with your child’s eczema below and you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 voucher of your choice (from a list).

Thanks

MNHQ

Terms and conditions apply

[DontFundHate]

I found it difficult to get rid of it with DS1, I think the biggest things that helped though we're regular moisturising at least twice a day, steroid cream from the Dr, no bath bubbles, we used a bath cream instead, washing hair at the very end of the bath so that he wasn't sitting in the rinse off. But most of all - time! Eventually he seemed to grow out of it. DS2 has it now though so back to square one!

[Flapdoodles]

Fewer baths and showers. I use Aveeno on my daughter, we used to use it in the bath but now just use the cream. Also I stick to the same soap powder and fabric conditioner, I have found they work and if we go away I find she has a flare up from the bedding.

[annarack99]

Cotton gloves and socks in bed to reduce scratching are my top tip

[Good0mens]

Oats in a sock in the bath are a lovely soothing distraction from itchy skin.

[AllWorkNoSleep]

Aveeno creams seem to work well for my 8mo DS in the bath and moisturisers. Like pp I find I have to be careful with fabric conditioners and he sleeps in 100% cotton all in ones. It did get back around his nappy area when he had a particularly bad flare up and I found Metanium cream was the only thing that calmed the rash and helped soothe the area.

[BlueThesaurusRex]

We use Norwex washing powder, no fabric conditioner. Only bath twice a week using oilatum then apply dermol immediately afterwards. Dermol again in the morning and before bed. Hydrocortisone for nastier flare ups.

[Enigma222]

My girl suffers from bad eczema but cotton clothing at night helps her sleep better than other types of clothing materials.

[quizqueen]

Someone recommended Dead Sea products to me or products containing thermal muds.

[Lilabella]

For DS1 we used Hamiltons wash & lotion from Australia and no apricots as they were a trigger. DS2 we used epaderm in the bath and vaseline after bath, plus non perfumed detergents.

[gummybearwotsit]

Soap nuts for washing instead of detergent!!!!

[Myr4]

Moisturise immediately after bath.
Keep nails short.
Moisturise regularly throughout the day.
Have moisturiser dotted around the house so it's always on hand.
Try and use a soap free product.
Avoid short sleeves. With a long sleeved dress or a cardigan, it's that much more difficult to reach the itch!
Loose, comfortable, cotton clothing is best. Avoid tight clothes.

These are the few things I do which really help to keep my daughter's eczema under control.

[Coffeemummy123]

White vinegar instead of fabric conditioner.
Rub creams in downward strokes only.

[Tovisaornottovisa]

Ds2 has/had awful eczema from 3 months old. Whole body covered. We treid every cream gping at the gp and OTC. White paraffin makes it worse. This is in everything and in high quantities as it is cheap. I suggested to the gp something without it and she then prescribed solely white paraffin we tried cutting out certain foods from his diet and mine. Nothing worked. My grandfather was the same. It is genetic. In the end we must have spent hundreds on creams. We then went private to DR Fox in london and he was amazing. He told us the gp will only prescribe weak steroids for a week saying they damage the skin. This is nit true as it would take years for damage to take place. It is simpley expensive. He prescribed a very strong steroid fornthe face and one for the body. Within a week it was all clear. We now use it as soon as a flare up begins. Next day it is gone.

It is a matter of controling it. We use hardly any now and it is manageable. DR Fox said any damage caused by the steroids would be nothing next to the damage eczema causes.

Obviously this is for extreme eczema. He was 80% covered. But he said you could take a bath in the steroid cream and the damage from the eczema would still be worde than that if the steroids.

You need to attack it then control it.

I am aware many will disagree with me and are very anti steroids. But it worked after my sosn fiest year of life was spent scratching bleeding and living with socks on his hands and 2 baths in the middle of the night to cool his skin!

Best money i ever spent

[Cuch]

Regular oat baths, probiotics and Dream Cream from Lush really helped my DC’s eczema, as did protecting legs from grass in summer with trousers.

[diggylamb2oc]

Dermol 500 apply all over body to dry skin then quick rinse in bath with like warm water. Only once a week for a bath. Use a hairdryer on cool to dry skin completely then lather body in moisturiser.

[christmasgeek]

We tried so many different things, the only one that appeared to make even the slightest bit of difference was aveeno slathered on after every bath, and limited baths do a twice a week. Nothing so far has completely cleared it, but I’ve found the aveeno has soothed it - rubbing it in is the only thing that makes my little one stand still, it makes him feel so much better!!

[freakfire]

The best thing we've found so far is the Child's Farm lotion

[hiddenmichelle]

I always use Fairy detergent (and no fabric conditioner - have especially found this helps) Then it's Hydrocortisone for patches that do appear. The hot weather seems to really irriate my child - so it's always loose cotton clothing in the summer

[LittleSF]

The main thing was regular moisturizing - my GP had told me that the eczema would spread on dry skin much faster so we kept our little boy moisturized as much as possible.

A consultant dermatologist told me that I shouldn't sunblock my little boy completely when the weather was nice, the Vitamin D would really help his skin. Went against every belief but on a sunny day I would let him be in the sunshine for maybe 10 or 15 minutes early in the morning without sun cream and it really helped. And we only used Factor 30, not a full sun block then afterwards. There's no doubt that it worked. We once went on holiday when his eczema was really bad and he came back without a patch on him.

A kind friend who lived in London would send me the softest cotton babygros and vests from Le Petit Bateau. I'm sure they cost a fortune but they really did help. The oat baths were a wonderful one too. But only once a week for a bath.

I was in a desperate state in a chemist about it one day and was recommended La Roche Posey by a nice man whose own kids had eczema. It was a great discovery, I recommend it to anyone whose baby is going through the same thing.

We were lucky that our little boy never seemed to scratch. That must be so hard to manage.

[HannahLI]

It took us quite a while to work out a good system with the kids. I think not bathing too often is good advice, particularly when they are small they don't need to bath everyday. The kids don't like the feel of cotton Pajamas so regardless of that I couldn't get them into it if I tried, I do try and get cotton bed sheet though.
We found that one of my kids gets on better with a non water based emolient and one with a water based cream so it was trial and error to get it right.

[mandes1]

Two of my sons get patches of eczema during the hay fever season (my 10 year old has hay fever). I am tackling it from the inside as it is said that all allergic reactions start in the gut. I give them daily probiotics all year round and omega 3 to boost their immune system.

I also add kefir (fermented milk) to recipes such as smoothies, scones and pancakes so that helps. Topically I moisturise the areas night and day with coconut oil.

I am also with some of the posters and not bath them too often as this dries the skin more as does the central heating. A wash down with a warm flannel and some unscented natural soap (I use an aloe vera one from Holland and Barrett).

[Thingsthatgo]

My son gets eczema behind his knees and sometimes it gets really sore. We use aveeno during the night, and we found that using a loose bandage over the top will stop him scratching. We also use non bio and never use any extra stain remover in the wash because that aggravates it.

[MeMeMeYou]

Fewer baths and nothing in them. Watching for patterns/reactions esp as some things meant to help don’t. My son is worse after oilatum bath additive I think from other reactions it’s liquid paraffin which is in a lot of eczema products. We’ve had the best results with some natural oil based balms like Bria Organics. Also for my son best to avoid sun cream by staying out of sun or long sleeves and trousers as very few creams agree even eczema friendly ones . For my eczema sun improves it oddly .

[C0c01823]

The best thing I’ve found is the Aeeno daily moisturising cream ( sorry!) and applying this 8 times a day. By doing this it rehydrates the skin as eczema is the opposite, dry. You must however follow this process everyday, when you don’t do this before the skin has healed the eczema will return. It’s a slow process, you need to do this for at least 2 weeks but it works.
I also use non bio washing liquids & low perfumed wash but nothing quite helps like the 8 times a day application of cream.
We have no family history of eczema or any other dry skin conditions

[Elllicam]

My son’s seems to be mild so far but lush’s dream cream seems to be working well on it.