Share your tips and tricks for managing your baby’s eczema-prone skin. - £200 voucher to be won

[EllieSmumsnet]

Are you struggling to manage your baby’s eczema-prone skin? Perhaps you’ve discovered some fantastic tricks along the way, or maybe you’re still on the lookout for that perfect solution to soothe those dry patches. Whether it’s finding the right bath time routine, dealing with flare-ups, or searching for the holy grail moisturiser, we’d love to hear your questions, tips and experiences! Skincare expert Rebecca Bennett will also be getting involved in the discussion.

• Share your tips and tricks in the thread below to be entered into a prize draw
• One lucky MNer will win £200 voucher

About Rebecca Bennett:
“Rebecca Bennett has worked with skin and skincare for over 25 years, listening to and learning from key skincare experts including dermatologists and paediatric dermatologists about baby skin and how best to care for it. "

Here’s what AVEENO® Baby has to say:
"AVEENO® Baby is the UK’s No.1 Recommended Baby Skincare Brand by Pharmacists (1) and is Paediatrician & Dermatologist tested.
AVEENO® Baby products nourish, soothe & protect sensitive* baby skin from the first use and are specially formulated with high quality oats specially selected to preserve their protective, moisturising and soothing properties. We unlock the power of oats with our science and transform it to provide daily to soothing care to help keep your baby's skin feeling healthy."

1. Online survey of 200 UK retail pharmacists, conducted by IQVIA for Kenvue, May 2023. Participants were self-selected with geographic quotas to ensure national spread.

*AVEENO® Baby Calming Comfort range is suitable for delicate skin.”

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Insight T&Cs apply

Short T&Cs:
UK residents, 18+. No purchase necessary. Enter from 3:50pm on 16/09/2024 to 11:59pm am on 14/10/2024. To participate, share your tips and tricks to be entered into a prize draw. Only 1 entry per person. Prize available is 1x £200 VEX voucher (available to use in selected retailers, subject to its own T&Cs: vexgiftcard.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021492600-VEX-Gift-Card-Terms-Conditions-Of-Use*).

Mumsnet would you advise brands for other medical conditions? How about asthma, diabetes.
Eczema is a medical condition and you should be advised by your Doctor no one else.
Do better please.

We had this will all three this worked every time:
No fabric conditioner (used vinegar instead)
Bath only once a week with oats in a pair of tights

Water softener stops the soap scum sticking to skin which dries it out and itches. Soft water really helps, if not oat bag in water. Best cream I found was calmurid by galderma, has 5% urea, stings a bit on broken skin but stopped itching, healed cracked skin and smoothed wrinkles on dry face. Haven't had flare in years so use CeraVe cream all over.
Nickel is one of my worst triggers, check all clothes for zips, poppers etc. when I did have flare ups piriton helped reduce itch and helped me sleep. Steroid cream.

My dd had infantile eczema and I found Body Shop pure aloe lotion kept it all under control. She grew out of it by the time she was 4.

I agree trial and error, but the best I found was Waitrose baby bottom butter - inexpensive, no chemicals and worked brilliantly.

Definitely the oats in a sock and soaked in the water ahead of letting little ones in the bath. It's helped so much over the years.

My tips would be see your HV or pharmacist for the best advice - I have used Aveeno, and other brands, yes they work, but so do the unbranded, and a barrier cream to protect and help to heal.
The tips regarding non-bio, and eco washing products, cotton clothing (always wash new clothes - very important). If the eczema bleeds through scratching - see your GP as it is not being controlled and you may need help controlling this in the short term.

@Moonshiners - thank you for the vinegar as fabric softener tip, I’d never heard of that one !

im afraid we’re very on brand and used aveeno cream. (Which also works as a pretty good moisturiser for the rest of the family as well)

Don't be afraid to use topical steroids when prescribed, they saved my little boy's skin and worked almost overnight

Ds has recently been suffering from eczema around the eyes- itchy skin which is very dry, flaky and red. He’s away at uni, so difficult for me to advise him at a distance! He’s trying different creams, but the skin around the eyes is so sensitive, I wondered if anyone has used Aveeno on that area? Would hydrocortisone be prescribed for round his eyes if I could persuade him to go to the doctor? Thanks for any advice!

Absolutely - topping and tailing can be done on non-bath days to keep everything fresh and clean. But when a bath is necessary, it is always useful to keep a mild and gentle wash made specifically for baby's skin on hand, as water alone cannot remove greasy substances.

Emollient use is key to managing eczema - use regularly and often, and leaving it where you see it and remember to apply it is a great tip - thanks.

Theses are great ideas, thanks for this. The experience of eczema is often different in different families, and finding something that works for you and your child is really important. It may take a lot of trial and error till you get there, and trying someone's successful tips can really help - thanks again.

For more information on steroids, take a look at the National Eczema Society website - which has a lot of great information.

I hadn't come across this advice before - thanks for sharing.

Oats are a well-known, tried and trusted remedy for dry and itchy skin conditions. Aveeno works with the power of oat in all its bathing and moisturising products, and the Aveeno Baby Dermexa range is suitable for very dry, itchy skin.

Great tip - good eczema skincare starts with washing, and very gentle cleansiing is a must so as not to disturb the skin barrier. Using an emollient as a soap substitute is a great idea.

Regular and consistent use of moisturisers is key when managing eczema, and am so pleased you found Aveeno worked so well for you. Have looked up Scratch Sleeves and these look great for scratchy babies and children - thanks for sharing.

Sudocream has been very good which is strange as it does dry the skin out, so probably wouldn't be recommended, but using it combined with cetrabren has cleared up my daughter's skin. She had a really stubborn patch behind the back of her knee, it came and went constantly for months (because she scratched it!) but some steroid cream from the doctor was eventually needed. Within two days it was clear! I would only use that sparingly on really stubborn patches though!!

Diet may be a trigger in some cases of eczema - again the National Eczema Society website has some great information on this - but I would always recommend working with a GP/dietician before making changes to diet.

Really good to hear your children are now eczema-free, and that you found a regime that worked for you.

What we use to wash our children's clothes comes up time and again when talking about eczema, and bio washing powder may well be a trigger for some babies and children. Sometimes you have to be a bit of detective to find out what is triggering their eczema flares :)

These are all great tips - thanks for sharing.

This is a great idea - about washing your own clothes in non-bio detergent too - and one I hadnt considered! If your baby likes to snuggle up to you, their little faces are going to be in contact with your clothes too aren't they? Plus so glad you found products that worked for your baby - it's crucial to find something soothing and moisturising and apply it regularly and consistently.

These are great suggestions thank you - especially about returning to your GP if what they are recommending / prescribing isn't working. Eczema can be a very debilitating condition for the whole family, and sometimes you just need to perservere to find what works best for you and your child.