Can a baby be allergic to Cotton Wool?

[Amaka]

I have a six months old Baby. Since she was two months old she has been having red patches on her cheeks. Sometimes the patches appear inflamed. I have tried three different cream prescribed by GP for eczema but they have not worked. I think she may be allergic to cotton wool as I have always wash her face wit cotton wool and water.

If she has eczema, tap water may actually make it worse, particularly if it is hard water.

Try not using water on her face at all. To clean her face smear it liberally with whatever bland cream works best for her, then wipe it off with a damp soft cloth.

We did this with 2 of our dc. One in particular had a very badreaction to tap wTer here in the south east, but her skin improved whenever we went somewhere with soft water. So of course we thought the tap water was causing the eczema. Turned out that it was a dairy intolerance for both of them. As soon as we cut out dairy, their faces healed and they had absolutely no more problems with bubblebath or water etc.

I've just noticed that you've posted thisin Teenagers. Probably worth starting a new thread under Children or Allergies in Health.

Thanks for the advice PettyCandles. I thought about the dairy product as my baby uses formula but my worry is that the inflammation Only appears on her cheeks, therefore I thought it might be due to cotton wool.

Same with my dc, although they were breastfed and the eczema didn't appear until they started having dairy as part of their solids. You would think I could have put two and two together then, wouldn't you?! And they both had reflux. Yet I didn't realise that they were dairy-intolerant until they were 5.5y and 18m. Durr!

You could check whether the cotton wool us having any effect by using a piece of wool or silk fabric to wash her face.