Baby eczema... help please!?

That oilatum stuff has recently had a bad review- it's ok- it's harmless- but useless. They reckon the uk government is wasting millions on the stuff a year.

I would recommend sudocream- much better- cured my flare ups of eczema as a kid- can use it as nappy cream too.

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Also, only wash babies clothes in sensitive baby wash. Use sensitive skin baby lotions and bath.

Only dress baby in cotton close to the skin. No man made fibres- they are the worst thing ever. Still can't wear them now.

Avoid contact with pets- cats and dogs especially. Eczema can be caused from allergies.

Avoid extremes of hot and cold too. Lots of thin layers best.

Also- the babies sleeping arangements- make sure crib/cot free from dust mites- can get special sheets etc

How do I know all this? Suffered with it myself- and cured my nephew of his.

The good news is it is likely it will go.

My son was diagnosed with eczema last month. It's not your fault and it isn't because you had to use formula instead of breastmilk. Eczema is genetic and usually, if you have asthma or allergies in your family, there's a higher chance that your children will develop some form of eczema. My son's eczema is mild, and we found that using Gentle Natural's Eczema cream really helps retain moisture and decrease any itchiness he might have. It's sold in the baby aisle and has Winnie the Pooh on the box/tube. You could also try the Aveeno products. I use Aveeno creamy bath wash for babies because it is specifically for those with eczema. You don't have to limit it to just baby products, as eczema products for adults will work just as well. It's important to keep it moisturized. Also keep baths for under 10 minutes and try not to dry her off with a towel too often. If you can, let her air dry. When the flare ups are really bad, try an oatmeal bath (either grind up your own oatmeal or buy Aveeno's packaged ones). I did that for my son the other week and it seemed to help. He's only 5 months so he didn't say if there was a big improvement, but I noticed that he wasn't as red anymore.

Please stop blaming yourself. Eczema is a common condition and usually will disappear within a few months. Enjoy your baby while she's still little!

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My eldest son used to have eczema when he was a baby/toddler.

Some things which can help:

Adding Sea Salt to the water - make sure the baby doesn't drink any though.

Aveeno Cream in the UK is very good - ask your doctor to prescribe it.

Adding Oatmeal to the bathwater - put some into a muslin bag and tie with string - run it under the bathwater.

Hydrocortisone 1% for flare ups - it won't cause skin damage or ill effects so don't be worried about using this.

Rinse her clothes out twice in the washing machine - even so-called 'mild' washing powders are full of irritating chemicals. The best one I found was called Ecover - when I started using this his eczema reduced by about 70%! They do a bio and a non-bio - both powder and liquid form.

Wet wrapping technique for severe areas - look up the technique on Google. It's easy - you do it after bathing each night and leave on overnight.

Oilatum isn't that much good, but you can carry on using it if you like.

The doctor will try to fob you off with cr@p such as Aqueous cream etc. Most of the stuff they prescribe is just cheap stuff and it won't do much good. I used to use tons of their stuff and it never did any good at all. The Aveeno cream was good though.

You'll just have to experiment with different things. Sometimes I'd hit on something really effective, but it would only last for a few months then it would stop working.

They do tend to grow out of it, so try not to worry.

Ok, please don't get upset. It can be horrible when the little one you love is all itchy but there are things you can do. Firstly remember that most really little ones do grow out of it to some extent. My little girl had it all over her face and people used to think she'd been eating strawberries! Get your GP to refer you to the skin clinic at the hospital they can give you a very good plan to follow. It usually revolves around oilatum or epiderm in the bath (no soap, no baby bath, no baby lotion etc.) and a good liberal creaming with epiderm after the bath. Try not to bath every night, it's not like they've been out on the farm all day. Bath should be luke warm and might feel too cold to you but hot water can make it worse. Gentle baby shampoo but try and do the head on it's own while wrapped in a towel if possible. They may recommend you use some Eumovate every night for a week when it flares up a lot but it's a steroid cream so should be used sparingly. Make sure they're not too hot as this can make things worse. Put them to sleep in a Grobag rather than under covers (it's a baby sleeping bag that helps regulate their temperature www.grobag.com). Use a non bio washing powder and don't use fabric softener unless you really need to. Try and use fabric nappies rather than disposables as these are changed more often and made of cotton so allow the body to breathe naturally. Try not to have the central heating up too high in your house and if it's not freezing outside, leave a window open a little bit in the house. You might find that as these things are related that they get asthma later on. If you see her chest heaving in and out and they are struggling to breathe, take her to casualty straight away as they will need to put her on a nebuliser. Not trying to scare you but just be aware that it is a possibility. Don't beat yourself up about the breastfeeding - it's not for everyone and it's usually hereditary anyway. My daughter is 4 now and still on a skin management plan although it is nowhere near as bad as it was when she was 3 months old. When their nails start to grow, cut them down (or use a nail file if you're scared) so they can't scratch the itchy bits and make them bleed. You might find that she's more prone to allergies also so take care when introducing new things into her diet such as wheat, cows milk, eggs, nuts etc. the usual suspects. Just a little of one thing and then wait a couple of days before giving it again. My daughter goes for allergy tests once a year and is currently allergic to peanuts and eggs. Eczema is not an allergy it's hereditary and it is NOT YOUR FAULT. Hope you both feel better soon.

Don't be hard on yourself. Motherhood is difficult enough and we all do the best we can under the circumstances. Breastfeeding is no guarantee against these things. Believe me, I know this from personal experience.

Sounds like you're doing everything right. I don't know what Oilatum is (Im an Aussie). We used either QV oil or alpha keri oil in the bath so probably the same sort of thing. The biggest tip I could give is to always massage your babies skin after bathing (preferably twice a day) with something non-allergenic like aquium cream or alpha keri lotion to keep the babies skin nice and moist and stop it from drying out. My daughters skin always gets worse in winter and always heals up in the warmer weather.

Oh and don't overdress her.

Another tip is to make sure you are watching her clothing in a special detergent for sensitive skin - something really mild. Dont use any other cleaning products (like fabric softener or ironing spray or anything like that).

When she gets a bit older make you get an allergy test done so you have a better idea of what to avoid.

Now that shes older she uses hydrocortisone ointment (1%) fairly regularly and this really helps. The skin specialist we saw gave me the tip that it must be an ointment and not a cream as ointments keep the skin moist whereas te cream will dry it out.

Check the list of ingredients for any wash / shampoo you use and if it has sodium laureth sulphate in it do not use it. When it comes time to shampoo her hair get some special stuff from health shop which is designed for eczema and sensitive skin - we love Grahams Natural Alternatives Natural Shampoo with manuka Honey - absolutely the best range of eczema products we have found -www.eczema-psoriasis.com

Best wishes!

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poor little lamb,i know exactly how you feel my son also has eczema had it since about a month old he's 2 now and i think he's had every cream under the sun.the oilatum oil is ok but the cream only irratated my sons more i really think you should ask your gp health visitor for some hydrocortisone cream put this on very thinly as it can thin the skin and should only use this to take away the reddness and soreness.also ask for a diprobase ointment not cream its much better ,you'l get occasional flare ups but this worked best for my son so good luck love and it is'nt your fault i thought the same at first cos i have skin condition too .

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