Eczema Suggestions for 6 Month Old

S.,

If you son is on baby cereals or other starches, I would elimate them. Many people can't tolerate them well, and for some it shows up in the form of eczema. Cereals and milk can also cause constipation, which can affect eczema as well. Topically, using organic, virgin coconut oil is very helpful. And internally, organic, cold-milled flaxseed (by Northern Edge) is very effective in reversing eczema. I am a Reg. Nutritional Consultant and mother of 4, and have helped people to get good results, esp. in babies, with eczema, by implementing these suggestions.

Kim
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Like Jennifer M, I've seen great results with people using the Melaleuca's Renew Lotion and bathing with the bathing bar. It's very gentle to the skin so safe for baby.

My daughter (now 2) had it as a baby and it drove us both NUTS! I got a book called Super Immunity for Kids and learned alot about essential fatty acids and all the things (eczema being one of them) that are a result of a lack of these efa's in our diets. Sooo...I took the advice of the doctor who wrote the book and started giving my baby flaxseed oil in her bottle twice a day and rubbing evening primrose oil on her once a day and (viola!) it disappeared and has never come back. I still give her flax and rub her down with the primrose oil, partially because I want to make sure it stays gone but also because these things are so good for so many things, immunity for one. She has never had an ear ache, EVER, never been sick other than a tiny cough that may last a day or two and a slightly runny nose once. That's it. Get the book and run to GNC, it will greatly benefit your child and you!

Hi S.,

Eczema is systemic. that means that whatever is going into his system is causing it. Also there may be some things in your home that are exacerbating it as well. Most "baby" laundry detergents are toxic and will create as much problems as regular detergents if there is any issue. Greasy creams and lotions will clogs pores and exacerbate things.

Is he formula fed? Breastfed? Has he started table food yet? Everything going into his system can affect it. If he is getting good nutrition he may not be absorbing it properly. I cured my Dad's excema at the age of 85. He had it ALL his life and did exactly what the dermatologist always told him to do and slathered creams and ointments every day twice a day. Once his diet was under control and we detoxed his home, including the laundry detergent, he got better. We do use a specific lotion just to amplify the good affects.

My 91 year old Dad is in a 250 bed nursing home and doctors and patients now come to his room to look at his skin. It's like a newborn's skin. I'll be glad to go further in detail with you if you'd like. It was not an expensive process. You just need to understand the first piece of the puzzle so you can get moving with the rest.

God bless,

M.

PS Dodge the hydrocortisone as it breaks down bone mass, even in small topical quantities. You don't want to make matters worse for him later.

since its neck down I'd suggest changing your laundry detergant to one w/o dyes or fragrances.

I dealt with this with one of my twin boys.
a) ALL (Brand) Fragrance Free laundry detergent
b) stop using dryer sheets.
c) Lubriderm Fragrance Free Lotion (applied right after night bath and first thing in the morning).
d) dove soap for bath time
e) for spots, hydrocortisone applied to the spot.
f) for really bad spots that wouldn't go away, I went to a dermatologist and got a stronger prescription hydrocortisone.

Hi S.,

I have a friend that uses a line of non-toxic products that has worked wonders for the eczema in her home. They are inexpensive as well. Let me know if you want her name and number. I know she would love to help.

We had to use only fragrance free/dye free products for our daughter. This includes laundry detergent, soaps, lotions, etc. Beware of baby products as most of them are heavy on fragrances which can be aggravating. We switched to Dove soap and we used adult lotion for sensitive skin. There are lots of good ones out there, I am partial to Aveeno with shea butter. If the lotion alone doesn't work you can get a prescription steroid cream that will, but I just don't like using it. We used it to get it under control then with the above changes were able to avoid the need for it again.

Hi S.

My son is now four, but we have been dealing with eczema since he was 3 days old! We have been through it all! Try giving him a bath and right after the bath when his skin is still moist apply eucerin calming creme. I buy the tube that is 14oz and it lasts a long time. It will make his skin soft and help with itching. We do this with my son every night and his skin is a lot better than it used to be. We used all the lotions, medicines, you name it and this is what works for us. It is so much better than having to use steroid cremes and stuff. It seems like they have to grow out of it as well. Hope this helps :)

S.,

My name is K. McCravy, and I am an Arbonne Consultant. All the other mom suggesting NO Dyes & No Fragrances are on the right track. Arbonne Baby care products are WONDERFUL & ALL of our products DO NOT CONTAIN: NO DYES, FRAGRANCES, PABA, MINERAL OIL, PHTHALATES, PARABENS, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, ANIMAL DERIVED INGREDIENTS. I have testimonies of how GREAT this products work & also have a letter from a Pediactric Dermatologist on her findings from this line. I would gladly send you FREE SAMPLES and this information for you to try. I know how you can feel, not knowing what to do and your son miserable. There is no obligation. I just want you & your son to feel better, with no more frustations.

Let me know what you would like to do. I look forward to hearing from you. You can contact me though Mamapedia, email or phone.

K. McCravy
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Read Mimi's advice she is right on.

The only thing I would add to that is get your little one on Probiotics, usually exema is caused by an unhealthy guy, a good place to start is natren's lifestart.

Also make sure your child is not on soy formula...

Hope this helps.
H.

You can use an OTC hydrocortisone cream. Aveeno makes a good one that is 1%. I would also suggest you consider this, some studies suggest that of children with eczema up to 80% of it is caused by a dairy sensitivity. I have a 5 month old who had a terrible case all over her face and body, scabs and blisters, it was horrible. She is breastfed and a friend suggested I cut out dairy. Within a week she was totally clear. If I eat just the smallest bit of dairy, like a cookie, she has a flare up. The basic formulas are all dairy based too. You may want to try dairy elimination to see if that helps. I also wash her with Cetaphil, moisterize at every diaper change with Cetaphil and lube her up with Aquaphor a few times a day. I hope this helps. Good luck.

Have you taken the baby to a Dermatologist? My baby's Pedi tried for a year and half to treat her without success. After seeing two Dermatologists I intentionally left out the name of what the Pedi had tried and the second Derma gave her Triam..... Ointment that stopped the itching instantly. That Derma recommended Ceravea lotion body wash and cream which is non- prescription to bathe her in and put the cream on as needed between ointment applications. Derma said use All Free and Clear to wash all of our clothes since they all come in contact with her skin and all bed linens. No fabric softner and nondryer sheets. Avoiding acidic foods like tomatoes and keeping her skin hydrated. Hope this helps. You can apply the cream as often as you need to. Derma also said to give Benydryl for itching but you will need to call your Pedi or Derma to get correct dosage for a child that young.

Hi, S.! My baby had the exact same problem at age 3 months. His eczema was triggered by Johnson & Johnson's Baby Wash, which I later discovered has harsh chemicals in it. That really ticked me off! Anyway, I started looking at the products in my home and realized that I was poisoning my child. I switched to dye-free, perfume-free, paraben-free, whatever-free products and it helped trememdously. I even use perfume-free body soap, shampoo, and hand soap. I started using "green" cleaning products and use Oxy Clean istead of bleach. I tried vinegar but it made me nauseated! Hydrogen peroxide is a good safe cleaning fluid to repleace bleach. I got rid of all scented candles, Lysol sprays, scented plug-ins. I found that those are just as bad as cigarette smoke.

I also had to change the products that I used on baby. I highly recommend California Baby Baby Wash for Sensitive Skin. It has worked great! I was already using Cetaphil Lotion to prevent my own eczema and started using it for my son. I applied it in 2 layers after his bath and reapplied with Cetaphil Cream every hour or so. What helped my son the most was giving him a bath every day. You'd think this would dry out the skin, but if you keep the bath water lukewarm (91-93 degrees), take him out within 2 minutes, and apply the Cetaphil lotion immediately with reapplication every hour, then you can keep his skin hydrated. I also washed his face and head (affected areas) with warm water in the morning and reapplied the lotion/cream.

The best thing you can do is to stay away from those steroid creams. After I realized that my son's skin was dependent upon the creams to stay clear and that his skin would get worse if I stopped using the cream, I decided to wean my little one off of them. You have to do it gradually. His dermatologist had prescribed this steroid cream and instructed me to apply it twice a day on affected areas. So, after two months of this, I reduced it to once a day, and after two weeks, reduced it to every other day, then every three days, and so on and so on. I then gradually reduced the amount of cream I applied, making the applications thinner and thinner until I didn't apply any at all. You can start by reducing the frequency monthly if your baby's eczema is pretty severe. You have to do it gradually to prevent really bad flareups and throwing your baby's hormone system out of whack.

Also, make sure that his eczema is not being caused by diet. Look for a pattern of flareups. My son's eczema didn't seem to be triggered by anything in his diet but I know that some kids are sensitive to wheat, milk, or eggs, for example.

It seems like a lot of work, but it was all worth it. My son has been eczema free since he was 6 and 1/2 months old, and I started the weaning process and "cleansing" of my house of harsh chemicals at about 5 months. GOOD LUCK with it! Just be consistent and keep telling yourself that "It's gonna work!".

Hi S., i used Elidel on my boy and it helped clear out the rash. Good luck!

Hello,
My son, who is now 19m old started having Eczema problems around the 2m mark as well. His scalp, face, truck, legs and arms where covered. Our pediatric dr. Sent him to a dermatologist. He was given prescription cream but they also had me start using Cerave (you can find it at wal-greens it used to be in the pharmacy area and most of the time they would have to order it, but I think it is over the counter now). It is comes in lotion and body wash. The body wash doesn't contain and "soap". It will not suds up, but it really helped him. I also used the lotion. I put it on after his Rx cream to create a barrier, its what the nurse at the dermatologist's office suggested. Now that he is older I am able to use Aveeno sensitive body wash and when I see that his skin looks rough and dry I put the Rx cream on him. It took about 6m to get in completely under control but now that it is, he is a much happier baby! I understand what you are going through.=)

So many great answers! My daughter had bad skin allergies that looked like eczema, and her father has them as well. It does seem that if his face is clear it might just be an allergy from products on body.

We use Arm & Hammer "Free" liquid detergent -- no dye, perfume or sodium sulfate in it -- and Dreft spray for stains. No sodium sulfate in anything - soaps, shampoos, etc. Chemicals stay in the clothing and irritate the skin, and pthalates from fragrance are actually poisonous and absorbed through skin contact. Also, do not put any clothing or sheets or towels against baby before washing -- many manufacturers surface treat, even with formaldehyde!

My daughter was VERY allergic to ANY store-bought wipes, and I could not use for almost 2 years. I bought VIVA paper towels, cut in half, folded in half (or keep on the roll) and wet and place into wipe warmer (or plastic container if in roll). They worked just as good and are strong yet very very soft.

Good luck and I'm sure it will clear up if you start small and work up:)

oatmeal in the bath and baths only every 2 - 3 days. My daughter has eczema. Last year when she was 6 months, it was very bad. This year it isn't so bad. I also use a lotion but can't use the product name (was contacted by the powers that be) - I also have itchy skin and it is one of the only things that works for me. HTH

S...My daughter too has had eczema since early infancy. She is now 6 and this year has been the worse. I just changed pediatricians She gave us a new cream. Triacinolone Acetonide cream USP 0.1% and an over the counter cream called Eucerine Plus intensive repair..we use the prescription drug twice a day and the eucerin 3 times a day..This has totally transformed her skin..She has never had soft baby like skin in her life and now she does..no more terrible itching and burning..it truly has been remarkable. Of course you will have to visit your ped. and see if this is something your son can use since he is so young. best of luck to you, Also my new PED. said moisturizing is the key to keeping it under control.

Hey there,

There are nearly 30 million people who suffer from Eczema and is one of the most common skin issues that cause people to visit the doctor. The most common causes of Eczema are related to allergens and irritants. My daughter and I both have severe dry skin and experience Eczema more frequently during the winter months. I joined and international wellness wholesale store and started buying there products which we absolutely LOVE!! They have an entire dry skin line that is clinically proven to beat Eucerin hands down! Eucerin is what our dermatologist recommend for us along with unscented soaps. Neither of them cleared our Eczema and neither stopped the itch. My daughter actually had a prescription greasy lotion (looked like vaseline and felt like it too), but it didn't help with the itch. When I found this store, I was a little skeptical, but once I tried the products, we immediately saw results! Eczema can also be triggered from your laundry detergent and bath products. If you are interested in learning more about the products this store has, please visit my website www.MomsLivingWithPurpose.com. I would be more then happy to give you more information on this store along with the great products they offer. It’s a green store, so they have made a commitment not to use any harsh chemicals in any of their products which often times cause allergens and irritants to our skin. Hope this helps!

I didn't read the other responses so I hope this isn't redundant.

I've only recently started using Nutregena Body Wash and Cetaphil lotion on my now 16mo. She had patched on the inside of her elbows and I had to apply Hydrocortisone cream. It didn't take long for it to start clearing up. I cover with bandaid so she doesn't scratch. Since using the Nutregena and Cetaphil I've noticed a big difference in the feel of her skin. I hope she grows out of it.

Hope I've helped. Best of luck to you and your lil man.

Here is what can help you get rid of the eczema. http://www.solveeczema.org/

It's a wonderful site to help you make the changes to get rid of this for him. Good luck!

Mother of 4