Son w/ Eczema

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tina on March 29, 2008 at 11:50am

My littlest has mild eczema, but my husband had/has it very badly. I don't know how much you already know, so I'll just spill out all the info I have and hopefully there will be some new stuff for you to try out. If the break outs are severe and are interfering with his every day life talk to a doctor. Some of the steroid creams can be used on the little guys, just use them very sparingly and ONLY when you have to.

Other than that (and this might be worse than the steroids, depending on your kid) eczema and allergies (and asthma... rolls eyes!) go hand in hand. So... start removing things from his diet. The most common culprits are white flour, sugar, dairy products and preservatives in food and food dyes. Soda might also cause some issues. Since my husband stopped drinking it his eczema has really calmed down. My husband also does a fasting cleanse and that really helps his break outs, but I wouldn't suggest it for a little one.

Other than that wash him as infrequently as hygenically possible, definitely not every day unless he's been in the mud, and NOT in hot water. The bath should not be warmer than a baby's bottle. Do NOT use soap on him. Get Cetaphil, either bars or lotion, and use that instead of soap. You could try putting some oatmeal in a muslin sack (or old sock), tying it closed and using it like a tea bag in the bath. It's really good for the itching (good for other rashes too...).

I'm not sure exactly how your little ones eczema presents, but it is very often itchy as all get out. If he has that problem he HAS to learn not to scratch it. Scratching it makes it much much worse and causes it to spread. If it is so bad he scratches it in his sleep he will need to wear mittens during break outs or you will have to ask your pediatrician about what anti-itch cream he/she recommends. With the little ones scratching can not only make it worse, but lead to open sores which can lead to infections, etc...

You could also try using a non-scented, non allergenic laundry detergent. 7th Generation makes one (or more?) and it isn't too pricey so can be used on all the laundry.

Also it might not be a bad idea to talk to your pediatrician about possible allergy testing to see if there might be an environmental trigger and to learn the warning signs of asthma in young children because wheezing is not the only one and not even the most common symptom for little kids.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Felicia George on March 31, 2008 at 1:02pm

thanks so much for all the info. a lot of your suggestions we are already doing but there was some new ones that i'll try. thanks again!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michelle on March 29, 2008 at 12:04pm

Hi Felicia-
Welcome to out little community. My oldest has pretty bad eczema..most of it comes from food allergies and it is also due to just sensitive skin. A reaction to soaps, detergents, certain fabrics, etc,. DO you know if your son has any food allergies? Aveeno products actually seemed to make his exczema worse. Most of them are wheat based and I heard that can cause problems. We have had to use some medicated cremes that hep the bad flare ups as well as cortisone once in a while. Now I put cetaphil creme on him after every bath and it seems to help the most.
Michelle

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Felicia George on March 31, 2008 at 12:54pm

Thanks Michelle. No food allergies that we are aware of. Possible sensitivity to peanut butter so we buy the macadamia nut butter from trader joe's. I've been using avocado oil topically the last two weeks and homeopathic sulfur tablets orally. It seems to be clearing up. I've heard drinking aloe juice is also a good one. I'll let you know if I find the "cure" :)!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tina on March 29, 2008 at 12:32pm

Oh yah! Some people react not just to white flour, but to the gluten in wheat (and several other grain) products. Wheat gluten is in a LOT of products though, so it is sometimes hard to test for at home because you have to learn what to look for, for example white vinegar has wheat gluten in it. However if you limit anything that contains wheat and it seems to help then you might want to look into eliminating all gluten and see if it makes a difference.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Shawna on April 1, 2008 at 3:18pm

My friends little boy would get horrible flare ups whenever he ate corn or anything with corn in it. There is a product made by Baby Carrots...its a sache with oatmeal and healing herbs in it. You use it in the bath or you can apply it directly. It might help to see a naturopath to help figure out whats up???

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by meredith marine on April 9, 2008 at 10:54pm

try putting aquaphor on it before he goes to bed. it really helped my son.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Nayana on April 23, 2008 at 4:36pm

Hi Felicia,
My daughter who is now two had a pretty bad case of eczema which she inherited from her daddy that showed up when she was about 8 months. I asked a couple different pediatricions what to do and they all just prescribed steroid creams for her. This was not ok. My husband has had severe eczema his whole life and his skin is just ruined by the presciption creams he has used. His family were not very homeopathic or health oriented so they never explored any other options and he is paying for it. I have found a wonderful (and yes expensive) line however that has all but cured her eczema. In the beginning I used the wash everytime she bathed and the lotion everyday with an intensive serum on the bad spots. Now I still use the wash everytime she bathes and put the lotion on after (she doesn't take a bath everyday) and can put another very mild (california baby) lotion on in between and she NEVER has breakouts anymore. It really was a miracle for her. The brand is called Keys-Soap and their website Keys-soap.com is very informative about the products. My recommendations are the Island RX wash, Tortuga Lotion, and Tortuga Intensive serum. I know they are expensive, but they are worth it. I wasn't able to afford the prices as regularly as I need the product so I managed to get a sellers discount on the items, 40 % off, I do hope to really be an active seller at some point but I feel passionate that no child should have to suffer from eczema or the long term effects of mainstream "medicine" for it, I really just want to help anyone I can. If you check out the website and decide you would like to try it, I will be putting an order in tomorrow night so give me a call and I can add what you need and get you the discount. My # 831 345 9841. Take care, I hope this helps. Nayana

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dorothee Ledbetter on October 1, 2008 at 5:59pm

Dear Tiffany, the safest to use for babies (anyone, actually) is vegetable oil (olive or almond) infused with plantain leaves and comfrey root, which both contain allantoin for rapid cell regeneration. I discovered this in Susun Weed's "Herbal for the Childbearing Year" when my first daughter was born, and it took care of rashes, eczema, and any itching. It is perfect to put on small wounds and scratches (put a drop on the band-aid). It even works on my middle daughter's patches of psoriasis (she's now 13). It works so well that I've been producing it in small batches for local stores for 15 years. I make it with all-organic ingredients. As "CLS Plantain Oil" you can get it in Santa Cruz at downtown New Leaf (also Felton and Boulder Creek), Staff of Life, Baby Bloomers, and Way of Life. If you want to make your own or don't live locally, it's easy to make. Email me, and I'll send you the recipe!
If the rash doesn't vanish, it may be due to food allergies. There's a great naturopathic doctor in Capitola. She may do a metabolic food profile, and then you'll know for sure what to avoid! Her name is Dr. Tonya Fleck.
Please email me with any questions. Love, Dorothee

▶ Reply to This