Okay, talk to me about baby eczema

[dennyissmith]

My poor 3 month old squish has eczema all over his legs and torso and even behind his ears. It doesn’t seem to be really bothering him right now but it’s hard to tell. He’ll have his next pediatrician appt in early January but I’m trying to figure out what else I can do until then.

Currently I am using Babo Botanicals Sensitive fragrance-free soap and baby lotion, fragrance free sensitive wipes and diapers, and am transitioning to a fragrance-free detergent.

I slather him in coconut oil or baby lotion several times a day. He’s extremely moisturized.

Baths about every 2-3 days.

Have been doing all of the above for a week or so, but it doesn’t seem to be helping as much as I’d like. So now I’m planning on eliminating dairy from my diet (he’s EBF), which is going to be hard as I eat a lot of dairy, and also may stop using fragrances myself for a bit.

What else have y’all done for baby eczema?

 

[usnuzuloose]

@dennyissmith No baths with any soap, Period. Water and soap displaces all the healthy oils that are needed to keep the skin/moisture barrier intact. Moisturizing doesn't replace it, it only protects the barrier. Instead, if you need to bathe, use gentle warm water rinses with breastmilk or oatmeal, or even better just wipe soiled areas with a cleansing water (Mustela or other brands) as needed. Water/soap and eczema skin don't go together!

 

[liquidlight]

@usnuzuloose Babies don't need soap period. It's bad for them. Seriously just stop using soap on babies people.

Only a slight amount is needed for their scalp, but that's it.

 

[claudiu]

@liquidlight Srsly? Im a lost mom of a 2 month old baby boy with eczema patches. I dont know what to believe now. I live in a tropical country btw, does it chang anything? Is soap really not needed by babies?

 

[pepper77]

@claudiu yeah, it's harsh. They just don't need it.

 

[claudiu]

@pepper77 What do you use then? Just water?

 

[pepper77]

@claudiu yeah or a super mild cleanser.

 

[claudiu]

@pepper77 Like?

 

[liquidlight]

@claudiu Our pediatrician told us not to use soap until they're 2 years old. It's incredibly bad for their skin and can lead to a number of problems including asthma and severe allergies, in addition to causing an array of skin problems

The only time they need soap is if they get something on them which requires soap to clean off. Or that is worse for them than the soap. Which isn't really a thing until they can start getting into things on their own, you know?

 

[elmanarh]

@usnuzuloose Dr. Bronners Baby Castile Soap is amazing and Edit: when we switched to it, bathing only once a week, along with switching to Gentle formula his eczema cleared up completely.

 

[holytrix]

@dennyissmith Our allergist strongly advises against putting any type of food product (coconut oil, oatmeal) on broken skin. There’s some evidence that foods absorbed from broken skin early in infancy can lead to food allergies. He recommended aquaphor for eczema and no soap in baths. Just water and only shampoo their hair once a week as needed.

 

[cmbh1]

@holytrix I've been told this as well - coconut oil on broken skin can increase the chance of a tree nut allergy

 

[liquidlight]

@holytrix Have you read the studies of countries which use peanut oil as nipple cream (from birth on) and the rate of peanut allergies are effectively 0 ?

No clue how this plays into broken skin use, but it's a fascinating topic.

 

[revertinganglican]

@dennyissmith Have you tried adding breastmilk to his baths? Or giving him an oatmeal bath? You can either blend/grind it into a powder or use cheese cloth (like a large tea bag).
What type of lotion are you using? Aveeno makes a baby eczema lotion that’s great.
Also try a humidifier. It can be dry in the winter - dry air can cause flare ups.

It’s unlikely that’s it’s your diet that is causing the eczema even if you’re EBF. Eczema from food allergies is rare so young.

Edit: I’m guessing my comment about mama’s diet not being a likely cause of baby’s eczema is why I’m getting down voted. As an advocate for research-based decisions, I turn to reliable sources more than bloggers who claim x, y, and z (particularly about a breastfeeding mom’s diet) with no sources.

Tina Y. Lien and Ran D. Goldman, MD FRCPC: “There is mounting evidence that genetic linkage and family history are risk factors for developing eczema,3 and it is essential to be able to provide sound advice to families. Although food has long been thought to cause or aggravate eczema, research on prevention of AD through early nutritional intervention is lacking.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3237513/#:~:text=Answer%20The%20American%20Academy%20of,and%20fish%20from%20their%20diets

Stop adding to moms’ fears by inflating claims that taking diary out of their diet is a cure all for what’s ailing their babies.

 

[dennyissmith]

@revertinganglican Actually I have a ton of frozen breast milk from when my milk first came in and I had way too much and then later it turned out he won’t drink frozen milk. I didn’t want to toss it so I’ll try a breast milk bath.

 

[firstfridays]

@dennyissmith did it do any help?

 

[samanddad3201]

@dennyissmith I use Aveeno Baby Eczema lotion. The kind that comes in a tub, not a tube. Ped said to slather it on up to 4 times a day. He bathes every day but I keep the water lukewarm, not too hot, dry well, grease him up good, and into pjs.

His issue isn't dairy, it's acidic fruits and veggies. Tomatoes, strawberries, citrus. It started when he was 9 months and on solids, we were worried it was an allergy, but ped said it was likely just irritated skin from him rubbing food all over his face and body, and he should eventually grow out of it. He's 22 months now, and we have added back small amounts. He can't eat an orange but I can put a splash of OJ into a green smoothie.

 

[samanddad3201]

Oh, don't get the Aveeno Baby eczema therapy body/hair wash. For some demented reason, they put fragrance in it? Oddly enough I have the best luck with plain Johnson & Johnson.

 

[phamydag]

@samanddad3201 We use Cetaphil Baby Wash and my baby’s eczema and irritation cleared up. The Johnson and Johnson REALLY irritated his skin. We also just stopped actually washing him nearly as much too. He’s 4 now and he gets soaped when he’s actually gotten into something dirty or once a week, and that has helped a lot too.

 

[claudiu]

@samanddad3201 What soap or body wash do you use?