TTM about eczema

blue_elle

M has developed patchy rashy spots on his belly and back. This has just started in the last couple weeks. The doc saw it at his 6 month check and said it is eczema. Prior he had had one small pink, dry looking spot on his arm and one on his leg, and I get similar spots so I didn't think much of it, but the belly and back are more bumpy/rashy looking. He's not scratching or seeming to be uncomfortable. The appearance of the belly and back stuff came in the last couple weeks, around the same time we started increasing solids and introducing more variety of food.

Those with experience with eczema, did it come on suddenly? Does it ever get bumpy looking? We've backed off the food varieties to those he's been eating for a while without issue, just in case, and I've started lotioning him up after baths. Anything else I can be doing to help if it is eczema?

amt0312

DD had a large patch on her forehead, hairline, left side of her head and left cheek that seems to have finally gone away. It came on randomly around 1.5 months and was suddenly gone by around 5 months. I slathered coconut oil on it. It never bothered her but mostly bothered me because it would look really angry sometimes. 

Every once in awhile I put hydrocortisone cream on it when it was getting extremely flaky and some minor bleeding due to the skin cracking. The hydrocortisone would clear up the patches within an hour or two. 

Never seemed to be related to anything I could figure out. I tried sensitive detergent, no shampoo, different shampoo, different formula brand, etc. 

goldenB

Are you breastfeeding?
sometimes common allergens that the mom eats can cause flare ups: ie dairy, soy, gluten, nuts, acidic foods like tomatoes etc

We've been dealing with eczema for 3months now. He flares up every 2 weeks despite my strict diet but others have had success removing dairy.

i tried hundreds of dollars worth of cream and the best reaction has been to Aveeno baby eczema moisturizer, cetaphil cream and most recently Arbonne's baby lotion (this was the only cream to take away his itch almost immediately)

i am not using cortisone because it's an immune suppressant.

you can also look at culturelle probiotics - they have a specific strain called 'lacto gg' that helps with leaky gut and specifically eczema.

pm if you have any questions.

mommygrams0730

My 2 year old suffers from eczema and it's so bad that she itches until it bleeds. We have a prescription from the dr that I use when it gets out of control.


Eta: hers is in the creases behind her legs. We use cetaphil quite a bit until we need the prescription cream.

blue_elle

Thanks for the recs ladies. Thankfully it seems to be very mild at this point. Hopefully we can keep it that way.

@rgoblue‌ no oatmeal. He's getting brown rice cereal at daycare and stage 1 purees at home. The usual stuff, carrots, pears, sweet potatoes, apple, banana. Pears and carrots have been from the get-go, so we're back to the two and giving it a few days to see if any change.

@goldenB‌ I do breastfeed. Diet has stayed pretty consistent but I'll definitely keep that in mind.

@mommy grams‌ I'm sorry to hear it's affecting her so much. I googled eczema pics and feel so bad for the poor babies I saw with cracked, bleeding skin

blue_elle

@amt0312‌ did you feel like the coconut oil helped much? I've been meaning to pick some up anyway, so may try for this as well.

somewierd_person

My lo's eczema will get bumpy and raised if I don't catch it early enough on. I use coconut oil daily to moisturize as well as limiting baths to 2/week per doc. Ped recommended .5% cortisone cream for really bad spots which I have applied maybe five times when it gets really bad, heat and sweat will aggravate it. I only use cortisone at night when he won't be wiping it onto hands or into mouth. We also do infant probiotics on occasion but not daily.
My lo has a reaction to arbonne baby lotion but does well with other of their products like baby sunscreen. I also use Shea moisture lotion and it smells so edible! That's the only product I use that has any fragrance but I've used it from day one with no reaction or change. Good luck, I'm sure with a little experimenting and the great suggestions from pp you can find a balance that will help.

amt0312

I felt the coconut oil worked better than other lotions, but it definitely wasn't a miracle product either. The redness would be toned down some and kept it moisturized, but the coconut oil would be rubbed off very easily so I was constantly needing to reapply it. I filled several baby food jars of it and left them all over the house so I could put some on wherever we were. 

ETA I still use the coconut oil daily after baths all over her face and head and then I put a thin layer of vaseline over it after the coconut oil has a few minutes to soak in. No issues at all anymore since I started doing this, but by the time I started this it was already somewhat going away so probably coincidence. 

PreDempsey

JJ has a patch of scaly eczema on his cheek that we have to be vigilant about putting cream on or it flares SO quick. We just started using the Aveeno baby eczema lotion + the hydrocortisone cream we were perscribed so hopefully his body flares are managed with that. 

It sucks so hard when you can't really pin point a cause I hope you find something that helps.

xanadu94

DD started getting eczema when she was 3 months old.  I tried many different things but it wasn't getting any better and she started to scratch it so much since she was uncomfortable.  I took her to the pediatrician and he prescribed a hydrocortisone cream which worked well but we could only use for up to a week before needing a rest period.  He then referred us to a dermatologist.  He recommended a few brands of lotions/creams and we went with Aveeno.  He also prescribed a lower strength cream which could be used for up to two weeks, with a one week rest period.  The combination of lotion 2-3x each day and using the cream during flare ups works amazing.  I only use the cream on the trouble spots as needed.  Even during the rest period, it doesn't get as bad as it used to be.

ccip82

Hugs to everyone whose LO is suffering from eczema. It really sucks...to put it quite mildly.

DS has pretty severe seeping eczema flare ups on his cheek and jawline. He also gets less severe patches behind his knees, elbows, and flank. It is really, really hard to pin point what causes it. I just started going dairy-free to see if it would help. It is has only been a week-but I do notice a difference. I do not think it will be an end all cure all though. At this point, if it helps a little with his eczema I will continue to go dairy-free.

bethughknee

DD has mild eczema. Hers came on quite suddenly. She had a persistent yeast rash in her neck and after it finally cleared, all of a sudden she had these dry red patches behind her knees, in her underarms, a few on her belly, etc. The ped diagnosed it as eczema and had us use a steroid cream on the flare patches until they cleared (it was about 2 days). Now, we only use the steroid if there's a flare that doesn't calm down with more lotion applications. And I was told to never use it on her face, but like I said hers is very mild and she almost never gets patches on her face. That advice obviously doesn't go for everyone.

We use the Aveeno line of eczema products. The bath wash and the lotion. We do warm but not hot baths every night, using soap only 2-3x a week, and lotion 2-3x per day. I was also told to leave her a little damp at night when I do lotion before putting on her PJs. I do feel like that really helps to keep her skin nice and moist.

I've found that sunblock tends to make hers flare. I think it's because the zinc (which is also in Butt Paste and other rash creams)) has a drying effect. She gets sunblock twice a week at daycare on sprinkler days so I always do soap on those nights to really make sure it's off her skin. Nothing in my diet or hers seems to cause flares so I have been very lucky in that regard. Fragrances are her big flare trigger, it seems. So using fragrance free lotions, wash, and detergent for her clothes have really helped us.

My ped also recommended the swimming pool during flares. She said home bleach baths have been recommended by the AAD to help kill any microbes that could get in to itchy patches of skin. I read about the study that led to this recommendation and I see where they're coming from. So far being in the pool hasn't made DD's skin any drier so we keep getting her in there. More because she really likes it than because I actually believe it's doing any good. Before doing an at home bleach bath, I would speak to your ped and see if he/she actually recommends it.

brideandbreve

DS has eczema, mostly on his arms and shoulders. Little patches will appear on the backs of his arms above his elbows or on his shoulder blades. No idea what is causing it, as I've tried attributing it to a food, and so far, I'm seeing no correlation between something he's eating and the eczema. DS doesn't itch it and it doesn't appear to even bother him - it just bothers me that it's there.