Navigating Baby Eczema with Patience and Moisturizers
Fortunately I grew up with minimal allergies or skin irritations besides the typical summertime sunburn. My husband on the other hand came from a family with allergies but I didn’t really do a deep dive into the family history until our son started showing signs of skin allergies.
I first found a small rash on our little ones neck at 5 months old after we just started solid purees. It didn’t seem to bother him but as a new mom I was very concerned. Reading the internet only heightened my worries so I did the next thing most moms do - send pictures of his skin to my mom, nurse friends and the pediatrician’s online portal for quick advice. I ended up bringing him in to see the pediatrician. She diagnosed him with a fungal infection and prescribed a 10 day ointment treatment.
We completed the 10 day ointment treatment and the rash was not improving. In fact, it spread to his back and belly. Poor little guy was now crying and uncomfortable but showed no other sign of illness or fever. Internally, I was worried he was having a reaction to something he ate and I felt as if I was failing because I couldn’t figure out what it was. Back to the pediatrician we went along with all the products I was using on his skin (detergents, bath soap, moisturizers, etc.). As soon as my pediatrician saw the rash progressing, she immediately knew it was eczema.
Here marks the beginning of our very moisturized journey and some learnings along the way:
Don’t trust what products promote on their labels. Read the ingredients - fragrance is not eczema friendly.
Consistency is key when keeping the skin moisturized to manage flare ups.
Eczema flare ups can happen at any time - changes in weather, a new food, or what sometimes seems to be at the most inconvenient time. We seem to have flare ups after eating anything with tomatoes or a lot of citrus.
Our problem areas are neck, wrists, ankles and the back of the knees, which are common areas for eczema.
Prescribed medicated ointments, which are usually steroids, can help attack a flare up over a short period of time until it’s manageable to go back to over the counter ointments. Our doctor prescribed us Triamcinolone 0.025% ointment to use twice a day only when his eczema is really bad and hard to manage. We typically use it for a 5 day cycle or until the eczema clears and we can go back to our regular routine of moisturizing.
Even when you feel you have it under control, eczema finds it way back to remind you that it’s not leaving anytime soon. It’s a marathon, not a sprint so be patient and look for patterns to help you find the problem areas and manage them as best you can.
Sharing a list of products we use that have helped us manage baby eczema
and kept our little one as comfortable as we can:
We came across this brand from a hospital visit called Curad Petroleum Jelly Skin Protectant that we use twice a day (once in the morning and right before bed). We lather it on his whole body and then use it throughout the day to spot check if we find him itching a specific area. We’ve tried baby Aquaphor and Vaseline which was recommended by the pediatrician but they never seemed to maintain clear skin.
We started to use this wash & shampoo as soon as we found out our son had eczema. I love that it’s truly fragrence free and has been very gentle on his skin. We give him a bath almost every day with this wash & shampoo to keep up with the usual kid messes and also to help sooth him for an easier transition to bedtime. We follow up bath time with a lot of the petroleum jelly to set in overnight.
I never thought detergent could play a role in skin irritation but learned that the soap you use to wash their close can affect the eczema flare ups. Our detergents seemed to be working fine but when we found out he had eczema I wanted to rule out this one out and use unscented detergent as it was an easy transition.
This is a subtle change that we didn’t think about until he started to approach an age where they start to outgrow those cute baby onesies. The problem was if we put on a t-shirt or long sleeve, I’d find him lifting his shirt to itch his stomach. So we’ve opted for these sleeveless onesies that we use as an undershirt for his everyday clothes. We also really like Onesie footed pajamas for at night as he will itch his ankles all night if he could.
One thing we learned early on is that baby nails are sharp when they get long and if you’re little one has eczema they itch so hard it starts to cut the skin. Then you have a whole different problem on your hand trying to prevent infection from broken skin. We consistently using the Little Martins nail trimmer to keep his nails very short which helps prevent really rough scratching.
When we have a large eczema flare up and are struggling to find a moment of relief from all the itching, we treat him to a soothing oatmeal bath to provide temporary relief. Unfortunately this is not a long term solution but can help on those days when they are super itchy and crying from being so uncomfortable.
If I know we’re going to be out all day on a hike, at the beach or even in the snow (the cold/dry weather is brutal for eczema), then I give him some Children’s Zyrtec in the morning to anticipate any eczema flare ups from being exposed to new weather or outdoor environments. Reminder to always check with your doctor on dosage before giving any medication to children.
We are still on our eczema expedition and continue to learn new ways to manage flare ups. As a parent, it's most relieving to find the root of the problem so you can figure out how to address it because all we want for our babies is to feel loved, cared for and comfortable.