Treatment for Eczema in babies– 7 steps for control
Eczema is a skin condition which is at best irritating for adults never mind children. However, babies and children with eczema and skin rashes tend to uncover a new set of issues as they cannot talk and have no concept of the impact of scratching and the itch-scratch cycle. Parents become tired of fighting the baby eczema battle as they don’t want to see their little one in distress and opt for steroids. I have a toddler with eczema, so am speaking from first-hand experience and hope to offer eczema treatment ideas to make your baby more comfortable and have found a marked improvement by following the steps below.
List of Symptoms
• Skin irritation – the skin looks rough and a small red raised rash appears that increases in size over time and can sometimes spread if not caught early
• Crevices become dry and inflamed e.g. elbows, cheeks, crease of knees,neck
• Patchy dry skin – the skin quickly becomes dry and chapped and over time thickens/scabs over
• Itchy – Skin that is itchy often results in uncontrollable scratching
Treatment for eczema - What you can do
Firstly remember that there is no known cure for eczema so don’t waste your time or cash trying to cure it. The quicker this is understood and accepted, the quicker you can get on with reducing the frequency of flare – ups and discomfort of your baby by following these simple steps.
Prevent skin tearing – cut your babies nails at least once a week but do it twice if possible. After cutting the nails, file the corners as these are the sharpest parts and can tear the skin.
Control the scratching – Scratching itchy skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis can feel euphoric for the sufferer for a short moment, but can cause weeks of damage. Scratching causes breaks in the skin which in turn can cause infection, scabbing and therefore further itching as the skin repairs itself. You could try specialist sleeves, tights, leggings to put on your baby during the day and at night and mittens to cover the fingers. This type of eczema clothing control can effectively break the itch-scratch cycle.
Moisturise the skin – we would advocate using natural eczema cream as we do not believe in using those laden with petrochemicals, SLS and parabens as they have been shown to further irritate the skin and children have complained of stinging sensation when using products containing these ingredients. However, it is for you to decide and we do promote trying a variety of eczema lotions, balms, ointments and eczema creams and if they don’t work the first time, try them again a few months later. Creams that include therapeutic grade Calendula are particularly useful. Whatever you decide, make sure the skin is always moisturised. I have personally found this to be the best form of control and when my daughter gets eczema flare up, I moisturise her skin every 2 hours.
Prevent flare ups – when you see a small irritation occurring that might look like a harmless spot....DEAL WITH IT NOW! It could be the beginning of an eczema flare up.
Allergies - get an allergy test done as your child could be reacting to foods such as dairy, eggs and nuts which are also contained in some body cream e.g. Sweet almond oil, Shea nut butter. When allergies are eliminated, it makes all other attempts at curing eczema more effective.
Detergents – A bath full of bubbles can cause a lot of troubles! Do not use heavily scented bubble bath or bath products. Oil based cleansing of the skin is more preferable lightly scented with lavender or chamomile essential oils. Be careful of the child slipping in the bath though. Also reduce the amount of baths as this can dry out the skin, bath maybe every other day or less.
Use non biological washing liquid or powder that is for sensitive skin, preferably fragrance free. If you want a natural scent, use 10 drops of lavender in your softener draw. Do not use a fabric softener.
Climate control – Make sure that the environment your baby is in is cool. Eczema thrives in warm damp areas and environments so make sure you ventilate the room or use a fan to bring the temperature down. If damp is a problem, then buy a dehumidifier and use it regularly. Make sure your baby is cool by wearing cotton clothing or natural fibres. For little girls, synthetic tights can be a nightmare. If you can’t get hold of cotton tights, how about trying cotton leggings with dresses instead?
One last bit of hope is that babies and toddlers can often grow out of eczema.
Specialists in Natural Health and Beauty with a special interest in Baby Eczema as we have someone with it in our family.
