My children have super sensitive skin. When my daughter turned the age of 2, her skin got so much better! My 18 month old son has Eczema pretty bad. He will get super-bad flare ups.
Do/did your kids have Eczema? What helped them? I’ve heard a lot of different things about the cause of this skin condition. I’m convinced that it is allergy related. What have you heard? I’d be interested to hear what you’ve researched.
Some products that have helped my son keep his red-blotchy rashes under control:
Laundry Detergent
Dryer Sheets
I’ve found that it is best to not use them at all. Although, my husband isn’t particularity excited about his shocking new wardrobe.
Soaps
Lotion
Sun Screen
Treating Flare-Ups
I’d love to hear your advice.
Thanks Friends!
Thanks for visiting!
Dear Traci,
I nanny for 4 kids and the youngest two have bad eczema. The 2 year old has had it all along. The way that we keep it under control is through a high-power lotion called Aquaphor. I don’t think that that is exactly how it is spelled but it is close. We slather the stuff all over him and the baby. It is horribly sticky but it seems to help. He also is allergic to nuts and has seen an allergist about his issues. I think the allergist said since he was allergic to tree nuts, the peanut butter they eat might make his eczema worse. Oh, and also I know he said to Aquaphor him after he takes a bath because the water dries his skin out. He even said that the soap was doing it too, so if he didn’t need to be soaped to just wash him with water. Of course right now in the summer heat he has to have soap all the time. 🙂 That is all the input I can offer, I hope that Carson’s eczema clears when he turns two. My little guy is basically going to have his all his life.
Lulu
Traci, I have some things that I think will be a major help! A major factor of this in childhood is lack of probiotics and proper elimination of toxins. If toxins aren’t released they work their way through the skin, hence eczema. Activia yogurt every day is an easy way to correct this for kids, yogurt tastes yummy. Postponing vaccinations for as long as possible is good too,(or choose not to vaccinate) they are linked to eczema. A good vitamin supplement that includes zinc will help in case there is a vitamin deficiency. Sometimes it helps to give them children’s Zyrtek to help with all the allergy related aspects, as well as eating organic as closely as possible. When they itch the worst, put a few drops of tea tree oil in their bath water, it not only soothes the itch immediately but helps to heal the rash. Dove soap worked for us too but there was one that helped most…Burt’s Bees! Their milk & shea butter body bar and their Baby Bee buttermilk soap and lotion worked excellent! It is primarily caused by a build up of heat in the liver, and many things can cause that. Toxic wastes in little bodies are the worst but stress is also a major cause. Stress from over-excitement come easy with kids. I gave my kiddo a product called Chamomile Calm by Herbs for Kids. It soothed her system in more ways than just eczema! My daughter now gives it to my grandkids! I have studied herbal alternatives for 10+ years now and have found these things to be tried and true! Hope I helped!
Hi Traci.. My daughter had bad eczema! I always felt so sorry for her when the flareups were at their worst. We finally took the advice of a friend who was a Medical Dr. & naturopath, and took her off of all milk and milk products… cleared right up. Once she turned three we slowly began to introduce milk back in. By five she was doing well, although she is still careful not to have a ton of dairy all at once(she’s 20 now)she never has a problem. Although it’s not an answer for everyone, we do know alot of children who find this is the problem…
Oh…how I spent too many years purchasing so many “awesome” products to help my oldest son out. He had eczema all over his little face and back causing it to be all splotchy and when it cleared, his tan was all whonky. Cetaphil was the only wash and lotion I would use…ever. Best stuff.
Then….it happened. I went to a nutritionist and rejuvinative medicine Dr., and they took one look at A, and realized he needed more fat in his diet. Fish oil to be precise. Omega 3 fish oil- nothing else. I started him out w/ the Nordic Naturals at 3 TBSP a day (mixed in a sippy cup w/ natural grape juice), and gradually over a year brought him down to 1 1/2 TBSP a day. MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!! Today, he has NO signs of eczema, his allergies are 90% better (off all meds for that too!), and his teachers are no longer saying, “Impulse control.” Yes, fish oil can affect you that much.
Big miracle for me. Huge. My boys have no prescriptions- and only take fish oil. Yes, a Omega 3 fatty acid deficiency can be THAT profound in a little boy’s life.
Something to think about.
Pray lots! For the answers. He’ll lead in the right direction. I had 2 with eczema and one with a little bit. 🙂
As a kid with eczema a LONG time ago when 1% Hydrocortisone cream was perscription only, I know what your little one is going through. From what my doctors as a little one and as a young adult, mine was triggered by stress, heat, and sometimes just plain “not sure”. I wondered once I got older what stress I had as a kid, but then seeing my children and my grandchildren, those poor little ones do have stress. Sibling rivalry, not getting their way…etc. So hope you can pinpoint the major triggers. For now, you are doing a great job in dealing with it when flare ups occur. Be blessed.
Aveeno Baby Lotion (fragrance free) during the day and Aquaphor at night.
Fragrance free everything; soap, shampoo, laundry detergent. Lukewarm, not hot baths and only bathe every other day if possible. No wool clothes, only cotton, breathable clothing.
I have had excema since I was a child. After talking to an allergist and the dermatologist it turns out that I will always have it. If you do not grow out of it, you will continue to have flare-ups every so often. They also said that flare-ups in children are usually food related. In adults it is usually something other than food. My skin dr has me using CeraVe lotion (I love it!) to keep the flair-ups at bay. They have it behind the counter at Target…it’s non-prescription, but expensive.
My son & daughter have it, too. With them my pediatrician told me many years ago to use Vaseline. I would put cortizone cream on the spot and put Vaseline on them before I would put on their pj’s. Within 2 days the excema will clear up. Vaseline may be greasy, but I LOVE it. Cheap, easy and works wonders.
Sorry for the lengthy response. Good luck!
I really agree with everything Kelly said.
My little girl has suffered from excema since birth. I have noticed it flares up if she has been overly stressed/excited, stimulated etc…
Also I recently heard that eating natural, organic manuka honey can be helpful for children over 2 years.
I have excema and both of my boys do, too. I have never found any trigger for my flare-ups, and have had it for more than 20 yrs, not a typical/common form of it – peels so thick and hard that I cut myself sometimes. My new derm is finally going to give me an allergy test.
My boys so far have the typical excema. At first we treated my first with cortizone cream, then vaseline, then a diaper rash cream heavy with zinc, which started to improve the symptoms. After 2 yrs it wasn’t getting drastically any better so we resorted to steroids and it was the only thing that touched it. 2 weeks using it twice a day and his skin was almost normal. We’ve been using a balm provided by the dr for about 4 months now (without the steroid at all) and his skin is almost perfect with no flare-ups. My littlest seems to be responding to the balm without anything else being needed.
All that said, I think every individual’s excema may be different and/or have different triggers. It’s been interesting reading the other comments, and I do hope everyone finds some relief!