Monday, August 29, 2011

Does Your Baby or Child Have Eczema?

We've struggled off and on with baby eczema on our boy's scalps. I've tried so many shampoos, oils and lotion products.

First off I should begin with the fact that many kids get eczema because they are allergic to certain foods. Cows milk is a hug culprit. If you think your child may be allergic to cows milk and is getting eczema, try another kind of milk. Rice and almond milk are great alternatives!

I've also read here that babies can have an overload on antibiotics. That may be a big reason why doctors have chosen to do away with antibiotics for most ear infections.

My boy's got lots of antibiotics when they were babies because one had meningitis and the other had a life threatening staph infection. My boy's don't seem to have problems with foods, but sometimes flair up in the heat with baby eczema. I blame the antibiotics that saved their lives for their eczema issues. I truly believe that my two son's have to be healed from the inside out. Creams and oils don't do that.

The best way I've dealt with this problem:
It doesn't go away over night!

  • Get a good probiotic! 
This puts the good bacteria back into their systems. Antibiotics takes away both good and bad bacteria. Probiotics put the good back in. They are ok for anyone to take.

Look for the cultures to be listed on the container. Walgreens has some for kids, but I noticed that they didn't have the cultures listed. Also get it in a powder form, so it can be mixed in with food or drink. I wanted one that was refrigerated. If you have a live bacteria, it only makes since to me that if it's not refrigerated that it would not last.
  • Rub Olive Oil on their head!
That's right Olive Oil. It's hard because in my case it's on their scalp. I do this the evening of bath night. It sit on their head for a few hours before bath. Commercially they sell many creams and oils for babies. Some have steroids in them! I've read that keeping eczema moist helps it from peeling and cracking. Olive Oil works well. No steroids!
  • Give them an Oatmeal Bath!
This helps with itching! Works well with chickenpox to! Grind 2 cups of oatmeal in a mini food processor. Add it to your child's bath. My son's LOVED this! Then I used a screen to catch the remaining particles, so the drain wouldn't get clogged.

  • I've even read that applying breastmilk to a babies eczema outbreak helps! I have not tried this, but it may be worth a shot.

A few good articles:
Natural Remedies for Eczema
Baby Eczema Treatments - Natural Remedies
Baby Eczema

6 comments:

Unknown said...

My child doesn't have eczema but I do! I'm sensitive to dairy and drink almond and rice milk instead. =) You have some great tips and I have one to add. Amber and hazelwood jewelry, sounds a little out there but I can tell you from personal experience that it helps a lot!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the comments and oh if you want the site that I got my jewelry from: http://hazelaid.com/C_Home.html

I can tell you, I ordered a bracelet, wore it during the day, and in less than a month my eczema was completely cleared up for the first time in years. Then my dog chewed it up and the eczema is not starting to come back. Gotta order another asap!

I have an amber necklace for my daughter too, meant to help teething, but unfortunately she refuses to wear it so I don't know if that works.

Unknown said...

I meant "now" not "not" up there. Hahah, I just said the opposite of what I meant to say!

Becky Jane said...

This is excellent information! I can tell you've done your research and have experience to boot!

berryblndgirl said...

We've struggled with eczema since our son was 3 months old. I recently had him tested for allergies to see if he was allergic to something that was flaring up his eczema, but that turned out to be a dead-end. It has been very frustrating because I cannot seem to pinpoint what is causing it. Fortunately, he has been clear for a couple of months now, so I'm trying to gradually reintroduce some of the foods and products that we thought were causing issues to see if we get more flare-ups. One product that has helped is Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm.

Laura Love said...

This is great advice. I have eczema myself and definitely think your suggestions are spot on. I would also add that moisturizing with unscented lotion after every time you wash your hands or shower helps too - I really like eucerin cream.