looks like you have had a lot of responses, but here is my best suggestion, and it is well proven in my house with my now 4 yr old and my 8 yr old,
my 4 yr old got it bad when he was 2-3, and he would get it all over his feet legs hands and elbows, to the point that his skin would be covered in red scabs from scratching and his skin would be flaking off, he would wake up at night ad come get in my bed and I could hear him scratching all night long, it was bad, My Grandmother swore by Vitamin C, which helped a lot, but even better was using FLAX OIL, you can purchase Strawberry Flax Oil at the local health food store it taste like yogurt and the kids love it! two table spoons a day, easy easy! and we had a significant difference in one day, we were originally told to go of Dairy products and watch our Wheat intake but I tried this first and I was so glad I did, once we got his under control I didn't have to give it to him everyday now I just do it when if flares up, but it usually only takes a day or two to bring it back to "normal" You can actually put regular flax oil directly on the skin... which is messy but it can help, but I just gave him the strawberry stuff, and he was better with by the next morning and gone with in days...
well worth the try! if you Add the Vit. C it acts as an anti-inflammatory and will help clear it up faster, my 8 yr old uses just the Vit. C but my little one has to have the flax oil. if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.
S.