What to Do to Help Eczema Dry Skin.

Coconut oil will get rid of excema. I just rub it on my 3 month old daughter as needed. I give her an infant powder probiotic daily also. You can find both at a health food store.

I did not have time to read the other responses so I might be repeating advice. I use Eucerin Aquaphor on my kiddos. It works great...even on their face. Use it sparingly though.
Good Luck

Have you taken her to see a pediatric dermatolgist? I would highly recommend this if you havent. My 6 month old boy has it really bad especially on his face to the point it got infected and bled. For 3 months we piddled around with 1% hydro, aquafor, neosporin, countless stuff off the interent that claimed it would help (it didnt). Finally we went to see a doc in New Lennox and within 5 days of taking both topical and oral meds his face was baby smooth and looks beautiful to this day!! I only wish I had brought him there sooner!!

Hi Momma2M&C, I would discontinue using any creams or lotions. Get some Baby Magic baby wash and use that for all cleansings. Then, while skin is still damp, apply jojoba oil or vitamin e oil lightly all over. These oils, unlike baby oil which is mineral oil, will not clog the pores and will help the skin stay hydrated and not flake. (FYI, the NOW brand makes an inexpensive jojoba oil.) Your daughter will outgrow her eczema usually by her 1st birthday. The problem with using Hydro at 1% or even .5% is that it will thin the skin over time and long term use of steroidal creams, even at those low percentages, are not the best solution. Hope this helps. As always, YMMV.

My son was born jaundiced and spent 3 days in the NICU under triple phototherapy. I thought all that time in the "tanning bed" was what caused his severely dry skin and eczema, so I tried ointments, prescriptions, etc. Finally, my ped referred us to an allergist. Since my son was only 6 months old at the time we were able to lie him down long enough to do the drop test on his back. Of all things, it was eggs. When he had turned three months old (the earliest the child care center at the gym will take infants) I started training again and eating more eggs. It was hard, but I gave up anything with egg in it for the 15 months that I nursed him. After the second drop test it was noted that the diameter of the rash was much smaller which means he can now have foods with egg as an ingredient. He is 18 months now and I've read and been told that an egg allergy goes away as they get older. The doctor recommends I still use Eucerin during breakouts since his eczema wasn't only allergy related, but his skin looked so much better. Our ped also said to keep his baths short and luke warm. Good luck!

Here's what worked for us: we cut down baths to once a week per doctor's orders, we cut out all cow's milk (including cheese) from her diet, and we put jojoba oil on her skin 3+ times per day with a layer of a good lotion at night before bed.

Please go to freederm.com!!! We use both creams and the soap.The picture of the kid with the red cheeks was my daughter at 6 months. We havent had any major problems since. I just have to make sure to apply extra applications to her elbows and cheeks in the winter.

I've been using a cream called Baby Eczema Cream. It was working for a while, but now it seems as tho he's breaking out more frequently. My froend suggested that I bathe him with sea salt and olive oil and use dove sensitive skin on his body. Then while he's still damp, I'll use the cream that I've been using. I'm going to try that tonight. I'll PM you in a few days to let you know how and if it works.

Ok #1, stop using Hydro 1% cream. That stuff thin's out your skin.

This will save you years of trying a BUNCH of stuff that won't really work.
Go to Walmart and get

" CeraVe " ((( The green bottle. )))

Take care.

My daughter had mild eczema for the 18-24 months of her life. In the baths I used only lukewarm water (nothing else) and took her out right after we did soap and shampoo. And we only did baths 2-3 times per week. I also use Eucerin Original Lotion. But when I cut out Cow's milk, it went away completely and never came back. She can still have small amounts of regular cheese and dairy product but the volume of the milk just did her in. She hasn't had a single patch of it since I did that. I still use Eucerin and limit baths and her skin has been great!

Hi Momma---Are you breastfeeding or is she bottle fed. If you are breast feeding, eat more fruits and veggies, along with omega 3 rich foods, such as walnuts and freshly ground flax seeds. I might also start taking a fish oil capsule every day as well.

If bottle fed, you can just put a bit of fish or flax oil in with her formula. A health food store would carry a kid friendly brand, which you probably don't need because she is a baby. They'll also be able to help you with how much she should have every day.

Eczema is a bit of an immune system problem. MORE fruits, veggies, whole grains and nuts and seeds in the diet would help to balance the immune system. Dairy is NOT good for eczema...it actually contributes to it so eliminate from your diet...or from her formula. Go to www.pcrm.org and put dairy in the search box to understand why. I can get you research that would verify that as well. I work with many forward thinking healthcare professionals who look at diet and lifestyle as the 1st mode of treatment for many of today's common health problems. Be glad to share...it's that important. Good luck, be well. D.

What is causing the eczema ? Has anyone suggested taking her off dairy ?

My son had a lot of eczema as a baby with a patch on his cheek and a lot on his arms. I tried many different lotions and creams, including Aquaphor, but nothing really remedied it. However, we found out it was likely due to the fact that he had several food allergies (wheat, egg, milk, barley, nuts) and I was nursing him. We didn't know of his allergies at the time, but because I was eating those things and he was getting some of that through the milk, I think it caused some of the eczema. We stopped nursing at about the same time we found out about the food allergies (about 1 year old) and it cleared up. He has had perfect skin since. So if you are nursing, it is possible it is a food allergy. Since she's only 6 months I know she hasn't had a lot of solids yet, but my son was having reactions to the chicken noodle baby food (because of the wheat in the noodles), yogurt and tiny bites of bread when he was closer to a year old. I hope she doesn't have any food allergies, but if you are nursing, just something to consider if none of the creams work.

My daughter had eczema. Ok, since your child is only 6 months old, I would only take a bath every 3 days. They don't get dirty at that age so you can drop one more bath. Use Cetaphil as you're doing. Nothing in the bath in terms of bubbles etc. I used California Baby products for shampoo etc. Awesome stuff. For the summer only use California Baby sunscreen. Aquaphor is great too for the dry spots. Oh, make sure to put on the lotion right after the bath. Aveeno is BAD!!! Don't listen to the other posters about that! There are scents etc. in them, just look at the list of ingredients. But I am assuming your Pedi told you to use Cetaphil so you already would know that Aveeno is not good for excema let alone a baby without excema.

Also, we use Charlies Soap for laundry detergent. Find it online. I use the powder. Its fabulous. If you don't want to use that, get All Free and Clear. Though, I definitely recommend Charlies Soap you get so much more for your money especially with the powder.

Good Luck!

I recommend using products that do not contain parabens or other synthetics. I find that they only aggrevate sensitive skin. Cethaphil has parabens in it unfortunately. The trick is to start reading labels and to go for products that have as few ingredients as possible and to make sure the ingredients are gentle and coming from nature not a labratory. For my son, Dr. Bronners baby soap works really well and it's a lot less expensive than most brands- I find it at Whole Foods. When you daughter is old enough for sunscreen, I recommend anything by Badger. It's a great brand and know for being "clean". Good luck!

I use a baby pro-biotic that when my son was little I put in his bottle of if you are nursing you can put it on your nipple too. (Yes I know it's weird but it works.) It helped clear my son up and now that he is 18 months I can tell if I have missed a day because his skin gets dry. There is also a baby eczema cream that has Pooh on it and we use that and it works great on both face and body. I give him a bath at least once a day (he loves the water) but we added a filter to the bath water and I also add hohoban oil to their bath. Aveeno also has oatmeal baths that we have used when he was really broke out. Hope it helps but I would start with the pro-biotic, you can find it at a health food store.

Dealt with severe eczema the first 3 yrs of my son's life and followed all the doctors advice: dove soap, lubriderm, eucerin, cetaphil, aquaphor and hydrocortisone all over him (even on his eyelids they suggested) Constant flair ups nothing seemed to help. Then I started reading everything I could get my hands on and made some changes. I started with the environment. Air purifiers & vacuums with hepa filters. I use vinegar & water to clean. Have tried to cut out any chemicals or fragrances in all that I use.
Mattress & pillow dust mite protectors, all natural pillows & organic cotton bedding (beware of the chemicals in the fire retardants used in mattresses!) A great place to find non-toxic options for your home is www.organicgrace.com Cotton clothes help and I use Maggie's soap nuts and no fabric softener. A 1/2 cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle works great and no your clothes don't smell like vinegar.
Lotions-No sls, parabens, phylates, phosphates, petroleum or it’s byproducts, etc. No propylene glycol -that's the main ingredient in anti-freeze! I found raw shea butter to be a life saver. I ran across great rule of thumb: if you wouldn't eat it, don't put it on your skin. www.sheaterraorganics.com has raw, organic shea butter, some fabulous healing oils for eczema & beauty products for you moms. Aubrey Organics makes a product we can’t live without –Aloe Vera Gel. They also have shampoos without sls. Cold pressed, unrefined almond, avocado, jojoba oils are all great too and relatively inexpensive. Sappo Hill makes great fragrance free glycerin soaps, some have aloe and oatmeal in.
Most importantly I agree about probiotics. Find a chiropractor who is knowledgeable in Standard Process products whole food supplements. It changed our lives. Eczema does begin from the inside (mainly digestion) so if you don't correct that, anything you do on the outside is just window dressing. Food allergies can also contribute to eczema problems. I wish I had started questioning & looking for answers sooner instead of just blindly assuming that my doctors had the only answer and they must know the best way to treat this...
I know it sounds like a lot of work but once you do the research & find the products that work for you it just becomes part of the routine to use these things. Knowledge is power -read everything you can get your hands on, question your doctors, get a second, third or fourth opinion. Find what works for you. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Blessings-Cindy

At 52 and have lived with exaema all my life. I've tried numerous creams for the last 40 years - and the only cream that really is good is Avon's moistsure therapy intensive treatment - in the tube - not the jar or bottle. It's very inexpensive and does NOT irritate broken skin and dried flakes of eczema. There are no other Avon products I use as I actually have problems with some of them. But every six months or so I'll order 4-5 tubes on this cream - white with a big blud "drop" shape on the side of the tube. Aveeno isn't bad either but it's way more expensive. They also sell a triple soemthign cream in the baby section of Stop & Shop but it has lanolin in it which is a sheep produce and if you're sensitive to wool it's a problem - (and it's all super expensive). Try the Avon - youwon't be disappointed. Promise.

I use California Baby with callundra (sp??) cream and it keeps my son's eczema under wraps. He still has dry feeling skin, but it's is well moisturized and doesn't bother him so i won't bug it to much with different creams. I love the stuff for myself too. Such wonderful amazing stuff!!!!! I also really love their diaper cream! WONDERS!!

I have always put vaseline on my dry skin. I even put it on my son's face when he starts getting really dry (he is seven months old). There is pretty much nothing in vaseline but it really helps with dry skin. I used it when I was growing up on my hands and lips when the weather was kicking my skin's butt. It has always helped me and it seems to help my son with his dry skin and sometimes even with mild diaper rash.

First, everyone's skin is different. Both of my kids had excema and I tried a lot of things on them that did not work. Check with your pediatrician about using the hydrocortisone on the baby. They may recommend only using it for a short time.

I found that the Aveeno baby creme worked the best on my girls. They are now almost 11 and 8 and still use it. I tried a number of different creams on them but found that this kept their skin moisturized the longest. To this day, when we put it on it's like their skin drinks it in and stays smooth and moist.

My girls only bathe once a week or if necessary, if they get really dirty or sweaty, more than once a week. We moisturize after every bath. We do use hydrocortisone if we see a breakout and their skin has gotten so much better over time.

Try different creams until you find the one that makes her skin happy. Good luck!

My daughter (she's 2 years old) also has eczema on her legs, arms and cheeks. We've been using Vaseline Lotion with Coco Butter (it comes in a brown bottle). Someone at toddler time recommended it and it has been great! Good luck, I know how hard it is to see your baby looking so miserable :(

Im not sure about this one but wonder if mayonaise would do anything cause it sure does miracles on my bleached dried out hair! I,ve tried it on my arms and it does pretty good! Try it! Let me know how that works out for you.

I use Cetaphil (soap, lotion and cream) on both my boys regularly and it keeps their eczema at bay. Only 1 of them really needs the soap during bath time but I do lotion both of them at jammie time nightly. I even convinced my dad to try to the cream and he has since replaced his prescription rx with the Cetaphil b/c it works better for him.

I highly recommend trying Mary Kay's extra emolient night cream. Contact your local consultant for a sample to try. It's fantastic stuff and stays in the skin for up to 5 washings. It also has a waterproof barrier and is wonderful for diaper rash too. Good luck!

I use Aveeno oatmeal bathing cleanser and the oatmeal moisturizer. That has helped with my sons eczema. Though his is not as bad as yours but try the cream for the in between times it might help.

Ok here is the low down Both my kids have eczema my youngest has it worse. We tryed every lotion possible and I only found one to work and its by medline it is called Remedy skin repair cream the reorder # which u will have to have is MSC094424 secondly the derm. told us not to bathe them but every 3-4 days and let there natural oils help there skin. Now for the breakouts Triamcinolone Acetonide cream which can be provided by a dr (perscription) Oatmeal bathes can help but at the same time can dry them out EVEN more. We switched there soap to daove sensitive body bar. Then there is the laundry soap we had to switch to which is All FREE CLEAR. My son was red and flakey and itched so bad he would claw at himself. using minor changes he now has beautiful complextion and you can tell that he dont itch bc he dont scratch. Best of luck to ya

Updated

Ok here is the low down Both my kids have eczema my youngest has it worse. We tryed every lotion possible and I only found one to work and its by medline it is called Remedy skin repair cream the reorder # which u will have to have is MSC094424 secondly the derm. told us not to bathe them but every 3-4 days and let there natural oils help there skin. Now for the breakouts Triamcinolone Acetonide cream which can be provided by a dr (perscription) Oatmeal bathes can help but at the same time can dry them out EVEN more. We switched there soap to daove sensitive body bar. Then there is the laundry soap we had to switch to which is All FREE CLEAR. My son was red and flakey and itched so bad he would claw at himself. using minor changes he now has beautiful complextion and you can tell that he dont itch bc he dont scratch. Best of luck to ya