Eczema

[ljl211]

Miller has eczema He has had the hormonal NB rash from 3 weeks but its clearing up and now he has eczema on his elbows and shoulders so far, incredibly dry skin all over and cradle cap. What is the best thing to use? I've been washing him only in QV bath oil but will stop that for a while. I wash our clothes in Purity washing liquid and have since he was born......

I know eczema is individual but I'm not sure where to start with skincare....

[kermi]

Hi Larissa... sorry your little man is going through this.

I use chickweed and calendula ointment on J for his outbreaks of eczema which usually cover 90% of his legs. He is dairy and wheat free too.

Also I put the ointment on twice a day whether there is eczema showing or not.

Good luck and heaving vibes to Miller.

[ljl211]

Thanks Kermi, where do you get that from? As I am still BFing do you think its worthwhile eliminating dairy? (the MCHN suggested this if it doesn't clear itself with cream etc) I don't have a lot of dairy, mainly milk in cereal, coffee, icecream and occasionally yoghurt......

[*Tracee*]

Hey Larissa,

I was going to say try cutting dairy for a couple of weeks to see if there's any imporvement, at least that way you'll know.

We use the Jurlique calendular cream on Abbey's excema and it's great, but I'm sure there's some cheaper alternatives.

[ljl211]

ok, so to cut out dairy and substitute my milk - what tastes better? rice milk or soy milk (for in my two weak coffees a day?)

[kermi]

Healthfood store or pharmacy (ours is Greenridge) Larissa and yes, I have always found eliminating dairy etc was worth a try as even a miniscule amount can have an extreme affect on them.

[*Tracee*]

Rice milk is sweeter, soy is creamier but soy can cause issues too

[country bumpkin]

We found the QV made the eczema worse for our kids. Its such an individual thing! We switched to the dove unscented soap, and Amolin laundry detergent and don't have nearly so many flare ups now

Make sure you give tepid baths, heat dries the skin out. You need to find something that doesnt irritate to moisturise with. A lot of people swear by sorbeline, but again that was soemthing that caused issue with us

Its a bit of trial and error! Best of luck finding what works

[MadMel]

rice milk is sweet, soy milk from my experience can by just as bad as dairy

Try not to use anything with sodium laryth sulphate (foaming agent in soaps/shampoos/detergents) as I found this made myself and the boys 100 times worse.

QV bath oil is the only thing I use on the boys. All the other QV washes make them worse.

I use a small amount of purity laundry liquid to wash their clothes. We tried ecostore and that made them worse. We tried soap nuts but found they just weren't cleaning the clothes properly.

Moisturise 2 or more times a day even when they aren't rashy as a prevention. Cool clothes at night and light bedding are a must as when they get hot it makes it worse also.

Chop nails and hope for the best. Eczema is a b**ch...

[~Miss Cinders~]

I haven't read the replies, so sorry if already mentioned

• Oats in a stocking/muslin soaking in the bathwater. Can be used to wash as well.
• Massage with sorbelene 4 times a day - this was bad for my T, but alot of people it works for.
• NO singlets, they irritate under the arms and rub on sensitive skin.
• 100% cotton against the skin.
• NO WOOL - even the Mumma should avoid wearing wool.
• I used zince cream in all creases.
• Avoid shampoos/conditioners if possible. T & Benji couldn't use them for the first 2 1/2 years.
• We used Omo Sensitive powder and then liquid for washing clothes etc.
• Eliminate dairy if you can.
• I second the calendula - it does wonders on the niggley spots T gets (and me too!)
• We were also unable to use cloth nappies on T as her eczema was really really bad and urine would trigger a massive flare. I can't remember the brand of nappies we ended up using on her though (we went through quite afew before we found one that didn't make her react).

[country bumpkin]

oh another thing to add - don't use any fabric softeners. Instead put vinegar in the rinse part of the washing machine. This will remove any residue of the washing detergent from the washing so that it doesn't cause irritation

[mokster26]

moisturising at every change helps Sam and we use only QV oil and QV cream. He has just started with it a few weeks ago but at least we knew what helped with Max

[ljl211]

Thanks everyone, its all so confusing! I just hope it stays mild like it is now.