Anonymous wrote:Eczema is food allergies. Most doctors do not understand this, and will recommend steroids (which is what hydrocortisone cream is) which thin the skin and potentially cause other issues (premature puberty, anyone??).

All the lotions and things will help, but will never fix the real problem.

Anonymous wrote:
Hydrocortisone works on the flare ups.

Aquaphor ointment works well to protect the skin. I still put it on my baby’s cheeks and all over after baths.

Once the skin is clear you can transition to something like aveeno lotion for maintenance.

Also, I rarely use soap. My baby’s eczema improved a lot after I started with epsom salt baths. I only use baby shampoo on his hair as needed. Regular baths are just water and a cup of Epsom salts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eczema is food allergies. Most doctors do not understand this, and will recommend steroids (which is what hydrocortisone cream is) which thin the skin and potentially cause other issues (premature puberty, anyone??).

All the lotions and things will help, but will never fix the real problem.

This is not completely true and it's a little misleading about what the person should do about the issue. My son had eczema as a baby and it turned out he did indeed have food allergies (nuts). We took him to a pediatric allergist - which is what OP should do!!! - and she said that 1) Eczema and food allergies are correlated, but it's not clear that eczema is actually caused by food allergies in all cases - they are just correlated; and 2) even if a food allergy is causing eczema, the mom should NOT eliminate foods from her diet unless the baby is also have bad GI distress. Being exposed to the potential allergen in breastmilk is actually very safe for the baby (again absent bad GI issues) and can help lessen the severity of a food allergy later on. Eczema can be treated safely using topical creams, and prescription steroid creams if needed.

Sample size of 1, but this is the approach we took with our son. His eczema cleared up within a week of starting a light topical steroid (plus using only gentle soap). He is still allergic to nuts but it is not a super super severe allergy - he reacts with ingestion only, not contact, and his reaction mostly shows up as rash/vomiting vs. airway closure.

Anonymous wrote:Here’s what worked for us (for two different kids, both with eczema, only one child with known food allergies):

Vanicream, head-to-toe after every daily bath with Cerave or Cetaphil baby wash, followed by a thin coat of Aquaphor to seal it in
Scent-free everything: lotions, detergent, dryer sheets, etc.

The one child with food allergies was also helped by elimination diet (both his and mine while breastfeeding); his food allergies included an ingredient in a lot of Excema-specific baby products, so we found the products above to be the only ones that worked for both children.

Anonymous wrote:Eczema is food allergies. Most doctors do not understand this, and will recommend steroids (which is what hydrocortisone cream is) which thin the skin and potentially cause other issues (premature puberty, anyone??).

All the lotions and things will help, but will never fix the real problem.

Anonymous wrote:Eczema is food allergies. Most doctors do not understand this, and will recommend steroids (which is what hydrocortisone cream is) which thin the skin and potentially cause other issues (premature puberty, anyone??).

All the lotions and things will help, but will never fix the real problem.

Anonymous wrote:
Hydrocortisone works on the flare ups.

Aquaphor ointment works well to protect the skin. I still put it on my baby’s cheeks and all over after baths.

Once the skin is clear you can transition to something like aveeno lotion for maintenance.

Also, I rarely use soap. My baby’s eczema improved a lot after I started with epsom salt baths. I only use baby shampoo on his hair as needed. Regular baths are just water and a cup of Epsom salts.

Anonymous wrote:Eczema is food allergies. Most doctors do not understand this, and will recommend steroids (which is what hydrocortisone cream is) which thin the skin and potentially cause other issues (premature puberty, anyone??).

All the lotions and things will help, but will never fix the real problem.