Does Anyone Know What I Can Use on My 5Month Old for Eczema

This is actually an internal issue - topical treatments aren't going to solve it. The problem starts deep inside, with the body pushing out toxins or substances it cannot process. (Seems like you touched on that with the change in formula.) I work in this area and we see amazing results with babies and toddlers as well as adults with immune system support and dietary ingredients. You can go the pediatric dermatologist route or you can go the food science route.

We fight the eczema battle daily. My daughter is certainly not an infant, but eczema and the itching have landed her in the hospital 3 times in the past year.

First, ask your pediatrician for allergy testing. You probably can't (or shouldn't) do elimination trials where certain foods are eliminated for a few weeks, but there are blood tests and other tests that allergists can perform on infants. Your child will need to be seen by an allergist for this.

My daughter's allergists and dermatologists suggest plain old Vaseline for moisturizing the skin, even preferable over Aquaphor and Eucerin. Vaseline stays on longer.

There's also a company called Salcura (salcura.com) and their products have given my daughter relief when nothing else works. They have a product line for infants called Bioskin Junior and it includes cleansers and eczema relief creams. If you look at the California baby ingredients, they include alcohol which is very drying.

Make sure you're using unscented laundry products. They're not the same as fragrance-free, as fragrance-free products can have a fragrance added to them to mask the original fragrances. Unscented means no scents at all. And don't use any detergents with colors. Just clear unscented detergents.

My son had developed very bad eczema about 1 1/2 months. I tried oils, Cetaphil, aquaphor, all suggestions by the doc. Then we only use it when it got bad. At one point he looked like he had sideburns. It all started on his face and slowly moved to his legs. Finally we started using hydrocortizone valerate. His face was clear within 1 week and his legs within 2 weeks. We finally allergy tested him at one year because he got a rash on his face from peanut butter and it turned out he is allergic to Milk and Peanuts. He was breastfed so he was getting them through me. When we cut out the milk, moved to almond milk, the eczema started going away. He only gets a breakout now with extreme weather changes and if he raids the yogurt in the fridge. We rarely use the hydrocortisone unless his legs get bad. He has not had a breakout on his face since he was 4 months.

Please make an appointment with a pediatric dermatologist. They will give you a prescription lotion, and will help you troubleshoot to find the cause.

Certain laundry detergents, lotions with glycerin, and food allergies can all cause eczema if your baby is sensitive to them.

My son has had eczema all his life- first food allergies, and now environmental. I use Metaderm with him in combination with this prescribed ointments to minimize flare-ups. The only real thing that helps is to avoid any possible allergens. Since my son is allergic to grass, we have flareups almost all spring and summer.
However, at your baby's age, it might be hard to know when he might be allergic to without consulting an allergist or pediatric dermatologist. I think my son was around 6-7 mos old when we first had allergy testing done on him. That helped because we then knew what to avoid, which in turn, helped with the eczema.
I will say also that certain fragrances or dyes really aggravate my son's skin and can make a flare up worse. Free and clear soaps, shampoos, detergents, etc., are a must when you have a child with eczema. Do not use bleach and stay away from dryer sheets.
Hope this helps!

Our son was the same way. Horrible cradle cap and baby acne. Eczema and even yeast infections. Hives appearing out of nowhere. There were no detectable allergies and it didn't get any better when we changed detergents or soap. We still battle it on his hands and wrists in the winter to the point where it can bleed. We have found a couple of things that have worked. One was backing off on bathing. We cut down to just once or twice a week unless he has gotten really dirty. The other has been using thick lotions right after he dries off or when it starts to look dry.

Vanicream was specifically developed for medical patients with sensitive skin. They have lotions, shampoos, sun screens, etc. It is especially nice for babies because it is scent free and very gentle. Mayo Clinic provides Vanicream for patients in for medical procedures.

We have also had pretty good results with the eczema lotion that Aveeno has.

I really like the Yes to Carrots brand body cream. It is also scent free.

We have also used Udder Cream. It was originally made for dairy cow udders and then slightly reformulated for people to use. It has been very effective.

We have been able to buy any of these at Target or Walgreens. I've even found the udder cream at the dollar store.

It wouldn't hurt to have a pediatric dermatologist look at it and to maybe check for allergies.

eczema treatment helpful post http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/eczema/...

Calendula cream. I have some with California Baby brand Found in the baby isle at Target.

You don't mention what you use for washing him. Or what you use to wash his clothes. Did the doctor discuss that with you? We had to change what we used. Nothing with fragrance.

We tested for allergies and saw a dermatologist. For my kid with allergies we had a different system.

To get it under control, we have to use medicated ointment - usually for two weeks. Covered with a hydrous emollient. Comes in a big tub from pharmacy.

For us, it was the bathing. So we bathe daily in warm (not hot) water, very little soap (tiny amount if needed), don't let them sit in soapy water, just long enough in the tub so skin absorbs water, then coat them in the hydrous emollient (moisturizer), and wear cotton clothing.

My daughter had eczema as an infant so I've done some extensive research on eczema products. Make sure you read the ingredients before you buy a product. And be sure that they're fragrance free.

Mustela makes a line of eczema/sensitive skin products with gentle ingredients and no fragrance, etc. called Stelatopia. They make a product called Milky Oil Bath. I used it until my daughter was 2. I also used their cream cleanser for the days I wasn't giving her an oil bath. These products can get pricey, though. I bought them when Babies R Us was having deals. For shampooing the hair, I just used Babyganics fragrance-free shampoo and body wash (but didn't use it to wash the body).

Also, Cerave recently started making baby bath products. Cerave's baby wash is what I use now to wash my daughter and my 14 month old because my daughter's eczema isn't as bad as it used to be.

For moisturizing, I've been using Aveeno's Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream. Use it IMMEDIATELY after the bath while the skin is still moist/damp. Using a cream immediately after the bath will help the moisture to be sealed in.

Aquaphor was recommended by my pediatrician, but did not work as well as the Aveeno eczema cream. You'll have to try a few products to find the right one for your son. Check out the National Eczema Association website for other product recommendations. Also, ask his pediatrician if he should use hydrocortisone cream.

Are you seeing a pediatric dermatologist? I'd definitely go this route. I would also try to have your ped and the ped dermatologist work together.

The skin is an organ. What you put ON IT goes inside. SO please stop putting so much stuff on him. He's having reactions that are telling you he might be allergic to something in those things.

I'd say the doc needs to check this out and you go with a baby lotion after bath time.

A LOTION only puts a layer over the skin to sort of seal it, so that the internal moisture in skin can't evaporate. It's not supposed to soak in. If it soaks in then it's going inside his body system and that's not great at his age.

My son had bad eczema and cradle cap and it was due to a dairy intolerance (which he outgrew around a year). It was BAD. How long ago did you change his formula? He could still be working it out of his system. If he isn't on soy, it's probably worth considering or at least talking to the doctor about. I have very mixed feeling about soy based things, but for my son it was our only viable option at the time.

I agree with others that say make sure you are using dye/fragrance free laundry soap and get rid of dryer sheets if you're using them. My son is 6 but we still don't use the dryer sheets because they were so irritating to him and after I stopped I realized we don't really need them after all. I put a little vinegar in the wash to help soften the clothes and it works great. The same for the bath. Do not use smelly soaps or lotions, just dye free stuff.

I'm surprised the doctor hasn't given you a Rx cream??? You need to ask about that asap. You can make your own as another poster suggested but use it sparingly. Steroids can thin the skin and on a baby you have to be careful.

I used a combination of zinc diaper cream (40%zinc), vaseline and a little 1% hydrocortisone cream. Works beautifully and the zinc will stay on for days. Make sure it's 40%