Eczema and Formula

I would agree with all of the food allergies. I would definately look intoa ped determatologist and allergist. Childrens was great for us too!

Because of the timing, the eczema is due to the switch to using formula. If you breastfeed again, it will surely go away or improve. Good skin is one of the well-known benefits of breastfeeding.

L.:
Glad to hear that things are working out for you. I just wanted to make you aware that there are wonderful products for our precious newborn's skin to protect it from so many irritants that are found in almost all over the counter baby products. I have found that a line of pure, safe and beneficial products are what is best for tender skin. I feel so much better knowing that me and my children are not putting chemicals, dyes, fragrances, or even animal by-products on our skin. These are things that cause rashes, eczema, etc. on the majority of people. I would love to share with you what I have found. Wish I knew this when my kids were born! I have learned over the last 9 years that what we put on our skin has definite effects, and not always for the better. Please contact me to find out what I am so happy to have found. We all want what's best for us and especially our children. I have 3 of them and I would do anything for their health and well-being. Hope to hear from you.

K.

My son's eczema went away when I eliminated corn from his diet. I think your baby might be allergic or unable to tolerate one of the ingredients in the formula.

D.

L.,
I did not have a similar situation, but I have read about strange things happening when switching to formula and from one formula to another so, my suggestion is making your own formula. I did when switching my son from breast milk and we had great success. I got the receipe from the owner of All Ways Healthy in Lake Zurich. Her receipe comes from a peditrician. You make a fresh batch every morning, it is easy, healthy, it tastes great and most babies have no side effects like gas, spitting up etc. It looks wierd because it is green but it really is yummy and my son loved it. Good Luck.
S.

L., your baby might be allergic to something in the formula or have some intolerance of something. Try putting some childrens cortisone on the patches, but eczema is often associated with food allergies.
B.

Ditto w/ everyone's opinion on the food allergies. I know how hard it can be to breastfeed and if that doesn't work for you anymore, you can try switching his formula. If you're doing a milk based (like enfamil or similac) then switch to soy (isomil) and vice versa. If those don't work, there's other formulas that are for allergic or sensitive babies. The fact that he had the eczema before formula could mean he was getting the allergens from your breastmilk.

A great website is kidswithfoodallergies.org - they have fantastic message boards w/ over 8,000 parents . There's tons on info on formulas, breastfeeding w/ an elimination diet, support, etc.

Trust your instincts. See a ped allergist would me my recommendation, but you can see your pediatrician or dermatologist. We go to Children's Memorial - fantastic allergy department! They have offices in Glenview and Lincoln Park.

Hi!
It could be an allergy. My son had VERY bad eczema on his face, and I finally figured out it was an allergy to sweet potatoes. I took him to the pediatrician and then a dermatologist, but it was mother's instinct that figured out the sorce! They did give him some creams to clear it up, but it didn't stop returning until I stopped the sweet potatoes!

L.

My son has very bad eczema related to food allergies. When I stopped breastfeeding he broke out. We switched to soy and he was better for a while. Then he broke out again. We finally saw an allergist and determined he was allergic to dairy, soy, strawberries, apricots, etc. Now he is better but we have to be so careful.

My biggest piece of advice to you would be to continue breastfeeding. If you just stopped this week you should be able to salvage your supply. The best way to prevent these breakouts is through breastmilk.

I would have gone back to breastfeeding but unfortunately I suffered supply problems to begin with and was unable to relactate at all- but that was several months later when we realized what his allergies were.

Aside from that, cleanse the skin with cetaphil soap at night, put Eucerin creme on in the morning, and bathe only every few days with a mild soap is the what our allergist recommended and it keeps his skin looking pretty good.

well, our son (now 21 months old) has eczema, but it wasn't really diagnosed until last summer. so I wouldn't jump to that conclusion until your doctor says that's what it is... you should take your child to see the doctor and ask about a possible dairy allergy? or try a different kind of formula. if the rash doesn't go away, the doctor will probably have you give benedryl, but only the doctor can tell you the amount your child needs, or if baby needs it at all. we had several rash flareups before we realized that our son's sensitive skin is triggered by certain things (baby oil, bubblebath, fabric softener...) but formula wasn't a problem. I do think I've read that certain foods can trigger skin issues like eczema...

One of the biggest reasons for eczema to become worse when switching to formula is the slightly more effort involved in the digestion of formulas over breastmilk. Breastmilk is truly the best food for babies. But the God who made breastmilk also made an incredible immune system. Babies just have a younger one! It doesn't take quite as much. You have to lighten the load and think "little engine that could". Use a gentle formula, if you can afford it use Nutramagen, it is simple proteins, broken down specifically for babies. Then, add as much sunlight and gentle cleansing as you can. No less than twenty minutes of daylight is required just to synthesize the Vitamin D from the sunlight on the skin...that's why milk is fortified. Lots of green and orange vegetables and fruit for Vitamin A is the best natural treament for eczema, they do wonders!! They are watersoluble, much less harmful and strenuous on the babies immune system than prescriptions or non-water soluable vitamin A sources. As for them, invest in a simple tube of A&D ointment!! Inexpensive, and the best skin protection on the market!! You can look for nicer smelling ones, but often they are diluted with emulsifiers and not as effective. Desitine with ZINC is great for eczeme, so be sure to use it in the diaper area!! Zinc is another key ingredient in a healthy dermal covering (and nails, too). You didn't mention babies age, but they will typically get a little newborn acne that progresses into a bit of eczema or other rash between two weeks and two months but the age will vary for your children and their immune system. Don't overload their diet when you begin introducing foods...you don't have to start with heavy cereals...you can start with pureed carrots, summer squash, and any fresh vegetable you want. Even rice. If they are not getting any added sugars and are not over fed, they will take to them just as well as any other food. Introducing meats and heavy cereals too soon for their immune system is one of the biggest causes of eczema in children under a year. Rotate foods by giving them each food once every three or four days. If finding enough kinds of foods is tough, give them any amount they want in a given day, but hold off giving that food again until the third or fourth day. Make sure your water source is very good, and there is no contamination of clothing and blankets, etc. by detergents, pet dander, other other source. And lastly, your doctor can best determine the kind and what treatment is most appropriate. Advances in eczema and dermatitis prescriptions have come a long way, so if the doctor gives you one that doesn't do it, it's okay to keep trying.

Hi L.-
When I switched to formula from breast milk, my son developed a rash that started on his face and eventually went to his entire body. It looked more like chicken pox; not scaley. It took a whole week for it to come out full force. The drs. said it was a virus but it turned out to be an allergic reaction to his formula (I figured it out - not the dr!). We switched to soy and he was fine.
So - you may want to see the dr. to rule out an allergic reaction.
D.

Hi L. -

I see that you've already gotten a ton of great advice, but I just wanted to give you the name of my son's pediatric allergist in case you want to have your baby tested. My son had eczema and we later confirmed it was due to a milk allergy, along with some other food allergies. We had him tested when he was about 10 months old.

Our doctor is:
Dr. Timothy Brown
Associated Allergists
###-###-####

He's off of Rickert Drive in Naperville.

Good luck!

K.

Hi,

Eczema can be a sign of an allergy. My daughter is allergic to milk and she had excema when drinking formula. There aren't good tests for allergies in babies (or at least that's been my experience). If your baby has a milk allergy, there is a large chance that she'll have a soy allergy too, so often hypoallergenic formula is your best bet. However, my daughter hates the taste of it and it is so expensive. Good luck and hopefully her pediatrician can help!!

YES!!! There is a connection. Your child's GI tract is not tolerating the formula and that is why you are seeing the outward manifistation of the excema. Either switch to a better formula or breastfeed. You should look into more holistic/ organic formulas. Check www.icpa4kids.org for advice on other types. And by the way- stay away form soy. It is a phytoestrogen. You don't want to be pumping your kid with estrogen.
T.