Need Help with Baby Eczema- Does Hypoallegenic Formula Help?

I went through something similar after my son's 18 month vaccines. At the time I was also switching from breast feeding to formula. We did all the things the dr said we should do to treat the "eczima" - none of it worked. What did cause a significant improvement was taking him off ALL dairy based formula and food and putting him on to soy.
Good luck!
C.

There is a product called Renew that is fabulous for treating dry skin and eczema. It is proven to work better than Eucerin and cost less. The same compmany also has laundry care, dish washing soap, shampoos etc (about 350 different everyday necessity items) that are all made to be better and safer for people and the environment. Let me know you if you would like more info, I promise to personally contact you if you request more info. www.switchingstores.info

Cetaphil lotion is the only thing that helped my daughter. And it helped a lot. I love it for me too.

My 5-month old has a sililar issue. I used cetaphil and it 90% went away.

My son who has eczema also turned out to have food allergies, so it may be worth asking your doctor to do the blood test, at least. We found that Goodstart worked best b/c it has partially broken down proteins--which make them easier to digest for babies with an allergy or just sensitivity. This is much cheaper than the formulas with the proteins totally removed like Nutramigen.

taking Omega 3 oils can help. They Nordic Naturals is a great brand and they have the oil in liquid form (not pills) that you could put into a medicine feeder syringe to administer to the baby.

Also eczema is from dry skin and stress.
When you bath your baby you can put powdered oatmeal into the water to make it less harsh. Always use natural soups -organic or even a bar of glycerin soap can work. My doctor told me to use the glycerin soap as a child and that really helped my eczema go away.
and then always put natural lotion or even better put jojoba oil or almond oil all over your baby after every bath. any natural oil is fine - even olive oil from your kitchen!
DO NOT USE BABY OIL!
which is made from mineral oil, a petroleum ingredient from crude oil.
Mineral oils are also used for cleaning, as industrial and mechanical lubricants, in cosmetics and even pesticides. And, apart from they've been blamed for a range of health problems - allegedly acne, premature aging of skin, and other skin disorders, impeding normal cell development and possibly causing vitamin deficiency.

Hi Raquel,

My daughter Anna developed eczema at about 3 months. Luckily, I spoke with a mother whose son had seen a Naturopathic Doctor for bad eczema, and he told her that infant eczema is almost always food-allergy related. The only food Anna was on was my breastmilk, so I cut out two really common allergens, wheat (including white flour made from wheat) and dairy, and the eczema cleared up. When I ate a bit of pasta to test it out (it was HARD at first, giving up wheat!), the eczema came back within a day. I felt so thankful to have figured out how to get rid of the eczema.

If you do end up having to go on a wheat-free diet and want some suggestions, email me, and I can tell you some substitutes, baking tricks, etc. Btw, my daughter, who is now 9, seems to be able to tolerate wheat just fine. I still don't "bombard" her with it like the typical American diet, though. I think we all eat more healthily because of her wheat sensitivity.

Good luck!
J.

I would suggest getting to the root of the problem since eczema is an immune/allergy response. My daughter was the same way and we found she was allergic to milk and soy proteins which are prevalent in formulas. Additionally, she was allergic to proteins in several foods that I was eating while breastfeeding. Eliminating dairy, soy, and egg from my diet helped immeasurably, but only an allergist was able to help determine the array of foods she was sensitive to. We also had to change laundry detergents and bath wash/shampoo among other things (even though we were using "natural" and fragrance-free brands.)
I hope you are luckier than we were, but food and dermatological allergies were a big part of experience with eczema.

GL

My oldest son is now 35-years ol and has fought with eczema all his life. One thing that was a trigger for him was disposal diapers. he could not use them. I no that's a a pain, but it really helped. I should have bought stock in hydrocortisone cause it does help. Then by chance I found something much better. Dermarest Medicated Lotion. He used it everyday at first now uses t every few days after he showers. He never uses bar soap, uses Neutrogean Rainbath. No sunburns. Key is to keep moisture in the skin. No excessive dirt. Still be a boy, but get the dirt & sweat off. Don't go to bed without showering. R. S

Hello. My son is 5 month old. Do tor said he has an eczem from month 2, when I took him all red and dry to them. He was on formula from 1.5. Now dermatologist said the same- eczema. Not even one doctor consideredergy or intolerance to baby formula. Shame, because after research I found out that in any case milk is the bigest evil for egzema. So I tried Hypoallergenic - Alimentum and it worked. In 2 days - major improvement!!! Love it, but we still see maybe Nutramingen is better cause it has flora for immune. Probiotics are good, read articles eczema and probiotics. Maybe lactose free formula if child is only intolerant for lactose- cheaper! California cream with calendula- worked amazing and calming cream too ( whole foods, or online, bit expansive though its great!!!) They have eczema suitable wash too, i have to get. Aquafor- is great, but just for that time- protection. I still looking for those natural products to cure. Chamomile tea and for bath its soothing, for iiritations from inside out, calendula too. Add oil to the water when bathing or stepping out of the tub.
Try hyppoallergenic, or lactose free- works. Best is to do an allergy test or elimination diet, in this case eliminating milk based formulas and wait for result. Best luck! Cure to eczema!

Hi Raquel,

Cortizone creams can thin the skin. I would not use them regularly. I would try raw virgin coconut oil instead. Skin problems in my family are many. My twin has psoriasis. My other sister has had lifelong severe eczema. One thing she says is that the docs told my mom to not bath her much. She has found now that bathing in water actually HELPS the skin. So DON'T cut down on water baths, just the soaps. I had scalp/ear psoriasis when I was young. Come to find that vitamin deficiencies and milk intolerance was to blame for that.

I would try to combat it internally. My DD was born with thrush , an internal fungus. A few months later her pedi said she had the worst case of eczema he had seen in a long time. By the time she was 11 months old she had none.

Combating internal fungals issues and eliminating food allergies are your best bets. The skin is our largest DETOX organ. You can combat internal fungus by giving RAW virgin coconut oil, by the teaspoon full, twice a day. Caprylic acid is also a fungicide. Open the caps and put it in plain yogurt. See if you can get on nystatin drops.(totally safe).

Soy is bad. DO NOT use soy formula. There is proof now that giving soy formula is equivalent to giving a baby 5 birth control pills a day. The excess estrogen can cause future fertility problems for the child, future cancer, and thyroid problems and the diseases that come with it (chronic fatigue, arthritis, low blood pressure and black outs, etc) I fed my DD soy back in the 90's and now she has thyroid issues and arthritis- at 12 years old.

A GLUTEN free diet is WORTHY of trying. Also the vitamins that help the skin are vit A, and vit B complex. Use b complex drops under the tounge.

Eczema is something I have had to deal with my while life, and the same for my 12 month daughter. She was put on Nutramigen, and not only was it too expensive to handle, we ended up switching to regular Enfamil with the same results. We use Eucerin for lotion and in adition to the hydrocortisone, her doctor prescribed her an anti itch medicine and triamcinolone ointment. He combo seems to work pretty well.

My son had eczema too - I used a bit of hydrocortisone & aquaphor for the most severe lesions, but what really helped was the following:

1) ecos detergent (any dye-free, biodegradable, yada yada)
2) No fabric softner (I got dryer balls instead)
3) Treated entire family's laundry this way to minimize exposure to baby
4) CA baby products - I used the super sensitive shampoo and body wash + super sensitive lotion. I've started using these products on myself and on my 3 year old as well to simplify (besides - they work great!). They have a "eczema" trial pack that you can order from their website, but these were the products that we liked best.

Baby just turned 1 year old and his skin has been much improved since about age 5 months. He still gets some breakouts on his chest (drooling) and a little on his face from time to time, but these isolated spots are easy to wipe out quickly with the hydrocortisone and aquaphor.

Strangely, despite his sensitive skin - this baby VERY rarely has diaper rash... go figure!

Hi R.,

There's an online/catalog store called Melaleuca that carries a 'Renew' lotion. It's healthier, safer, and less expensive than most natural products. Melaleuca also carries 'Renew bath oil' and childrens' shampoo and body wash - all safer and with Melaleuca Oil as an ingredient (tea tree oil). A friend of mine has a son with eczema and raves at how well the lotion works for him.
You have to become a customer through someone who is already a customer - they set it up that way so that they spend less on advertising/administration costs and can thus keep the cost of the products down.
Just request more info at www.saferisbetter.com/wellness or, send me an email and we can order you the Renew lotion and just have it shipped directly to you from my account.

Hope you and your little one can find the cause. :( Sounds like you already switched laundry soap... don't use any fabric softener, or bath soap.

I was just searching around online and came across this website.. http://www.baby-medical-questions-and-answers.com/baby-ec... Gives quite a bit of info on baby eczema... Toward the bottom it tells what types of formula to use... Maybe this will help. :)

Congratulations on you new family :)

R.
www.HomeWithMy4.com

We had the same problem with our son. He developed eczema from milk and soy. So we had to put him on hypoallergenic formula. Its really expensive. About 400 dollars a month. I would try sensitive formula first because they are not as expensive. See if its just an intolerance to lactose. Also, some people will tell you to use Aveno products. But I found they made my sons skin worse. It is loaded with alcohol. The product I found that works the best is Gentle Naturals Eczema Lotion (Has disney characters on the front of the packaging). They sell it at Target and Walgreens. They also have a bath soap. Good luck.

Hi Raquel,

I would recommend that you ask your pediatrician for a blood test to test for allergies. My daugether also had severe eczema at that age and I found out she was allergic to egg which she was getting in my breastmilk. After a week of eliminating that from my diet I found that there was a big improvement in her skin. J.

Hi R.,

My baby had severe eczema too. I used all kinds of steriod creams, but it didn't work. My girlfriend told me a emu oil and it is the best. Pure oil with no steriod that can thin out the baby's skin. I googled it and found it from a local vendor in Napa. I highly recommend it. Eczema problem solved for my son.

Good luck!

Hi R.,

Congratulations on your baby boy!

Our daughter developed a rash from a couple different formulas and we eventually settled on the lactose-free version of Baby's Only. It's an organic formula with lesser additives than many formulas on the market. I know of several families that have had good results when their babies have been sensitive to other formulas. It's marketed as a formula for toddlers (because the company wants to encourage breast feeding for the first year), but the nutritional value is comparable to infant formulas and you can read about it at their website. They also have an organic dairy formula that might work for you and is about 1/3 the price. It's available at many health food stores and online. Here's the website: http://www.naturesone.com/lactose-free/

Good luck and best wishes,
K.

Hi Racqual,

Medicine will only mask the problem. There are natural ways. If you are interested let me know and I will share what we did for another child with severe eczema.

Good luck.

N. Marie

My heart goes out to you. My husband and children have dealt with eczema also. I am using a fantastic line of products now and have had great results. I use a non-toxic detergent and bath and lotion products. If you are interested you can email me and I can tell you how to get them. ____@____.com

Hi R.,

My daughter went through the same thing around 5-6 months. It started really bad on her cheeks and then she started having it on her legs and arms. Now she will have flares up when she's has too much acid(she loves tomatoes and pickels, so go figure). Her pediatrician first suggest using the Aveeno products(bath cream, lotions, etc) That really helped for a while, so much so that we were able to reintroduce regular bath products. Now five, she can't be in the shower or bath too long before she starts itching. And after a particularly bad flair up, the doctor prescribed a topical steriod called which has been a God send.

You can asked for it, but you only have to use it when there is a flair up.

God bless, I know it's hard when you feel like there is nothing you can do, but you will find the right combination for your son.

my son is 3 yrs old and he has it bad too. our dr. prescribed triamcinolone Acetonide ointment 0.1 it helps alot. theres another cream i cant remember the name thats really good too. when i remember ill write u again.

I believe the brand is Gentle Natures, the container is a light green. They make a wash and a salve for Eczema and I used it when my son was a baby and had it bad and it worked wonders. Good Luck!

Greetings R., Since we have several children in our family that have this, and it has then become more serious as Porisis. My heart goes out to you.
We were given the council to do several things that have helped and given comfort to both the parents and the children.
1. we use baby oil on the skin and in the bath, it sooths the skin.
2. we make sure all the clothers and bedding is as soft as possible so that it doesn't make the skin itch and the child doesn't have a natural need to rub and tye to help the itch.
3. This has been the greatest help of all. This is over the counter creams. 1% Hydrocortisone cream & 1% Clotrimazole cream (some times it is called athlete's foot cream, anti fungal cream. We mix the 2 together, in a container and it will last a long time. the doctor that gave this information to us, uses it for his own child.
Now is a great time to educate yourself by internet, about this and what can happen as the child grows up.
I am so sad that your child has to go thriu this. I see how it has effected our family members. Also be aware that it may be worse during the winter and much better in the warmth of the summer. Good Luck, Nana G

I had eczema all my life. I was born covered in it. I was also alergic to many things including milk. Back then there was one type of "baby formula". \My Mom used natual vitamin e oil. If you get the Shaklee brand (it's just the only one I'm very familiar with and it all natural and hypo alergenic) the e comes in caps and you can pop them open and spread it on. It worked for me. I still get outbreaks from time to time and always go to some e oil. I also take lecithin caps. I also had psoriasis till I started the lecithin. Thats for later I suppose. Poor thing.

Oatmeal baths are very soothing and healing. My sister's son had it and he took oatmeal baths and drank soy formula (similac isomil advance) and kept it totally under control.

Good luck