Warm Vs. Cold Air Humidifiers

A.,
Hi there, my daughter has eczema also, but I never heard of using a humidifer for that, if it works please let me know!
Thanks,
K.

my sons allergist, which is the second one we have seen, and the only one to actually help, says that you should be keeping the humidity level in your home less than 45%....so I think that would contraindicate a humidifier. We use an over the counter cream called venicream....I spray water on his legs with a mister spray bottle and then use the lotion at least 2 times a day and it has worked miracles.

I have read that children with eczema often have a dust mite allergy which would cause the eczema to flare, which would be a reason to keep the huidity down, because dust mites bread when the humidity is about 50% or above. We also purchased stuff for his mattress and pillow case to help block dust mites.

but if you do get a humidifer, pediatricians do not recommend warm misters, because they are a cause of burns in children

The major difference is the danger of warm air humidifiers. They can cause burns and children are curious to check out whatever that new machine is around the house.

As for your duaghter's eczema, have you considered your water being part of your problem? I don't know where you are exactly, I'm in Lake County and it just so happens that when we moved into this area 1 year ago, my daughter developed eczema. We couldn't figure out what was going on until we had our water tested. The levels of chlorine were through the roof! We used a simple pool testing kit and found that our tap water had three times the amount of chlorine suggested for a swimming pool!!!! That's not only toxic, but really gross. Since we absorb most of our water through bathing, we went ahead and invested in a whole house water filtration system and in two months, our daughter's eczema is 90% gone. Water treatment plants in Florida have the terrible job of trying to provide water that is free of bacteria and pesticides, etc so to do this they overdose on the chlorine, which can actually be just as harmful to your family. You should atleast consider having someone come test your water. I am not in any way affilliated with Environmental Water Solutions in Orlando, but that's who we use, just FYI.
Good luck!

My Dr said there is no difference in the affects but the difference is in the safety. A warm mist humidifier can cause burns.

I have always heard the cold air humidifiers make a finer mist. this is beneficial for thoes with broncial problems, b/c the mist can be inhaled deeper. You also have to be careful with the warm air humidifiers, babies can be burned accidentally...
Just my $.02

I was born with MANY allergies and asthma. As an infant and child I had such bad skin, I remember staying at my grandmother's house when I was 9. I thought it was so nice that she washed my sheets every day. When I got older my grandmother told me it was not that she was being nice, it was that she was appalled at the amount of dry dead skin I would scratch off every night. She actually measured it once, what she could gather off the sheet, she measured over a pound! That was just what she could gather up, not what fell on the floor or was still in the sheet.
Be careful with things like coconut, cocoa butter, soy, all are common allergies & could make your child's skin worse. My mother used to put vicks on my chest & I always got a rash, she said it was a fever rash, turns out I am allergic to eucalyptus! I never had any luck with Oatmeal baths, they just don't seem to do me any good. Baking Soda never really helped either. Anyway, plain old baby oil, try to find unscented is good. When I lived in Kansas the air was so dry, I would put it on my skin before showering. The warm water opens the pores and lets the skin soak up as much as it can. Then take a washcloth and wash the excess off. The washcloth also helps exfoliate the dead skin and will help. I have also used vasoline, which is just petrolium jelly, A & D ointment, and vitamin E - but don't get the liquid kind, it is just soy, look for a kosher (for some reason they don't use soy) or just a brand that says it is not soy. Oddly enough, when my skin gets real bad a mineral salt bath helps it heal immensely. Walmart carries one that it pure mineral salt from the Dead Sea, no dyes, no perfume it is in the section with bubble bath and bath salts and runs $4.50 prox for a big jar. Johnson & Johnson has always had great products, I still turn to the baby shampoo when I get reactions to shampoos & have to clear up a scalp rash before trying something new. You can cut the liquid soap and shampoo in half with water, then use it. The 50/50 mix will reduce any possible allergin and help. I have also had good luck with glycerin soap. Publix carries it for $0.98. You may have to look hard, but it is there with the soaps. Get the plain with no scent, no dye, I would not even use the vitamin E version, it has an odd smell & carmel color.
As far as eating, Vitamin C is great for dry skin, but it will be hard with an infant. The acidity gives them diarrhea. If you are breast feeding make certain you are taking your vitamins. Sun is very good for the skin too. Just be careful and not let her get sun burn. The Hydrocortisone 1% cream helps most of my rashes. I would not use it constantly, as the daily moisturizer, but to get the skin healed it really works well. As a teen I had to get a perscription for it. I was so happy when it became available over the counter.
As far as Warm vs cold air humidifiers it just depends on the person. I don't know why anyone would need one here in Florida. Some people do better with warm air, I do better with cold air. I know why I do better with cold, most of my problems are allergy related, and the cold helps to reduce any swelling in my lungs, I get like hives from things I am breathing that I am allergic to. But my brother loves warm air humidifiers, but I am not certain why. One last warning, be careful not to add things to it. I know they make all sorts of scents for humidifiers, I would not use any.
Keep a diary for your child. Try different things, one at a time, and keep good notes on what works & what does not. Also, cotton is best on sensitive skin, and use dye free and fragrance free laundry products. Even then, keep notes on it in the diary, for some reason I can't even use Tide-Free. Take heart, this is the hard part. As your child grows up they will learn how to care for themselves, what works & what does not.
Good luck & God bless

Cool mist humidifiers will help moisturize the skin. My 2 children battled eczema for quite a while and the allergist recommended the cool mist humidifier (it does not breed bacteria), however, make sure you follow the cleaning instructions so as not to have a mold problem. Also, Eucerin lotion 2x/day is an excellent remedy as well for eczema.

I have used both. I loved the cold air because because they are safer and they seem to work better for longer during the night. However, I found that I could not use it during the night in the winter, it made his room too cold. So then I would use the warm air. However, now that he is not a baby confined to a crib anymore, I will never use the warm air again, way too dangerous. If she were to knock it over it would cause severe burns! So I would stick with trying out the various lotions/oils if she is older.

We have both, the cold air humidifier and the warm air vaporizer. I prefer the latter just because my daughter would get too cold with the cold air.

My daughter also has eczema. It isn't too bad anymore but was terrible when she was really young. Here is what worked for us and completely cleared her skin up unless we did something different: We only bathed her in plain, unscented Dove bar soap--hair too. I would put a small amount of 1% hydrocortisone cream wherever the rash was after her bath and then COVER her in baby aquaphor moisturizer (which is a lot like vaseline--Yuck!). She was greasy at first, but it would soak into the skin. I made sure that I only washed household laundry in something with no dyes or fragrances like All Free and Clear, especially her laundry. When we did all that we noticed that her skin cleared up literally OVERNIGHT! Like I said before, she only broke out again if we ever deviated from our regemine. I hope that helps!

My son has eczema too - it started when he was about 1 then got really really bad as he got older. We tried everything too. What I found that works is Cetaphil soap and Cod liver oil. Someone recommened the cod liver oil once and we tried it - he got a teaspoon once a day and in like 3 days the extreme red patches cleared up. HIs skin was dry in those areas but not beat red. We use the preseciption creams too. I noticed if we skipped on his baths that would make him flare. If my son got a cold it would make his eczema flare up too. He's 4 now and it's WAY better - but it's been a rough battle. He doesn't take the cod oil anymore but we use Cetaphil soap and use the perscription cream on just the little dry spots on his knees, ankles and any other little spot. When he has a cold I use the cold mist humidifier for him. Good luck and keep trying! A.

cool mist humidifier.My son has ecezma and food allergies we use this machine when his ecezma is bad and when he has a cold . Colds aggravate the skin of people with ecezma.