Baby Eczema

Baby eczema is a skin condition that is common in about 25% of babies and little children. This is when the outermost layer of the skin called the epidermis is inflamed and looks like a rash. Symptoms of eczema include dry flaking skin, blistering, cracking and sometimes bleeding accompanied by extreme itchiness. You can identify eczema in babies as red scaly itchy patches. A high number of these babies will usually grow out of it within time but a small number will continue to have eczema until they are adults. Baby Eczema is not contagious but could become very irritating. If your baby scratches the infected area it will only aggravate his/her condition.

There is no cure and no one really knows the cause of this skin condition, but it could be hereditary and could be triggered by allergens in the diet. The main culprits for eczema are cow’s milk followed by eggs, soy, peanuts, wheat and fish. If you are breastfeeding then maybe it would be smart to avoid consuming them also. Besides diet there are several things you can do to minimize the problem and help your child get some relief.

Baby Eczema treatment calls for extra care for the skin. You can start out my keeping your baby’s skin moist and never allow the child’s skin get too dry. Bathe your baby in lukewarm water and use soap that made for sensitive skin. Don’t keep your child in a warm bath for too long. Once the baby is out of the bath, pat them dry and apply moisturizer just like you would for yourself. Moisturizing immediately after a bath helps keeps the skin very moist. Emollients are best advised for small children.Eczema babies should only wear 100% cotton to help the skin breathe. Other fabrics like wool will irritate the skin. So don’t even bother purchasing anything for your baby unless it is natural. When it’s time to do the baby’s laundry stay away form harsh detergents especially ones with fragrances and do not use fabric softener. These are all irritants to the skin. The same rule applies to the baby’s bedding or anything else that come in contact with baby’s soft delicate skin.

Temperature change is another issue that can aggravate eczema. When a baby is moved from a cold air-conditioned room to the summer heat or vice versa it affects the skin by drying it up. So if you have the A/C on in your home and plan to go out later, it would a good idea to turn it off and allow your baby’s body temperature to slowly warm up before being exposed to the summer heat. You can do the same thing in the winter with the heat. Turn the heat off and allow your child’s skin to prepare for the cold weather outside before leaving the house.
Do what you can to keep your child from scratching the eczema. You can keep their nails short all the time. You can also keep their hands covered while he/she is asleep. If you child has a flare up, a cold compress should offer some relief. You can think about medical treatment for baby eczema if you feel that you have tried everything you can at home to help the child’s eczema problem. A pediatrician is likely to help you find a mild over the counter steroid or ointment. This is applied topically on the affected area. In most cases this would work but in extreme cases the pediatrician may need to prescribe something stronger and possibly a little oral steroid medication.
Don’t worry though, there is hope because eczema in babies usually disappears by the time they are 3 years old. Hopefully your child will be in that percentile. In the meantime, you can do a lot to help your child live a normal happy baby life the way it should be.
Baby eczema symptoms could be greatly reduced if you are careful and know how to treat it. Keep in mind that it will not go away by itself. If baby eczema is neglected your baby will become very irritable all the time. If your baby is old enough to itch and does so, the condition will become bad and possibly become infected.