My poor lil guy has eczema and scratches until he bleeds sometimes. He had cradle cab at 2 months that quickly spread into seborrheic dermatitis all over his little face. It cleared up when he was 3.5 months and had super beautiful skin. Then all of a sudden around 4.5 months, he developed eczema all over.

The doc prescribed him 1% hydrocortisone. At first I was hesitant, but after some convincing from DH, we used it on him. It cleared everything up for about 3 weeks, and then it came back slowly and it started to itch him like crazy. He was miserable and I was so heartbroken.

Last week, the doc prescribed him dermasmoothe. She said to put it 1 week on, and 1 week off. On the first day off, his eczema came back with a vengeance. He has bigger patches and on a few new places he did not have before.

I feel like breaking down and claiming defeat. I've tried everything. Aquaphor, cerave, aveeno eczema therapy and oatmeal bath, gentle naturals ezcema therapy, california baby calendula cream and bath, eucerin, and etc. Also, changed detergent, clothing, and use a humidifier nightly. I am exclusively bf and kept a log to see, but can't seem to figure it out.

I really don't know what to do anymore. Please tell me I am not alone and there is hope at the end of this horrible nightmare.

I am in the same boat as you.* Your story sounds almost exactly the same, but he was only diagnosed with eczema last Wednesday.* He's on an antibiotic cream and it cleared up, but today it came back and was pussing.* Taking him to the doctor again later today.*
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A coworker's baby has it and she uses probiotics in his bottle because her doctor told her it was due to a weak immune system and works for him.* She also uses cetaphil lotion on him (not baby, regular adult lotion for dry skin) and she's been able to keep it under control.* I keep my house at 70 or lower.* I can't figure out how to keep my son from being itchy because then he trys to itch and it flares up again.* I'm feeling bery defeated right now, as well and hopefully I can find something.* When I find out more from my doctor later this afternoon I will post.* I feel for you, I really do.* It's so hard.
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I'm so sorry you are going through it... I'm not sure if this article will provide any new info. i do hope your LO's feel better soon.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_eczema_10872.bc

Poor babies! There is some evidence that probiotics can help. If you are breastfeeding, there are probiotic drops that can be added. Also, a few formulas have probiotics (make sure it isn't prebiotics since that does not have the same benefit). Often infant eczema is linked to diet. Have you tried cutting out dairy in your diet? For formula fed babies, using a partially or extensively hydrolyzed formula rather than the whole protein formulas that babies typically receive may help.

Also, our allergist recommended CeraVe lotion and cleanser...it seemed to work better than cetaphil. Good luck!

Originally Posted by carvedwords

I am in the same boat as you.* Your story sounds almost exactly the same, but he was only diagnosed with eczema last Wednesday.* He's on an antibiotic cream and it cleared up, but today it came back and was pussing.* Taking him to the doctor again later today.* * A coworker's baby has it and she uses probiotics in his bottle because her doctor told her it was due to a weak immune system and works for him.* She also uses cetaphil lotion on him (not baby, regular adult lotion for dry skin) and she's been able to keep it under control.* I keep my house at 70 or lower.* I can't figure out how to keep my son from being itchy because then he trys to itch and it flares up again.* I'm feeling bery defeated right now, as well and hopefully I can find something.* When I find out more from my doctor later this afternoon I will post.* I feel for you, I really do.* It's so hard. * *

*hugs* it really is hard to see our lo in discomfort. As for itching, I try to cut his nails every other day (his nails grow really fast) and put socks on his hands. He's getting bigger ad stronger, so sometimes he'll pull them off in the middle of the night and the next day, I would find blood stains on his bed :(.

Hopefully, things get better for your lo. Make sure you glove him when he starts scratching.

My 15 month old has it as well and the best thing I have found is good old Vaseline. Slather it on before bedtime and anytime you need to during the day as well. He still reaches down during diaper changes and says "scratch" sometimes but it does really seem to help us.

My daughter had it when she was one month to five months old. I was breastfeeding, eliminated practically everything from my diet and still it wouldn't go away. Her eczema was so bad she had two huge scars on both cheeks that oozed a yellowish liquid which would crust over. Her nipples also bled and oozed this liquid. I went to the top dermatologist at the hospital who prescribed steroids to rub on her dry patches. I asked if it could be my breast milk and he said no. After researching on the internet, I decided to pump and fed my daughter Similac Alimentum. Within days her condition improved and her weeping sores closed up within a week. Within a month, her scar was almost completely healed. Turns out she was highly allergic to cows milk protein. She's three now and can tolerate cows milk just fine. I now have a one month old son and the same thing is happening to his face. But this time I didn't wait and switched him to the hypoallergenic formula. It's been two days and his face is clearing up already. This was my experience and I wanted to share. I'd rather treat the cause than the symptom. I find doctors I went to try to treat the symptom but as a mom you have to go with your gut sometimes. FYI I tried the probiotics and it didn't work for my daughter.

LO developed eczema around 12 months. I thought it was diet but LO's doctor kept telling me it wasn't. After seeing a specialist, we used a prescribed cortisone cream that cleared up the eczema in about 2 weeks. We were told: (a) use Cetaphil soap; (b) no soap of any kind on the face; (c) switch to sensitive formulas for laundry detergent; (d) no vaseline or Aquaphor (it traps the heat in, apparently, and LO gets especially rashy when hot); (e) nothing stronger than lotion on the face; and (f) in case of a flare-up, use an OTC cortisone cream on the arms/legs, but not on the face.

It's been a year, and LO has had a few flare ups but nothing too awful. We can't use sunscreen, because that always causes skin issues, and we're pretty vigilent about using Aveeno eczema lotion on the face and OTC cortisone on the body at the slightest sign of a flare-up, and it's under control.

Good luck! I know it's really hard, but in our case, we did eventually get it under control (for now, anyway).

Originally Posted by cha9112

My daughter had it when she was one month to five months old. I was breastfeeding, eliminated practically everything from my diet and still it wouldn't go away. Her eczema was so bad she had two huge scars on both cheeks that oozed a yellowish liquid which would crust over. Her nipples also bled and oozed this liquid. I went to the top dermatologist at the hospital who prescribed steroids to rub on her dry patches. I asked if it could be my breast milk and he said no. After researching on the internet, I decided to pump and fed my daughter Similac Alimentum. Within days her condition improved and her weeping sores closed up within a week. Within a month, her scar was almost completely healed. Turns out she was highly allergic to cows milk protein. She's three now and can tolerate cows milk just fine. I now have a one month old son and the same thing is happening to his face. But this time I didn't wait and switched him to the hypoallergenic formula. It's been two days and his face is clearing up already. This was my experience and I wanted to share. I'd rather treat the cause than the symptom. I find doctors I went to try to treat the symptom but as a mom you have to go with your gut sometimes. FYI I tried the probiotics and it didn't work for my daughter.

I really like your approach in treating the cause and not the symptom. I think I will eliminate dairy out of my diet and see if it helps.

My ds is a stubborn lil fella and would not take the bottle no matter if it's formula or expressed breast milk.

I am glad to hear your dd is doing well now. It gives me hope :).

Originally Posted by qudz104

I'm so sorry you are going through it... I'm not sure if this article will provide any new info. i do hope your LO's feel better soon. http://www.babycenter.com/0_eczema_10872.bc

Thank you :).

Originally Posted by julemakeup

I really like your approach in treating the cause and not the symptom. I think I will eliminate dairy out of my diet and see if it helps.

Yes, cow's milk is one of the most common allergens. Allergies and eczema go hand and hand, so it's worth a shot. It takes four weeks for the cow's milk protein to leave your system when you bf, according to Kellymom.

My son had the same issue. We've struggled with eczema for a long time, from two months old on (he's now 8). My son has severe food allergies that aggravated the eczema, but we didn't find that out til he was 7 months old. Several years on an elimination diet and his skin is leaps and bounds better. Steroids have helped temporarily, creams help, but nothing cures the condition unfortunately. I understand your desperation.

I mentioned to my dr about food allergies and maybe to switch his formula, but she told me if it was a food allergy I would have seen the breakout all over his body, not just severly on his cheeks. He does have the bumps, here and there, over his body, but you can barely tell anywhere else. I wonder now though maybe I should try to switch his formula.

Originally Posted by carvedwords

I mentioned to my dr about food allergies and maybe to switch his formula, but she told me if it was a food allergy I would have seen the breakout all over his body, not just severly on his cheeks. He does have the bumps, here and there, over his body, but you can barely tell anywhere else. I wonder now though maybe I should try to switch his formula.

What kind of formula is he on? There are many studies showing that babies on partially or extensively hydrolyzed formula have significantly less eczema then babies on whole protein formula. Depending on what you use now, it may be worth a try.

As others have mentioned, there are lots of reasons for eczema, and every child is different. For some it stems from the environment and the dry conditions. For others it can come from foods. Others can come from soaps/detergents/lotions. I do know of one cream that works great if you haven't already tried it: Sofi & Liv's baby eczema treatment It is all natural, super gentle, and a great moisturizer.

Originally Posted by matamis

As others have mentioned, there are lots of reasons for eczema, and every child is different. For some it stems from the environment and the dry conditions. For others it can come from foods. Others can come from soaps/detergents/lotions. I do know of one cream that works great if you haven't already tried it: Sofi & Liv's baby eczema treatment It is all natural, super gentle, and a great moisturizer.

Thanks. Will look into it :).