What to bath her in?

[nicoleE]

DD (nearly 6 months) has Eczema. It is not irritating her (yet - i want to get rid of it before it gets to that stage). It started in small patches on her thighs then I noticed it on her outer elbows, now it is also in small patches on her lower legs, top of hands, stomach and back (the latest additions!:thumbsdown:).

I originally purchased some herbal baby wash (Tri-Nature) that I was intending to use then I was given gifts of all sorts of products including Huggies, J&J and a couple of other more 'natural' ones. I have been using a mixture of washes since it wasnt that bad and have been using Sorbolene cream on her skin after a bath but as its getting worse I really need to do something major about it now.

I dont want to be getting any prescribed medications unless it is actually bothering her...

Today I just washed her in water, no washes at all but Im thinking I cant do this all the time... can I?

What else can i try that is very unlikely to affect her skin?

[mrsdlc2007]

There is a brand called QV great for irratable skin... I know there is a bubble bath aswelll that has no HP levels in it... Its cheaper then all the chemist stuff and you can buy it from woolies... Not too sure of the name but it is blue with a rocket (i think) on the front....

Good luck hun

[blissfullybonkers]

aqueous cream, its like sorbolene, thats what was used on me as a child with eczema, it worked well.
avoid anything that has a fragrance!

[*~alegna~*]

My DS sounds similar. I use QV for him, works well for us.

I think if the eczma (sp?) looks a little angry then a bath with no soap/wash won't hurt her. Being so young I think I'd do the same thing.:)

[Ana Gram]

Welcome to the expensive world of trial and error of eczema treatments. Until you know what the triggers for your DD's eczema is, make sure you only introduce one new thing at a time and wait at least a week to watch for a reaction.

I tried many creams, lotions, bath stuff before I found out DD's triggers which are dust, dustmites and their allergins, pet dander and perfume and fragrance.

[nicoleE]

Thanks for the quick replies ladies. :hugs:

Yeah when DD had her immunisation shots I showed the Dr and he said it was just a mild case of 'baby eczema' and to use the QV wash but when I went to get it the range of its products at the chemist seemed to be for more kids and had little coloured balls in it which wouldnt be good for DD as she puts anything in her mouth and ends up getting the bath water in her mouth. I couldnt see one specifically for babies.

I was planning on bathing her in water for a while (at least on her poo-free days - she only poos twice a week!) and hopefully it will start to clear up, if it does i figure I would introduce one product at a time (using the same one for a week at least) and see if i notice any differences... does that sound like a plan?

Sorry, i am new to all this eczema stuff.. funny though, never suffered myself until i got pregnant and i started getting it in my inner elbows... its gone now though!

Gee I hope she isnt allergic to pets! lol we have 2 cats! Im pretty sure its bath related though as it really started to spread when i started bathing her every day as before that I was only bathing her every second day (would just top and tail her the other days).

[Ana Gram]

It's more likely that the daily bathing has aggrevated the eczema. Daily bathing dries the skin out more. DD only gets a bath about once a week. I know that horrifies most people but her skin just can't take that level of washing.

[mumofjmc]

My son has had eczema since he was about 4 months old and is now etopic.

The only thing that works for him at the moment is Dermeeze applied a few times a day and Alpha Keri bath oil. We only bath him a couple of times a week as the water dries him out. Also, the water can't be too warm or this can also flare it up.

Some other products that we have used when he was younger that used to work are:
- Paw Paw ointment - red jar/tube in supermarkets or chemists
- Medi honey - chemists - we used this until last year and it worked wonders
- GIA Baby have a lavender & ... lotion

Eczema tends to be hereditary as well as environmental ie dust, pollens etc etc. Also, eczema can become immune to treatment so that is why people tend to try oodles of different products. One will work then stop working. Very frustrating and expensive :hissy:!

Only every put your little one in cotton and ensure bubs is not overheated as this complicates things.

My next bit of advice is to get a referral to a dermatologist which will give you the run down on everything.

Good luck, I hope you find something that helps soon.

[neekynoo]

We also use the QV range. QV bath oil for the tub and then QV cream from the tub not the bottle. The one in the tub is thicker and better IMO. Bub only has bath twice a week and we apply cream daily. When it gets really bad we have a cortison cream from the doc to use but have hardly needed to since using QV range. It can be expensive if you're only buying the little bottle from the chemist :( But you can get it in big bulk bottles from a discount pharmacy. Our entire family use it as we all suffer from eczema or dermatitis in some form. Good luck :goodvibes:

[loui999]

Forget about the Huggies, J and J and tri -nature - all not good for eczema. Even ones that say are for sensitive skin and have no fragrance. The SLS and alcohol are problematic. Keep it simple, plain water, oats in a stocking. What works for one will not for another, Gaia was terrible for DS but others have success. Patch test products before use.
Some people have used goats milk soap, I use cows udder soap. Does not clear up the eczema but gives DS a clean with no ill effects.
The best way to treat eczema is to find the triggers and eliminate them. Applying products is not a cure.
Good luck

[eastofeden]

I don't think that bathing a bub in only water is a bad thing. My little one only gets bathed in water, and as others have said try to avoid bathing your little one too often. DS only gets bathed every 3rd day, anything more than that only aggravates his skin even more.

[pookiesossige]

Dermaveen bath oil or nothing here. But the worst thing to do (in our case) is to bath too often. I used to bath Ariene once or twice a week only when she was a little bub, and allowing the natural oils in her skin to do their job was the best way to go and it really helped keep her eczema under control :thumbsup: Same for Ronan :yes:

[brodiebunch]

We are new to eczema just like you! so far we have tried Alpha keri oil:thumbsdown:,Qv:thumbsdown:,nothing,sorbelene,N atural instincts baby wash,:thumbsdown:now we are using oatmeal and after 4 days we are looking better.By that I mean no secondary infections.We have also tried various creams but for us it is a gaia skin soothing lotion.I am also pretty sure Dairy and citrus are major triggers so it helps to have figured that out.Good luck with your quest

[TickTock]

As your baby is only so young, I would just be bathing every 3-4 days in plain water with a bit of olive oil.

My DS has had mild eczema on and off since he was a couple of months old and the best things we found were olive oil (in the bath, and applied directly to the affected areas) and the Gaia baby moisturiser. Anything else just made things worse. One of the major triggers was dryness - so a day in air con would really make things much worse. So the olive oil keeps things nice and moist and I stilll make sure to apply some (or Gaia moisturiser) whenever he is going to be in air conditioning for any great length of time.

My DS is just gone 9 months and is still only bathed in plain water. I'm only now considering starting to use the Gaia baby wash - and only that as he tolerated the moisturiser so well.

Good luck!

[nicoleE]

Thanks everyone. I found a chemist that has the QV bath oil and got that and also the Alpha Kerri bath Oil. I also for the QV cream. Im stopping all other bath products and see how things go. If they dont improve then I will look back here at your other suggestions and work my way through the list!

One thing though, this might sound silly but I love that freshly bathed smell, are there any products that have a smell I can use? Or can I add a drop of lavender oil or something to the bath water?