How I Finally Cured My Baby’s Eczema In A Matter Of Days

After 14+ months of racking my brain to resolve my daughters pesky baby eczema we have finally won the battle! Olivia’s skin is finally as it should be. Perfectly smooth and clear. No more red scaly patches, sandpaper texture skin, bright red lines in her creases or irritating itch. {Sigh} It is a small issue in so many ways, but seeing it resolved is such a big relief for me.

We first noticed the eczema when she was just 2 weeks old. I consulted my doctor 3 times over 14 months and each time Cortizone and medicated creams were suggested as the best way to cure the symptoms. I declined that option because I knew the eczema still bothered me more than Olivia and it afforded me additional time to find a solution.

All the while, I kept thinking that a topical solution is not going to cure the eczema. It’s coming from the inside. I found out that many experts consider baby eczema to be related to food allergies, even foods in mothers milk. Interesting enough, the largest patch of eczema was on her stomach, corresponding to her digestive system.

Want to know how we finally cured her baby eczema?

After 14 months of exhausting every possible external irritant, we finally made the switch to goats dairy, including cheese, milk and yogurt. Basically, we removed all cow dairy from our diet and switched over to all goats dairy! We now use a goats milk for Liv that has exactly the same fat content as cow dairy and it contains all the same nutritional qualities as the standard recommended whole cows milk.

Although we did not introduce a cows milk at 12 months, I overlooked how my own dairy consumption could effect her through nursing. I don’t drink milk myself, but I didn’t even consider the yogurt in my diet because I view yogurt as being a “good” dairy. I love yogurt!

The other thing to consider is the cow dairy present in formula. This is also enough to trigger eczema in some children. I will go on the record and say that I do not recommend Soy based formula for infants at all.

Liv is now over 16 months old and the baby eczema has not returned. It was only a matter of days for the eczema to clear up and disappear.

Although the root cause was food allergy related, there are helpful things you can do to minimize symptoms and reduce nasty flares.

Additional suggestions for managing baby eczema:

1.  Remove Environmental Irritants

• Launder baby clothes in an unscented, non-toxic, biodegradable and hypo-allergenic detergent. Use very little detergent and allow the agitation of the water to clean the clothes instead so that there is no soap residue.
• Use an organic crib mattress pad to provide additional protection from irritants in conventional crib mattresses or purchase an organic crib mattress.
• Invest in a few 100% organic cotton receiving blankets
• Avoid using synthetic clothing, especially sleepers, as they can irritate delicate skin & baby eczema. 100% Cotton or 100% Organic cotton is best.

2.  Manage the Itch

• Reduce baby baths to a minimum. Retaining moisture is a problem for eczema and baths tend to dry the skin. Instead, keep baby’s diaper area clean with washable soft baby cloths. Even the eco wipes were irritating to her bottom and skin. I also realized that I was over bathing my newborn. Once I reduced the baths to 1-2 times a week, her eczema improved.
• Keep baths lukewarm, as warmer baths increase itch and irritation.
• Keep baths short. Longer baths dry out the skin.
• Avoid using mineral and seed bath oils. Skip the foaming bubble baths until baby is a toddler.
• Use soap sparingly, especially on newborns. How dirty can they be? Keep in mind the ingredients of many conventional baby soaps. I searched high a low for a quality baby wash that is free of toxic ingredients. (See my list of baby approved skincare below)
• Avoid products with artificial or synthetic fragrance. Even pure essential oils can be irritating to baby eczema so use caution with these products and do a spot test.

3. Keep Baby’s Skin Moisturized

• Moisturize immediately following a bath while the skin is still damp.
• Moisturize often, 4-5 times per day. This is why it is essential to use a safe baby cream, because the skin literally drinks up the ingredients.
• Keep searching for a suitable baby cream. I have tried nearly every cream, including Vaseline and Eucerin. I never thought Vaseline would cross my doorstep in a million years. While it worked for a few days, the results did not last and I just did not feel right about using it, regardless of the outcome.

4. Monitor Baby’s Diet

• Consider dairy, citrus, and wheat in your diet,  if breastfeeding.
• If baby is on solid foods, keep charts of foods that you introduce to see if any cause additional flares. For us, cow dairy, peppers, carrots, strawberries and citrus caused increased flares.
• Now that the cow dairy has been eliminated, all other food sensitivities are gone.

The Baby Skin Care Products We Use At Home

If you are dealing with baby eczema you already know that very few skin care products are effective in not irritating the dry red cracks on the skin and keeping skin hydrated. On top of that, I have a major problem with nearly all products I come across because they contain ingredients that I don’t think should be on anybody’s skin, especially a baby’s. This article has been edited a few times because I am never satisfied. Here is the list of baby skin care products we are currently using at home:

1. Dr Bronners Unscented Baby Mild Castile Soap - very pure!
2. Lafe’s Organic Baby Shampoo and Wash - This is pure enough for my newborn. No scent at all. Very pure.
3. Lafe’s Organic Baby Lotion - this is the one I use for daily use. A little goes a long way and it is very light and fresh.
4. Natures Paradise “Baby Organic” 2 in 1 Foaming Shampoo and Bodywash
5. Natures Paradise “Baby Organic” 60z Moisturizing Lotion Unscented - this has a natural Shea butter scent. This should really say “cream” because it is very effective for dry skin. I alternate with the lotion above. Love it!
6. California Baby Super Sensitive Bubble Bath No Fragrance
7. Burt’s Bees Diaper Ointment - not a fan of their other products but this one is good for preventing rash.
8. California Baby SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion - I wanted to the safest possible, so this one goes on a little whiteer than others. Works awesome!

Baby eczema can be very complicated and no single cure works for all. In my own experience a process of elimination was required to get to the root cause. I worked on the environmental factors first and then closley observed the internal factors, namely her diet. This is where we were finally rewarded with our cure. I hope these suggestions will lead you in the right direction for curing your baby’s eczema.

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