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 baby 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 of the toxins I would expose her to and the eczema still bothered me more than Olivia so 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 baby eczema was on her stomach, corresponding to her digestive system.
So How Did We Finally Cure Her Baby Eczema?
After 14 months of exhausting every possible external irritant, we finally made the switch from cow dairy to goat 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. One interesting thing I learned is that growth hormones are not an issue with goats as they are not as “industrialized” as cows. We found a local farm nearby so I was able to discuss at length about hormones and synthetic fortification that occurs with conventional milk. (update 12/2009 – read why we don’t drink conventional milk at all (even organic!) and recently switched to raw 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! Read more about the best diet for pregnant and nursing mothers.
The other thing to consider is the cow dairy present in formula. This is also enough to trigger eczema in some children. I do not recommend Soy based infant formula and parents should consider if DHA and ARA are safe in infant formula. In fact, many parents are beginning to make their own formula. Here is a great recipe for homemade baby formula and some FAQ”s about making homemade baby formula, plus, read how one mother nursed her “failure to thrive” son back to health with homemade goats milk formula.
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.
(update Feb 2010) We recently saw the NaturalPath for a chronic cough that showed up September 2009 and also rosy sandpaper cheeks and blotches. He gave my daughter a food sensitivities test and confirmed that she is highly sensitive to cow dairy (goat fine) and also wheat, kamut and spelt and a few other things. It’s interesting because I reached this conclusion about cow milk while she was a baby but reintroduced it as a toddler. I have also been baking since September with these flours! Then we began drinking raw milk in December.
The Naturopath placed us on a wheat and dairy free diet. The results have been amazing. After 6 days her chronic cough disappeared completely. No lingering coughs at all. Gone. But that’s not all. Her skin went from being red and blotchy to perfect. (see pictures) In addition, her moods (as a toddler) have also smoothed out. The tantrums are gone and she seems really comfortable in her skin. The change in her is remarkable and hard to describe. I have also been on this diet and feel excellent. So much so that I don’t want to eat any more wheat! In researching wheat free diets, many have reported the same benefits in mood and skin.
This is Olivia’s skin while she’s had the chronic cough that comes and goes. She has eaten something that also caused some blotches on her skin.
This is Olivia’s skin two weeks later. To date we have not seen any redness or blotches. All because we eliminated cow dairy and wheat, kamut and spelt.
If you are dealing with eczema I highly recommend taking a food sensitivities test or at the very least, eliminating wheat and dairy from your diets to see what happens. The Vega test does not hurt and is available through a Naturopathic Doctor. One way to tell if you have food sensitivities is by having “allergic shiners” which are basically dark circles under the eyes. You may not see them much on your baby, but as they grow they will show up.
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. How dirty can they be? 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, vegetable and seed bath oils. Skip the foaming bubble baths until baby is a toddler.
- Use soap sparingly, especially on newborns. 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 in my weaker moments, ha ha. 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 and wheat in your diet if breastfeeding and in you baby’s snacks.
- 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.
- (update) Although I did not find this while Liv was an infant – this nutritional information for babies is excellent.
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:
- Dr Bronners Unscented Baby Mild Castile Soap – this is about the purest line you are going to find.
- Lafe’s Organic Baby Shampoo and Wash – This is pure enough for my newborn. No scent at all. Very pure.
- 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.
- Natures Paradise “Baby Organic” 2 in 1 Foaming Shampoo and Bodywash
- California Baby Super Sensitive Bubble Bath No Fragrance
- Burt’s Bees Diaper Ointment – not a fan of their other products but this one is good for preventing rash.
- California Baby SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion – I wanted to the safest possible, so this one goes on a little white but works great.
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.
These are my thoughts on living a healthy and simple life. I'm a modern mom with some traditional ideas. At home, I try to clear the confusion from all the conflicting health and parenting advice with some common sense and a natural philosophy. This is the sanest way I know how to navigate the 21 century.
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Excellent post. My now 8 year old son suffered terribly with excema as a child. His sheets would literally be soaked in blood in the mornings as he just couldn’t leave it alone. He had it from top to bottom and it was the most awful experience for all of us. We too finally got to the bottom of it when we realized his excema was directly related to his food allergies. Once we got the food allergies under control, his excema did in fact clear up. To this day we still deal with not only a dairy allergy but gluten, eggs, nuts, peanuts and fish allergies as well. Thankfully we no longer deal with excema.
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I have friends who’s kids suffer from excema and although I’ve told them time and again it’s related to foods, they never listen. You know, cause my kid never had it so what do I know?
I think I’ll be forwarding this over! Such a great post with great info.
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Great post. Yes, Donielle I agree people never believe you or me or the next person (usually) they go with what the doctors say. Good for you Monica for searching and trying to figure it out. Liv is a lucky girl.
I’m glad that you got this sorted out! My kids have been tested for cow milk allergy since they were young and they have been drinking goat milk ever since. Sometimes, the solution is just right in front of us and no drugs are needed. Using more medications is not always the answer!
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We battle with it as well. Our 8 year old daughter, we thought, got rid of it until we moved here a month ago. We’re back to square one in some respects. We are still armed with our arsenal, we went about it a slightly different way, but we are starting to eliminate certain foods – here’s to hoping that’ll help!
Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parentings last blog post..Wet Toddler Alert!
Excellent, informative post!
One more thing to consider – tagless tags – not a problem if you are buying organic clothing, but if you aren’t, many parents have reported skin reactions to the chemicals in the tagless tags, which can contain phthalates, formaldehyde and polyisocyanate.
Great post! We fought very ugly eczema with my youngest- we tried many of the things you mentioned here- I found the most success with simply changing to cloth diapers! It affected her entire system!
I really like how you thought outside of the box and decided to find an alternative. This shows what type of a thinker you are.
I found my daughter’s cradle cap went away when I switched to natural and organic shampoos. Great tips here, thanks!
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Hello!
Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
PS: Sorry for my bad english, I’v just started to learn this language
See you!
Your, Raiul Baztepo
My daughter now 2 years had terrible eczema and would scratch herself until her skin would bleed and was terribly uncomfortable her entire first year. While I agree with all of the recommended natural switches, which I have done. In severe cases do not be afraid to use steroid cremes had I done so originally I might have avoided the terrible staph infection she got on her skin. I absolutely agree with the fact that eczema is related to food allergies as we have also removed all dairy and nuts from her diet and she is considerably better……not cured unfortunately.
I’m so sorry to hear how bad your daughter’s eczema was
but glad to her there is some improvement.
Yeah, I think if steroid creams were a one time thing I would agree that it is OK to use if all else fails, however, many times they need to be used over and over and I’m not sure this is of benefit if the condition does not clear up. Addressing the root of the problem has always been my mode of operation.
I am so glad that you too have found help for your little one’s Eczema! It is awful – our son had it so bad since he was a baby and when he was two and had become steroid dependent – we began looking into more alternative approaches. We are so happy that we found a children’s chewable probiotic that he not only LOVES, but it has nearly cleared all of his Eczema and he can eat so many more foods that he would once react to. It has been a miracle! You ahve such a cute blog and I am really glad I found it. I too have a mom blog called smilinggreenmom.com and it is all about natural green living and allergy-free living.
Excellent post! I will bookmark and pass this along to moms who call me with eczema in their breastfed babies. You present pertinent information in a wonderfully non-threatening way.
We have dealt with eczema for years in our house. The babies were all cleared of it through me stopping dairy, but strangely enough, my own case has developed…and gotten out of control! I came across your blog as I was searching for solutions. Thanks!
Smilinggreenmom- Thank you! The suggestion of a good probiotic was actually confirmed by my ND today! He related skin, the digestive and respiratory systems together today, especially in small children.
One mention that he reminded me of was the benefits of dry skin brushing using a natural loofah brush and starting with the legs, brushing towards the heart. We will do this for our daughter to help clear up the remaining dry bumpy issues we have.
Angela – Thank you for your compliment, I feel very gratified to be able to share my experience if it helps another in some way
I hope you find a solution to your eczema soon – probiotic – yogurt, BIO K, Kefir? I know I said cow dairy was often a cause, but fermented or cultured dairy can have a healing effect if you are sur ethat an allergy does not exist.
My 8 month old daughter was recently diagnosed with eczema. She’s still breast feeding and we restricted her to just rice cereal because of her condition. I’ve created a food and product journal for myself tracking what I eat each day, the products I used, as well as, whether my daughter had a flair-up. Just wondering if you noticed the flair-up right away, a few hours later, or day(s) after your baby ate the food she was allergic to? Any help is greatly appreciated.
i suffer from Eczema and what i do is just take as much vitamins A, C and E supplements plus some topical corticosteroid to remedy the itch.
Michelle – I noticed a flare within the same or next day. Good job on tracking, I know it’s really confusing. If you are sure it’s not environmental, food is the next step. I highly recommend a food sensitivities test for you both at some point. It’s been hugely successful for us. Rice cereal is good to get back to square one,but see if you can make your own by making brown rice and then pureeing with your milk or water. IMO, the store brands are so refined and not a great first food. Thanks for visiting!
Our infant son was diagnosed with baby eczema, atopic dermatitis and a host of allergies—at least 20 allergies verified by a skin prick test. He was allergic to regular baby formula, cow’s milk, goat’s milk, soy milk, citrus, soy, egg whites, egg yolks, wheat, green beans, spilt peas, lentils, seafood, shell fish, dry air, dust mites, black cat dander, and peanuts among others. From the time he was born until these past months, he has had a rash on his face or on some part of his body. If we fed him split peas or lentils he would immediately start rubbing his eyes, scratching his neck, then break out in hives with red blotches and bumps covering his face and body. For us this meant carefully evaluating his food and avoiding many types of food. It meant preparing special meals for him and bringing them to wherever we traveled or on airplanes. It meant bringing a hot pot so we could boil vegetables for him during our travels. It also meant swollen lymph nodes due to increased infection through his broken skin, hospital visits, discomfort on his part, and lack of sleep on ours. It meant carrying an epi pen and bronchial expander in case our son went into life-threatening anaphylactic shock. But God changed that as He healed our son.
For 10 months, Pamala Schwarz treated our son using NAET at the Schwarz Wellness Center (Schwarzwc.com) using both physical and laser treatment to stimulate his central nervous system and strengthen his auto immune system without medicines, chemicals, steroids or crèmes. The results have been phenomenal. He was able to drink cow’s milk, eat cheese, entire eggs, wheat, and green beans. Split peas and lentils (legumes), which had caused the most violent reactions, continued to give him problems until he completed the most recent set of treatments. Two weeks ago we tested our toddler on spilt peas- he passed. A few days later we fed him lentils – he passed.
Then we put some peanut butter on his skin- no reaction. The next day we put some peanut butter on his lips – no reaction. The next day we gave him a pea size amount of peanut butter- no reaction. Finally we gave him a teaspoon of peanut butter with no reaction. He did sneeze once, but that might have been anything. We will continue his treatments to reinforce his immune system. We are so thankful to the Lord, to Pamala Schwarz and to the many people praying for our son throughout this journey. We will still carry the epi-pen and Benedryl as a precaution for new foods, but we sense that the true danger is behind us.
i have had 3 kids now who have suffered with eczema from the beginning due to food allergies(sensitivites?). each one has been a bit different in their own way but still u would think i would have had it all under control by the 3rd one. no. my 3rd is now almost 11 months. i am getting so frustrated with the eczema. i feel bad for her as you can see that it is affecting her quality of life. i just confirmed by reading articles on-line that of course she doesnt sleep well due to her itching. she has flare ups behind the knees, inner elbows, back of neck, cheeks, her ankles, and her hands look horrible. they crack and are so red and dry with some of the cracks being pretty deep. i have used mild steroid creams as a last result although i am usually the type of person/mother to get to the source of the problem. saw that the creams were not helping at this point so i am back to mild lotions and petroleum jelly. along with giving her zyrtec to help her alieve her itching. i have been breastfeeding since day one and i have had to alter my diet in terms of milk. i still find it hard to eliminate milk entirely due to it being in many foods. i switched to almond milk, but then again, maybe that is also a problem. (my eldest daughter has a peanut allergy). wheat is also suspected and i switched to a sprouted no flour bread from trader joes. is that good enough? i dont know. i am still waiting to see my ND so that i can get her tested for her allergies and in the mean time i am just so fed up with all of this. i feel that my diet is truly effecting hers because i dont know what her other allergies are at this point. she has had trouble eating solids the past few days from being irritable from the itching. its exhausting and frustrating and hard to see them suffer. my other 2 grew out of most of their food allergies and the eczema was under control for the longest while. yay! however, recently my 3 1/2 yr old son has had a flare up(which he hasnt had in maybe a yr or longer?) and then my 6 yr old has been suffering with a severe flare up for a weeks now. i truly believe that it is from them not taking their probiotics pill. after reading articles today, i see how important that is for them! i had stopped just because it was getting expensive and then i would buy it on sale here and there. i truly believe that it coincides with the reason they started having a flare up. i am starting religiously today to give all 3 of them their probiotics every day and hopefully that will be a good start. i hope to get this all under control for everyones sake but especially for my 11 mo old who has suffered more than the other 2 it seems. also i am preg with #4 so maybe i will get it right this time as to help them before it gets out of hand? sometimes i feel stupid for not having been able to get this all under control. also, its not easy for us parents because there is so much conflicting info that we get from different drs. i have not had much help from conventional drs and they have at times provided misinformation and have disregarded things that i knew where nothering my children in terms of their allergies. we all have to be our own advocate for our children by doing long hours of research because it truly is mother who knows best and we are the only ones who are going to try to win battles for our children so they dont have to suffer so much. then we can pass that info to all those who are new to the sufferings of eczema so they may not have to suffer as much as we have. God gives us these challenges for a reason, but He also expects us to help others as well. =)
OK. I’ve read plenty and institiuted many diet changes trying to find out the source of my son’s (2) eczema. I thought it was food and outdoor allergens. From March through Oct of last year he was miserable with it. Then it magically went away. I kept him off of all the offending foods though the winter, but it came back with a vengence just a few weeks ago as the pollen etc started up again. His diet never changed. Any recommendatiosn from anyone. Is there anything natural for this type (non-food related, I believe) of eczema. I am desperate and so is he. He doesn’t talk a great deal, but he can clearly say the word “ITCH.” Feet – tops and sides-, some on calves, behind the knees, inside elbows, back of neck and now cheeks. Thanks for any help…..
Amy – It’s so frustrating, I know. All I can say is that a comprehensive allergy test would be a good idea. I was recently talking with a man who told me that is daughter was allergic to sun! Can you imagine? Each year she got red rashes on her exposed skin and they were mystified, until they tested for sun. There is such a sea of possible irritants so I recommend professional help. For myself, I would try to avoid medicated solutions and focus on bolstering his immune system. A naturalpath doctor is my choice for these issues. Best of luck! Thanks for commenting and adding to the conversation.
Thank you, thank you! This post brought so many things together for me! My 8 month old son has mild eczema and in the last month it has gotten much worse. I’ve now eliminated yogurt (cow’s milk) from his diet and am trying to avoid dairy in my diet as well (breastfeeding) – I believe his recent flare-up may have coincided with the introduction to yogurt. How many days/weeks until I can expect that the dairy has left his system? I’ve also switched his soaps from organic to more mild/naturally organic brands. I’m most excited about using coconut oil for an all-over, everyday lotion. I’ve even been told that coconut oil acts as a natural sunblock (still need to research this statement) – what do you know about coconut oil? So happy to feel empowered and thrilled to think that we may be able to resolve his eczema so quickly, before it gets out of control. Thank you for bringing additional clarity to our situation!! I’ve just discovered your blog thru this post and am really enjoying your insights, as are a few other friends
Hi,I have a 5 month old baby who has suffered with eczema from newborn.We are using emulsifying ointment(as soap) and emoilent cream as prescribed from doctors.It had pretty much cleared up and then over this last week has got really bad again,particuarly on his face and legs.During the last week it has been really hot which i thought that could be the cause but i have also started weaning and although only giving baby rice (made with my milk-breast feeding) wondered if this hasnt helped either.Would be grateful for your advice as hate seeing his skin so bad bless him.
My daughter was just tested for allergies and came out negative on every one. I had concluded that she is allergic to cow’s milk, seafood, eggs, nuts and potentially potatoes, wheat, soy. All tests at the allergists were negative. Doctor suggested I reintroduce the foods to her and see what happens. I am not willing to do that. Recently she had salmon and had a flair up. her ezcema worsened adn she had what you have described as allergy shiners. I did not know what they were until I just read here.
I am going to seek out naturopathic doctor and get some more testing done. She is currently breastfed and supplemented with alimentum formula. I want to know how to proceed with her diet to keep her allergies at bay.
What a great site! I was just wondering what all of you are doing for clothing in the summer time. My 16 month old daughter scratches at her skin constantly. I cover her hands at night but during the day I usually just keep all of her skin covered (except face and hands) so she can’t get to it. Now, though, with temperatures rising, I don’t know what to do. Any ideas?
She is allergic to dairy, eggs, wheat, carrots, apple, dogs and cats. Although we have totally eliminated these from her diet/environment, she is still itchy and has a couple of sores on her trunk (she IS 90% better than she was before the elimination). I noticed sensitivities to other foods but as long as she doesn’t get them regularly they seem to be okay.
Also, does anyone know of a good, natural sunscreen that typically works for babies with eczema?
Thank you and best wishes to everyone who is dealing with this issue in their lives. It is a tough one!
WOW Everyone! Thank you all for posting such interesting information. I have taken lots of notes. Perhaps still feeling reluctant to change my own diet, but I am honestly willing to help my daughter, she is 8 and a half months. Rubbing her eyes at night means she doesn’t get much rest. I went to Napiers, the herbalist and found chamomile cream which is soothing and instantly I can see the results on Iona’s flair ups. As many of you my despair gets me at times and want to buy the whole pharmacy!! however I know isn’t the solution, so few days ago went for herbal remedies and we’ll give it a go, trying first for her digestive system, we’ll try the chewable probiotics too!! THANK YOU AAAALLL!!!!
Forgot to mention. For those determine babies to scratch (like mine) I bought a cheap leather handbag (charity shop) and cut the size of 2 little mits. I swed them. Iona likes to suck her thumbs so on that side of the mit I only swed half (leaving plenty of space for her thumb) + attached 2 straps to tie around the wrist.
The fabulous thing is that if her face or body is quite damage, you can inhibit that hand -or both- and allow the skin to heal (even for one night is a great difference). Leather is gentler than anything.
That’s me!
You wrote a great article, thank you, and yes – we have eczema in our family too ): I feel like we’ve tried everything…but of course there is always more we can do. So on we go. You’ve given me a couple of new ideas.
Actually while we thought we used fairly natural products most of the time we’ve recently realised how much we were kidding ourselves. So are just in the process of going ‘very’ natural. We’ll see where that takes us.
I’m really glad to hear that you’ve had such success and the photos of your lovely daughter were a very good illustration of that. Best wishes.
Eczema really sucks for mother and baby …!! but it can still be cured so one don’t have to lose hope. Try going for Herbal treatments as dermatitis are prescribing it now quite much as they do’t have side effects.
Our health care system will never acknowledge Naturopathic medicine. This would destroy the great revenues awarded to all the pharmaceutical companies that supply those with eczema and other ailments the medications that will only control their condition. Nothing permanent.
But There is way to completely become eczema free and it is an all natural way, through enviromental condition adjustments, diets and many more ways. These concepts are the things the Health care system will never let you know about.
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Great article, but I wasn’t able to open the link to best diet for pregnant and nursing mothers. HELP please!!!