Dermatologist, Dr. Lindsay Enns, says winter weather and temperatures can really hurt that baby soft skin.

“During the winter there is so much less humidity in the air and babies are very sensitive to drying out especially those with eczema, so it’s very important to keep their skin well hydrated,” says Enns.

Enns says Eczema is one of many skin conditions she treats during the winter. “We definitely see baby dandruff which is called dermatitis, we also see acne in babies.”

She says that’s why it’s important to keep their young skin protected. “You give them a bath every night, and then you just leave their skin wet after you take them out of the bath and coat them with Vaseline. Often times that will keep them well hydrated throughout the winter better than anything.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Treating baby eczema:  Assessing the cause

The first step in treating infant eczema is assessing the cause of flare-ups.  This means that a parent should consider both internal and external factors.  Internally, the baby may have a weakened immune system that need to be strengthened and restored.  Food allergies, including baby formulas, are often directly linked to eczema problems.  Externally, babies with eczema may be suffering from allergic reactions from a variety of sources including certain types of fabrics, soaps, lotions, detergents, fabric softeners, dyes and perfumes.

Here are a few things you can do to determine whether the problem is internal, external, or both:

1. Have your baby tested for food allergies.  In approximately 10% of cases of eczema in babies, certain foods such as dairy products, eggs, wheat, soy, nuts, oats, and fish, even baby formulas may provoke an attack.  If you’re breast feeding, your baby may even have an allergic reaction to something in your diet.

2.  Keep a food diary. If your baby is already eating solids, note the foods given and the symptoms that arise.

3.  Have your baby tested for environmental allergies.  Environmental allergens such as dust mites and pollen are common culprits of infantile  eczema attacks.

4. Look for other symptoms.  Does your baby have an upset tummy, runny nose, sneezing or a cough?  All of these symptoms may appear to  related to the common cold, but they may also possibly be signs of food allergies.

Baby eczema treatment for immediate relief

Of course, there are measures you can take to provide immediate relief to your little one.  For one, you can give your baby an oatmeal bath. Grind 2 cups of oatmeal into a fine powder using a food processor or coffee grinder.  Add the powder to a running bath of warm water (not hot) and stir well.  Soak for 10-15 minutes, rinsing with clean water and patting dry with a soft towel.  Alternatively, you can use 2 tablespoons of baking soda instead of oatmeal.  Both oatmeal and baking soda are all natural substances that can help soothe your baby’s itchy skin.

When cleansing during a normal bath, use an all natural soap and immediately moisturize the skin after.  Keeping your baby’s skin hydrated is absolutely essential.  Moisturizers and emollients, such as lotions and creams should be all natural and hypo-allergenic.  Earth mama baby, Burt’s Bees, and  California baby makes great all-natural cleansers and moisturizers that consistently receive good reviews.  Eucerin, Aveeno, and Exederm are also very effective moisturizers, although not all-natural.

Avoid using steroid creams for relief.  If you or your doctor feels that it is absolutely necessary to use steroid cream, do not use it for more than two weeks at a time.  Florasone is a great all-natural alternative to steroidal and cortisone creams.  You can also apply corn starch to eczema rashes with no side effects.  If your baby has a flare-up, you can try applying cool compresses to the areas several times a day, followed by cornstarch or moisturizer.

Make sure your baby wears loose clothing, especially on hot days.  Stay away from rough, itchy fabrics such as wool.  You may want to consider using 100% organic cotton or other natural fibers for any fabric that comes in contact with your baby’s skin.   Replacing your baby’s clothing, towels, and bedding with natural fabrics can help eliminate flare-ups caused by allergic reactions.  When doing your baby’s laundry, avoid using any harsh detergent that contain phosphates, dyes, and perfumes/fragrances.

Minimize scratching and skin damage by keeping your baby’s fingernails short.  Scratching while sleeping is common, so cover your baby’s hands at bedtime.  Young infants may need to have their hands covered at all times as an extra safety measure.  You can find some baby clothing that have mitts attached to the sleeve.  If not, separate mitts or even socks over the hands can help reduce scratching damage to the skin.

You may also want to consider investing in a quality air purifier to keep the air clean and dust mites to a minimum.

Finding a long-term effective treatment for baby eczema is not easy.  But if you follow the tips above, you will be off to a great start!

“Infants who have eczema, or at least what has been diagnosed as eczema, and have it treated with all sorts of creams, ointments and potions are actually looking at some more serious problems down the road.

For example, asthma as a side effect of the poor management of childhood eczema…”

He also has an opinion on “natural products”:

“Even so-called natural products can give us a false sense of security when we use them.

Because they are natural really means that they are a better alternative than some of the products out there, but they can be suppressive as well.

A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself this question: Is the product you are using allowing the natural elimination of toxins from the body or does it keep things inside?

Pills may deal with the pain, deal with the discomfort. But do they deal with the root cause of that pain or discomfort?”

He hits the nail right on the head.  This blog has stated (and will continue to state) that eczema must be treated from the inside out.  This article isn’t just about eczema, but any condition and it’s worth reading.  Check out the entire article here.

Baby Eczema Treatment – If You Are Pregnant Read This
By Broyde McDonald *

If you are pregnant atopic eczema should be one of your concerns.  The disease has been increasing among babies for some decades now.  The rate of eczema in babies is as high as 20%.

Not only so, but if you or your child’s other parent has, or has had, eczema, asthma or hay fever, then the chances of your baby getting atopic eczema is above 50% in favor of the illness.

Atopic eczema is a very difficult illness to bear. It causes your babies and children to scratch themselves sometimes until they are bleeding. It causes them to have problems sleeping at night. And it causes them to be sometimes outcast at social events and tasks that require cooperation. If you are pregnant with a child, or knows someone who is, there are things that you can do right now, and early in your new child’s life that may be able to get rid of the threat that this terrible disease can pose to your child.

Your Diet

When you get into the latter stages of your pregnancy (the last 3 months,) look to keep the level of anti-inflammatory foods you eat as high as you can get it.

One of the foods that you will want to make sure that you include in your diet are a lot of foods that have active cultures in them. Foods like yogurts with active cultures. You can also look to get probiotic supplements.

What these foods will do is make sure that you have a good ratio of good to bad bacteria in your intestines. When the quantities are sufficient that the bad bacteria are unable to overpower the good, then you have a good environment for the prevention of inflammation.

You may also want to make sure that you avoid much of the simple carbohydrates which cause spikes in your blood sugar levels. The reason why you want to do this is because sugar rich blood damages any cells that it gets into.

When he is born

After his birth, you will want to continue the diet and breastfeed your infant. For at least the first 4 months of his life. If you do this right, you should expect that your baby will have results similar to those who followed this procedure in an experiment that was conducted not very long ago.

A group of babies who for genetic reasons were predisposed toward getting eczema, had parents who parents followed this treatment. There was also another group whose parents were given placebo drugs that were supposed to contain this treatment. The results were that from birth past the age of 4 years old, the treated children experienced only about two eczema flare ups per year, while the untreated children had flare ups roughly one every other month.

Do you want to learn more about eczema?  Download my free ebook now click here:

http://www.eczemabathsalts.com

Broyde McDonald is an experienced writer on the subject of Baby Eczema Treatments.

Eczema Remedy Blog Says:

As the author mentioned, your diet is essential to prevent baby eczema.  If you are able to breastfeed your baby, do so.  Breastfeeding is so important since many cases of infant eczema are triggered by milk and/or soy found in baby formulas.

*Article Source:  McDonald, Broyde “Baby Eczema Treatment – If You Are Pregnant Read This.” Baby Eczema Treatment – If You Are Pregnant Read This EzineArticles.com. http://ezinearticles.com/?Baby-­Eczema-­Treatment-­-­-­If-­You-­Are-­Pregnant-­Read-­This&id=1459444 rel=”nofollow”