Eczema In Babies
Baby eczema can look scary to parents when they first see it. The rash shows up on a baby’s skin as red, crusty, or blister-like patches. It often appears during an infant’s first few months.
What Is Eczema In Babies?
Eczema is an itchy area of skin, most often seen in babies and children. The blistery patches can show up anywhere on the body, but it usually appears on the cheeks, inside the elbows, and behind the knees.
Parents may confuse eczema in babies with cradle cap, another red and crusty rash of infancy. However, cradle cap usually appears on the scalp, behind the ears, and on the face.
What Causes Eczema In Babies?
Eczema is an immune system reaction for which there is no known cause. Several things can trigger eczema in babies: soaps, creams, detergents, heat, sweat, and stress. Allergies are another possible trigger. Doctors say heredity plays a big role in the appearance of baby eczema. Most children outgrow the irritation before they start school, but some take it into adulthood.
What Triggers Eczema In Babies?
Various things trigger eczema in infants, and not all triggers are the same for all babies. To keep eczema at bay, parents should avoid the common triggers. Dry skin is one example. Low humidity causes dry skin, especially during winter months. Parents can keep eczema from worsening by treating their baby’s dry skin.
Heat and sweat contribute to the itch of baby eczema. Itchy clothing, perfumed soaps, laundry detergent, and other irritants can also cause flare-ups. Keeping stress under control can minimize eczema symptoms. Opinions vary regarding allergies. Some experts say milk, nuts, eggs, and citrus fruit trigger eczema in children. Parents should consult their doctor regarding baby allergies.
Treatment For Eczema In Babies
Parents can do a few things at home to manage infant eczema. Lukewarm baths are one way to control it. Bath water hydrates skin, keeps it cool, and reduces itching. Fragrance-free creams and petroleum jelly also keep skin hydrated. Over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream is another good treatment.
Scratching makes infant eczema worse and leads to infection. Parents should keep their baby’s nails trimmed. “Scratch mittens” or long socks also prevent scratching. Loose cotton clothes can minimize the irritation that occurs when clothes rub the skin. Too many layers of clothes or blankets make a baby hot, sweaty, and itchy, triggering a flare-up.
If a baby does not respond to hydrocortisone cream, parents should see a doctor for a prescription. Pus-filled blisters or yellow crust on top of the eczema also requires medical attention. This is typically a sign of bacterial infection, which requires antibiotics. In severe cases of eczema in babies, doctors treat the condition with ultraviolet light therapy.
Eczema In Babies
Eczema is a relatively mild condition that occurs in millions of people all over the world. When eczema in babies occurs however, it can be very unnerving particularly to the parents. Eczema in babies causes very dry, scaly skin to appear. The dry patches can occur on the scalp, on the face, arms, legs and stomach. Eczema in babies can also appear as a prickly rash that causes patches of inflamed skin. The skin can become irritated from scratching and infection can easily occur.
Treatments for eczema in babies will vary from lotions, to ointments and topical medications. Studies have shown that while allergies are not the cause of eczema in babies but they can exacerbate the condition. The affected skin can sometimes become more inflamed and irritated after the child has been exposed to a potential allergen such as cow’s milk, nuts, soy or pet dander. If you find that your child’s eczema becomes worst after ingesting certain foods refrain from exposing the child to those foods.
Eczema In Babies
One unusual form of treatment that has been shown to be effective for eczema in babies is bleach in the bathwater. 1 to 2 teaspoons of bleach per gallon of bathwater has been shown to improve eczema in babies. The treatment is likened to chlorinated pool water. The treatment helps to reduce bacteria on the skin which prevents inflammation and infection. This will reduce itching and often anxiety in the child. It is necessary to keep the skin very well moisturized, even more so if this method is used. It is also very important that the skin is rinsed thoroughly before the child is removed from the bath. It is also important to remember bleach is very dangerous if ingested by the child so do not allow the child to drink the bath water.
As mentioned previously it is important to pay attention to any foods or external allergens that may cause flare ups or worsening of symptoms. Cow’s milk and other dairy foods, citrus, wheat, soy, some berries, chocolate, nuts, fish and eggs are common foods that cause allergic symptoms. Monitor your child’s symptoms after being exposed to such foods. Avoid synthetic fabrics and harsh lotions, soaps and chemicals as these too can cause eczema in babies to worsen.
Antihistamines and steroid creams are common forms of treatment for eczema in babies. These can help to reduce symptoms however the condition remains.


