Baby Eczema

Is your baby suffering from eczema? 

How can you help?

What is baby eczema?

Eczema is a common skin disorder sometimes called atopic dermatis.  ‘Atopic’ means the skin is overly sensitive to allergens that don’t bother normal skin. ‘Dermatitis’ means that the skin is red, sore, and inflamed. Like all eczema, baby eczema is not an allergy, but it is frequently triggered and aggravated by allergens. It is non-contagious, so there’s no risk of passing it on to other children in the family.

Baby eczema is rather common. The eczema skin rash shows up on 20% of babies and young children, with 90% of the eczema children showing symptoms by the age of five. Many get better quickly in the early years, but 60% of these cases last into their adulthood

What are the symptoms of baby eczema?

You can see patches of dry, scaly skin, frequently thickened, with small red bumps. Blisters can form at these eczema patches, which ooze fluid and can become infected when scratched.  Scratching is a big problem because these patches can be very itchy. The eczema patches can appear anywhere on the baby’s body and then spread to other areas.

What causes baby eczema?

No one knows for sure. It is hereditary and is more common when the parents also had it or related conditions like asthma or allergies. Although it’s not an allergy, it often behaves like one. It can be triggered or made worse by heat, allergens in the diet, coming into contact with wool, and especially the chemicals often found in soap and lotions.

Tips for dealing with baby eczema?

Don’t let the baby’s skin become too dry. Frequent bathing in water that’s not too warm is a good way to keep the skin moist. Make sure the soap and lotions you use are free from fragrances and other harsh chemicals. It’s a good idea to use the non-irritating skin lotion immediately after bathing. This will seal in the body’s natural moisture.

Soft cotton, which lets the skin breathe is much better than wool or anything that is scratchy. Wash the bed linens in hot water with fragrance-free, mild detergents. No fabric softeners.  Use an extra rinse cycle.

The same things apply to your baby’s clothes.  And be sure to wash new clothes before wearing. This removes the fabric finishes makers add to make the garments look better when they are displayed for sale.

The baby’s room should be cool and without major changes in temperature. Be sure to use a humidifier in dry weather and with central heating. Vacuum carpeting and wash the baby’s fluffy toys.

Use leather shoes rather than rubber ones.  And use cloth diapers rather than plastic ones.

You need to watch the baby’s diet and the mother’s diet if she’s breast feeding. Allergens in food is the main trigger of baby eczema in about 10% of the cases, but it can be a factor in many cases. Research shows that if the mother consumed large amounts of margarine, vegetable oils, or citrus fruits during the last month of pregnancy, her baby will be more likely to develop eczema.

The allergenic substances in food most likely to trigger eczema are: cow’s milk, eggs, soy, wheat, peanuts, and fish. Removing them from the baby’s diet or the mother’s diet if she’s breast feeding might bring relief. Many experts say to avoid cow’s milk entirely during the first year or longer if the baby has eczema. You might want to try eliminating suspected foods one at a time for two weeks each to see which food was aggravating the baby’s eczema.

Skincare to relieve your baby’s eczema.

Though you’ll want to consider dietary allergens, your main focus should be on skincare. Keep the skin clean. Avoid contact with irritants. Minimize the scratching caused by itchy eczema patches by having your baby wear gloves or putting cotton socks over her hands. Cut her fingernails. When an outbreak gets worse, apply cool compresses to the area and then moisture it with a non-irritating lotion.

Most of all, watch the soap and skin lotion you use on your baby’s skin. Most soap dries out the skin and removes all of its natural oils.  Hot soapy water is great for removing the grease when washing dishes.  Not so good when it comes to removing your baby’s natural oils that keep the skin moist and healthy.

A tried and true home remedy for eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and many other skin disorders is the use of products made from the waters of the Dead Sea.

3in1 Dead Sea Skincare Products to the Rescue

You’ll want to try safe, moderate home remedies before seeking out professional care and strong, expensive drugs. When used wisely, these home eczema treatments bring relief in most cases. Many times simpler is better and should be tried before taking extreme measures.

For thousands of years people were using detox baths in the Dead Sea and its healing waters to keep the skin healthy and to prevent or to find relief from eczema and other skin disorders. Egyptian queen Cleopatra was a devotee of such treatments.

Why the Dead Sea?  The effectiveness of mineral baths for detoxifying and healing the skin has been known since ancient times. That makes the Dead Sea the obvious place to go.  Ordinary sea water has a mineral content of about 3% or less.  Dead Sea water, on the other hand, has a mineral content in excess of 30%!  Some of the minerals it contains are: Magnesium, potassium, sodium, calcium, bromides, and iodine.

But this is a lot more than just folk wisdom. Scientific research has confirmed the effectiveness of these natural, low-cost treatments. The National Psoriasis Foundation recommends bathing in Dead Sea salt to help soothe and improve your skin.

You Don’t Have to Go to the Dead Sea

International Medical supplies brings the Dead Sea’s healing to your home.  When you purchase its products, like the hand soap, hand lotion, body lotion, shower gel, or bath salts you get products loaded with healing minerals and free of harsh irritating chemicals and fragrances(the bath salts contain small amounts of natural non-irritating fragrances).