Finding the best way of treating baby eczema is so important when you want to alleviate your baby’s red, itchy skin. You can read here about some conventional ways that can help…..
Eczema Blog
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Eczema hands and weaning a baby
A post for Everything for Eczema from Healthy Little Frugals
Eczema has always been part of my life, though its intensity has varied a lot over the years. When I was a child, my hands, knees and arms were badly affected, and I can still remember not being allowed anywhere near a sandpit because of my bandaged hands. I was lucky that most of my symptoms had eased up significantly by the time I started school, and apart from the occasional outbreak, I could keep my eczema largely at bay without using steroid creams.
During my first pregnancy, my skin was as good as can be and I had hardly any eczema related symptoms. A few months’ post- birth, however, it was a very different story. Whether it was a change in hormones, a sudden new reaction to certain foods (my diet had not changed), or just bad luck, the skin inside both my palms became extremely dry and itchy. It happened overnight. I tried to manage with a range of over the counter moisturisers, but with no effect.
I started to dread washing my hands (which, with a new baby, seems to happen every 3 minutes approximately), as they were raw, sore and my movements were restricted by painful cracks. Simple things such as opening all my fingers at the same time brought blood to my hands and tears to my eyes. In the initial baby haze, I was too caught up in my baby and being a new mum to take my skin problems seriously, and rather optimistically I assumed that things would somehow get better by themselves.
As those with children will know, the amount of hand washing you do with a precious new baby in your life is unprecedented. There are countless nappy changes, bath time, and the general ‘every germ is out there to get your baby’ paranoia, where washing your hands becomes the main weapon for protecting their innocent little immune systems.
With all that in mind, my eczema was just about manageable until we reached the 6-month mark, and a new adventure into early parenthood began: weaning and solid foods.
I don’t need to tell anyone who suffers from eczema just how painful it is to handle certain foods (citrus fruits, onions, tomatoes), combined with the added dryness from the over-cautious hand washing, when you already have highly irritated skin. Holding a burning hot piece of coal in the palm of your hand is the closest I can come to describing it, and to then repeat this ‘experience’ countless times every day.
Not only was I preparing different snacks and meals for my baby about 5-6 times a day, but I was also careful that every piece of food I gave her was as clean as can be, on an equally sparkling clean plate, with her own hands being washed all the time as well. Unsurprisingly, all this additional exposure to food and water meant that the skin on my hands went from bad to worse.
One of my first points of contact was my GP; however, I didn’t find the advice I was given particularly helpful. After taking one quick look at my hands, I was given some Aveeno samples and sent on my way.
On my second trip the doctors, this time with a different and more understanding GP, I was prescribed a mild steroid cream. Even though I didn’t want to use it, largely out of fear that some steroid components might filter through to baby through breastfeeding, I gave in, and luckily for me, the cream did its job very quickly.
Once my skin had improved, I tried to find ways to prevent the problem from coming back. Finding a (non-steroid) cream that was suitable for breastfeeding and had restorative ingredients became a game changer.
I started with a GP prescribed hand moisturiser that, despite smelling rather unpleasant, was brilliant. I have since done a lot more research, and come across many products online that for me, are a lot more effective than most big-branded creams from supermarkets and drug stores.
What has also been very useful to me was to purchase some gloves for everyday use at home. Whilst this might sound a little strange, I highly recommend them to anyone with sore hands, as I noticed a huge improvement shortly after using both latex and cotton gloves.
The latex gloves are pretty much exclusively for use in the kitchen, as they act as a second layer of skin, under which you can apply your moisturiser, and then get on with it – chopping, cooking, and cleaning without exposing your skin to water and food.
They also have the added benefit of making you feel a bit like a surgeon! I know not everyone can use latex as it can be an allergen, but if you can, I would strongly recommend them.
The cotton gloves helped overnight. I would wear them over a thick layer of moisturiser which would give my sore hands some precious time to heal.
These little life-hacks made a huge difference for me, and I made sure that after baby number 2, I made most from my new eczema knowledge and paid more attention to my skin from the start. We are nine months into life with a (weaned!) baby and toddler, and so far, my skin seems to hold up well.
B x
Healthy Family Cooking on a Budget – eat well, spend little, be healthy!
Surfactant Skincare series – Cleansing Baby Skin
Last week, we briefly looked at the different types of surfactants and understand their functions. This week, we’re looking deeper into baby skin and the research around cleansing baby skin.
Baby Skin Structural Vulnerabilities
In the Skin Fact series, we’ve discussed much about baby skin structural differences. Below is a recap of certain baby skin characteristics that increase its vulnerability during skin cleansing:
Higher transepidermal water loss due to thinner stratum corneum – More vulnerable to water loss during bathing and skin barrier breakdown when there’s excessive friction (from over-washing or from rubbing skin when toweling dry).
High surface-area to volume ratio – along with a thinner stratum corneum and immature drug matebolism, make baby skin more vulnerable to harmful chemicals used during bathing
Less total lipids – make it vulnerable to further reduction of skin lipids lost during washing
Cleansing Baby Skin – Research on What’s Best
From a search on Pubmed for review articles on the research for baby skin cleansing, there’s actually not much research on it. From a 2009 European round table meeting, the consensus is:
Learning about cleansers for Baby Skin
- Liquid cleansers in bathing are beneficial over water alone – Water cannot remove dirt, oil that can only be removed by oil. Prolonged washing with water dries the skin and depending on the pH of the water itself, it may be more alkaline than the natural pH of the skin.
- Liquid cleanser are preferred, rather than soap which alters the skin pH and affect the skin lipids, increase skin drying and irritation – Learn more about soap and its impact on skin pH in the skin pH series. The pH of skin can affect its skin lipids, which (a lower skin lipids) in turn causes drying, itchiness and skin inflammation.
- Liquid cleanser should be mild, non-irritating, non-stinging (especially to the eyes as babies may not be able to blink fast enough) and non-pH altering, and contains moisturizing function
For cleansing of baby’s skin, I’ve found two other articles that offer recommendation on what’s best for baby skin.
Extracted from http://www.hindawi.com/journals/drp/2012/198789/tab2/ – Review article on The Infant Skin Barrier: Can We Preserve, Protect, and Enhance the Barrier?
Apart from the three points above, additional points are:
4. Avoid Anionic Surfactants, these are those that cleanse very well but most irritating to skin, an easy way to identify them is to look out for those chemicals ending with Sulfates.
5. Choose those with large head groups and have the ability to form larger micelles. Surfactants organize into groups of molecules called micelles and generally the larger these micelles are, the less irritating the surfactant is. This is related to larger micelles being less able to penetrate the outer layer of skin (stratum corneum).
6. No preservatives is not best as bacterial growth can happen in such products
7. No scent does not mean no fragrance (potential irritant) is used, it can be one fragrance masking that of another.
Why Baby Skin needs Cleansing
Just like last week we asked the question ‘Why not just use water to clean?‘ (because 40% of dirt, oil can only be removed by oil), we also have to understand why baby skin needs cleansing. Baby skin has saliva, nasal secretions, urine, feces, germs and dirt which can potentially irritate the skin when left on the skin. It is also possible that both skin allergy and the body (ie food allergy) can develop from foods being left on the skin for too long. It is therefore important to clean baby skin. However, baby skin, given its structural vulnerabilities, should not be over-washed and to avoid using baby wipes on face or baby wipes that are non-hypoallergenic, especially those containing fragrance and MI.
Next week, I’d (make a brave) attempt to look into how surfactants affect skin and in particular, impact on eczema skin. It’s a very ‘chemical’ topic and not easy, so appreciate if there’s feedback to improve on the blog post, and share your best cleanser!
References
Expert Tips To Help Cure Baby Eczema Naturally
Baby eczema or infant eczema is quite common, estimated to affect around 15% of babies. It presents with similar symptoms in adults, most commonly dry, reddened and inflamed skin (rashes) that is itchy. It may have a great impact on the lives of families mainly due to the distress it causes on the baby from […]
The post Expert Tips To Help Cure Baby Eczema Naturally appeared first on Best Eczema Remedies.
Eczema hands and weaning a baby
A post for Everything for Eczema from Healthy Little Frugals
Eczema has always been part of my life, though its intensity has varied a lot over the years. When I was a child, my hands, knees and arms were badly affected, and I can still remember not being allowed anywhere near a sandpit because of my bandaged hands. I was lucky that most of my symptoms had eased up significantly by the time I started school, and apart from the occasional outbreak, I could keep my eczema largely at bay without using steroid creams.
During my first pregnancy, my skin was as good as can be and I had hardly any eczema related symptoms. A few months’ post- birth, however, it was a very different story. Whether it was a change in hormones, a sudden new reaction to certain foods (my diet had not changed), or just bad luck, the skin inside both my palms became extremely dry and itchy. It happened overnight. I tried to manage with a range of over the counter moisturisers, but with no effect.
I started to dread washing my hands (which, with a new baby, seems to happen every 3 minutes approximately), as they were raw, sore and my movements were restricted by painful cracks. Simple things such as opening all my fingers at the same time brought blood to my hands and tears to my eyes. In the initial baby haze, I was too caught up in my baby and being a new mum to take my skin problems seriously, and rather optimistically I assumed that things would somehow get better by themselves.
As those with children will know, the amount of hand washing you do with a precious new baby in your life is unprecedented. There are countless nappy changes, bath time, and the general ‘every germ is out there to get your baby’ paranoia, where washing your hands becomes the main weapon for protecting their innocent little immune systems.
With all that in mind, my eczema was just about manageable until we reached the 6-month mark, and a new adventure into early parenthood began: weaning and solid foods.
I don’t need to tell anyone who suffers from eczema just how painful it is to handle certain foods (citrus fruits, onions, tomatoes), combined with the added dryness from the over-cautious hand washing, when you already have highly irritated skin. Holding a burning hot piece of coal in the palm of your hand is the closest I can come to describing it, and to then repeat this ‘experience’ countless times every day.
Not only was I preparing different snacks and meals for my baby about 5-6 times a day, but I was also careful that every piece of food I gave her was as clean as can be, on an equally sparkling clean plate, with her own hands being washed all the time as well. Unsurprisingly, all this additional exposure to food and water meant that the skin on my hands went from bad to worse.
One of my first points of contact was my GP; however, I didn’t find the advice I was given particularly helpful. After taking one quick look at my hands, I was given some Aveeno samples and sent on my way.
On my second trip the doctors, this time with a different and more understanding GP, I was prescribed a mild steroid cream. Even though I didn’t want to use it, largely out of fear that some steroid components might filter through to baby through breastfeeding, I gave in, and luckily for me, the cream did its job very quickly.
Once my skin had improved, I tried to find ways to prevent the problem from coming back. Finding a (non-steroid) cream that was suitable for breastfeeding and had restorative ingredients became a game changer.
I started with a GP prescribed hand moisturiser that, despite smelling rather unpleasant, was brilliant. I have since done a lot more research, and come across many products online that for me, are a lot more effective than most big-branded creams from supermarkets and drug stores.
What has also been very useful to me was to purchase some gloves for everyday use at home. Whilst this might sound a little strange, I highly recommend them to anyone with sore hands, as I noticed a huge improvement shortly after using both latex and cotton gloves.
The latex gloves are pretty much exclusively for use in the kitchen, as they act as a second layer of skin, under which you can apply your moisturiser, and then get on with it – chopping, cooking, and cleaning without exposing your skin to water and food.
They also have the added benefit of making you feel a bit like a surgeon! I know not everyone can use latex as it can be an allergen, but if you can, I would strongly recommend them.
The cotton gloves helped overnight. I would wear them over a thick layer of moisturiser which would give my sore hands some precious time to heal.
These little life-hacks made a huge difference for me, and I made sure that after baby number 2, I made most from my new eczema knowledge and paid more attention to my skin from the start. We are nine months into life with a (weaned!) baby and toddler, and so far, my skin seems to hold up well.
B x
Healthy Family Cooking on a Budget – eat well, spend little, be healthy!
Top Tips for Losing Your Baby Weight
You have just spent the last nine months getting ready for the life-changing birth of your new bundle of joy and we know, you are probably a little bit exhausted after the whole event. The birth of your baby will no doubt have left behind extra baby weight that you need to shed before you can fully crack on with being the great mum that we know you will be! There are many different suggestions, theories, and methods for losing your baby weight. Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to this. You simply need to find what works best for you and to help with that process, we’ve listed some top tips for losing your baby weight below.
#1 – Maintain a healthy weight during pregnancy
Before you even consider losing your baby weight after giving birth, it is important that you focus on maintaining a good weight throughout your pregnancy.
You have to be sure that you are taking in enough calories and nutrients to keep your baby healthy, but you must also be careful not to put on too much weight. For women who have a normal body mass index (BMI), doctors recommend that you should gain between 25 and 35 pounds, and anything up to 45 pounds if you are expecting to have twins. If you are overweight, then doctors recommend that a safe limit is anything between 15 and 25 pounds, and of course do not use pregnancy as a time to think about dieting or weight-loss!
There are plenty of useful guides available on the right kind of nutrition you should be taking during pregnancy.
It is important to maintain a healthy weight during pregnancy so that the baby stays healthy, as well as yourself of course. If you are planning to become pregnant again, it is recommended that you return to your normal weight first. After all, the more you take on during the pregnancy the more you will have to lose after you give birth!
#2 – Think about losing your baby weight early on
It is important to not make losing your baby weight an afterthought. If you do not tackle it early on after having your baby, it can be difficult to shed it further down the line. Some studies suggest if you do not lose it within the first year you never will be able to, although others say you can bounce back after two years.
By the time you come towards the end of your pregnancy, your uterus is roughly 15 times heavier than normal, not including the weight of your little one! It is also at a capacity of up to 500 times greater than before you conceived, so you are definitely going to have a little extra weight to lose post-birth!
#3 – Plan to lose weight gradually
Your immediate focus after birth should not be on dieting, although you can still think about other ways to lose your baby weight if you have the energy, which we will come on to below. For around your first six weeks’ post-birth, your priority should be maintaining a healthy diet and getting plenty of sleep!
Typically, it will take around a year to lose your baby weight, this will of course be different to each woman. Many new mothers give their own stories on how long it has taken them but you want to aim to lose around one to two pounds per week ideally.
#4 – Try different weight loss strategies
So, now that we have covered maintaining a healthy weight and what you can expect, it is time for the all-important top tips on losing your baby weight! Below we have listed out several different strategies:
Get moving!
You are probably going to be a little sleep deprived in your first few days after birth, and that’s no problem at all. But once you are back home from the hospital, get yourself moving! We aren’t talking about rigorous workouts that leave you in a sweat; simple walks around the block each day are more than sufficient.
Don’t over push yourself, but try to walk a little further each day. Try and do this right up until your six-week check-up, which is roughly how long the body will take to heal. After your nurse has given you the all-clear, then you can begin to think about 20-30 minutes of cardio around three to five times each week.
Pushing a stroller for 1-2 miles in a 30-minute period is equivalent to burning around 150 calories, so it is more than sufficient as a form of exercise, particularly in the first weeks post-birth.
Make sure you eat smart
One of the more obvious top tips for losing your baby weight is to watch what you eat. It is about eating quality, not quantity. You are still essentially eating for two as you need extra energy to be able to take care of both yourself and your baby. Plus, some studies even suggest that what you eat will affect your baby’s food preferences as well!
Steer clear of refined carbs or sugary foods as these will energise you in the short term, but will leave you crashing later on during the day. In turn you will end up getting hungrier, eat another chocolate bar and then it becomes a vicious cycle!
Good meals for energy
- A bowl of oatmeal with fruit and low-fat milk
- A turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread with tomato and lettuce
- A vegetable salad with olive oil and grilled chicken breast
Good snacks for energy
- A hard-boiled egg cut onto some toasted whole-wheat bread
- Approximately 20 baby carrots with some hummus
- A banana and around five whole-grain crackers
Take plenty of naps
We all like an excuse to nap every now and again and you have no better excuse than after a long pregnancy! Napping is not only great for making sure you catch up on sleep during your pregnancy, but it also stops you binging on high-calorie and high-sugar foods for energy.
Forget the housework and consider taking a nap anytime that your baby does. Don’t sacrifice your sleep for exercise either as it is important to keep your energy levels up; there is no reason that you cannot strike the perfect balance between napping and exercise.
Breastfeeding
Another top tip for losing your baby weight is to breastfeed. If you are breastfeeding your baby then you need roughly an extra 500 calories per day, but you burn between 600 and 800 calories by undertaking that activity, simply by sitting there! Bear in mind that as you begin to move away from breastfeeding, your calorie needs will also drop down dramatically, so be sure to adjust your diet in line with this.
Think about relaxation and meditation
When you are stressed, stress hormones are released into the body to give us a kick of adrenaline. But over time, this can cause us to feel tired and leave our weight staying the same, or sometimes even cause us to pile on the pounds! It is important to keep your stress levels down post-birth for not only the sake of your baby weight loss, but also for your mental health and the health of your baby!
Exercise and regular naps and sleep is a great way to keep stress levels down, but also consider meditation apps like Headspace. These are designed for making meditation accessible from anywhere in short bursts, but still giving you the full de-stressing benefits.
Lose weight safely
Losing your baby weight is a gradual process, so do not attempt to tackle it all in one week! Make sure that you have your breakfast in the morning, eat regular amounts of fruit and vegetables each day and include plenty of fibre-rich foods in your diet such as oats or beans.
Other top parentings tips
We hope that the above tips have provided a useful guide for how to lose your baby weight! Find the best exercise that suits you and you’ll be back to your own perfect body weight in no time at all. If you are looking for other top parent or baby tips, take a look at our website for a host of guides, reviews, and recommendations.
Got Eczema Milk?: A connection between breast milk and baby eczema
By Dr. Amy Duong (see bio below) In the past couple months, I’ve had many breastfeeding moms reach out to me for guidance when it comes to breast milk and baby eczema. Some moms have eczema themselves and others have babies that have eczema. Every case is different since the paths and factors that lead […]
It’s an Itchy Little World
Got Eczema Milk?: A connection between breast milk and baby eczema
By Dr. Amy Duong (see bio below) In the past couple months, I’ve had many breastfeeding moms reach out to me for guidance when it comes to breast milk and baby eczema. Some moms have eczema themselves and others have babies that have eczema. Every case is different since the paths and factors that lead […]
It’s an Itchy Little World
Baby Eczema – 3 Ways to Give Your Baby Relief
You would be surprised to know the number of baby eczema is pretty high. It’s sad to hear that a baby could suffer such an irritating skin lesion. Eczema can appear as an inflamed rash at first and then escalates into cracking scaly skin. This is a very itchy skin condition even for babies. Sometimes in extreme situations it could lead to infection and bleeding. Although there isn’t a clear cause or definite cure for eczema you can help your baby by treating the eczema and giving them relief. There are three ways to relieve baby eczema.
First you could avoid giving your baby food that contributes to eczema. Cow’s milk and eggs are at the top of the list of main culprits. After that is soy, peanuts, wheat and fish. There are always other alternatives that provide the same nutrition. Although food is rarely the cause of eczema it is good to try everything you can to help your child. Don’t forget to give your baby plenty of water to keep their skin well hydrated and to prevent it from drying.
Another way to give your baby relief is to use cotton materials for their bedding and only cotton clothing. Anything that can irritate the skin and doesn’t breathe should be avoided. Scratchy fabrics like wool will worsen the condition of your baby’s skin.
Keeping their skin moist all the time with gentle moisturizers is very important. There are many safe moisturizers you can use for your baby to keep the skin from drying. Always ask a doctor though before applying anything to your baby’s eczema because there are many moisturizers that can worsen the condition especially if they contain fragrance.
The three things I mentioned above include foods to avoid, natural fabrics and moisturizers. These are the most common ways to help with baby eczema. You should always be cautious with everything your baby touches. Eczema in babies could become chronic if proper treatment isn’t carried out. Everything you use for your baby should be natural, soft, and without chemical fragrances. Hopefully your baby will grow out of it like the majority of children do.
Charlotte writes online about how to help your baby cope with baby eczema and also writes on how to find an eczema cure.
Baby Eczema ? Can Organic Baby Clothes Help?
Being a parent is hard enough at the best of times without the added problem of dealing with an uncomfortable and irritated baby. My daughter suffered from eczema and it made her quite miserable and it’s very frustrating when your little one is upset and you can’t make it go away as your natural instinct is to protect your baby. So what is baby eczema and how can you protect your baby from it?
So what is Eczema?
Eczema is a skin condition where the skin can become irritated, cracked or inflamed. Babies are all made different and some have more oil in their skin than others. If they lack these oils in their skin, their skin struggles to hold moister and it becomes irritated and sore, sometimes leading to cracking of the skin. The gap created in the skin due to the dryness allows bacteria and irritants to pass into the skin causing sometimes quite severe irritation and infection. This can be aggravated by soaps and detergents that also remove the natural oils from your baby’s skin. A skin layer plumped up with natural oils and fats is better able to deal with irritants and allergens.
So what causes Eczema?
There are many different types of eczema but the most common is Atopic eczema which is thought to be genetic and triggered by environmental conditions. Some of the things that can trigger this Atopic eczema include soaps, detergents, animal fur, pollen, rough clothing, dust mites and being too warm for prolonged periods.
Baby eczema can be a real problem, with 5% – 15% of children being affected before their seventh birthday. Baby eczema begins in the first year for 60% of babies affected by this irritant. The itchiness is the biggest problem for baby’s as they obviously will just scratch and watching your child suffer this way is the worst thing about baby eczema for most parents.
How to treat Eczema
There isn’t any cure for eczema but there are things you can do stop it happening or to deal with it when your baby is suffering with baby eczema. You can get creams and lotions from the Doctors. But these only reduce the inflammation and return moisture to the skin. The only real way to combat eczema is to eliminate the cause or the things that encourage or irritate your baby’s skin.
Can organic bay clothes help?
Baby eczema is sometimes caused by the chemical residue in their clothing. It can be the pesticides used on the cotton or the dyes used or a combination of the two. Organic cotton doesn’t have any chemical residue as the clothes haven’t been sprayed or dyed using chemicals of any kind. Natural predators are introduced to keep pests from eating the cotton and natural dyes such as fruit berries are used to colour the cotton.
There are many types of cotton and it can grow in many different subtle and natural colours. There is also Bamboo clothing which is supersoft and known to help eliminate baby eczema. Of course organic baby clothes are going to cost slightly more as the growing and preparation process is more time consuming but it does produce the best natural and allergy free clothing. It’s worth the extra to reduce the risk of baby eczema occurring with your child. Plus they really are supersoft. We changed to organic baby clothes and our little girl’s eczema went from all over her body to a little patch on her left arm which has gone completely now. Try organic baby clothes if your baby is suffering from baby eczema, it could just be the answer.
If your baby is suffering from baby eczema: visit Sprogstogs.com for more information on buying organic baby clothes. Organic cotton and bamboo baby clothes available with free delivery worldwide.