My little girl has what the doctor told me is eczema on her face. The rash usually is faded by the morning, but by the time I pick her up from daycare in the afternoon she is covered in a bright red rash all around her mouth, her chin, and on her neck. Then she starts scratching it which of course makes it worse.
Does anybody have a recommendation on a lotion, cream, or ANYTHING that will help give her some relief??? I'd very much prefer to try using something natural instead of the steroid cream the doctor usually prescribes.
Also, any ideas on what could be causing it to get so irritated at daycare? She doesn't break out in the rash so bad when she's home with me on the weekends???
There obviously has to be something at her daycare that is making her break-out so badly. Is it only on her face near her mouth?? Does she put things in her mouth a lot?--If so it could be what they are using to clean their toys with. I know some daycares use bleech (diluted with water) to disinfect their toys which could really cause irritation esp. in an infant. It could also be the type of soap they use to clean the toys. If she is not one to put things in her mouth very often I have no ideas....I do though, agree that you should always look for an alternative to the steroid cream that a Dr. would give you. My daughter and son both have eczema when they were only a few months old. My daughter had it really bad. All over her legs, arms, stomach and face were bright red splotches. I never used any steroid cream--what I used was Calendula gel and Almond oil. I would give her a quick bath with unscented all natural baby wash then put the Calendula gel on first and then srpead Almond oil on after and put her pj's on right away so that nothing would rub off. It took about a month and a half but everything started clearing up and she had maybe 2 or 3 break outs after that but they were not near as bad and we used the same method to treat it and it cleared right up and I have to say that she has not had a break-out since and it has been over 2 years. My son also started getting it when he was a few months old and it was much more persistant so we got this stuff at the Hudson Fresh and Natural-the brand is Natralia-we got the combo pack of Eczema wash and lotion. It is a homeopathic solution that does have a few ingredients that I did not like, but was MUCH better than a steroid cream and it also took a while but worked and have not had a problem with his Eczema since. I do not know how much you are into alternative medicine-if at all, but there are also homeopathic remedies (you would need to dissolve in water before you give to your child). If you go to Hudson Fresh and Natural Foods, they have quite a few different options that you could try that are all natural and SAFE for your child. Someone there may be able to help you with your specific needs. Best of luck to you and your daughter!!
I'm going through this with my 6mo.old on her face and scalp. I have TRIED everything! Olive oil works the best for home remedy's but it'd be back every morning. I got fed up and wanted to do my daughter's 6mo.portraits and so I used her older sisters prescription eczema cream a big no no from our pediatrician adn well she hasn't had a eczema rash in 2 weeks now and her portraits turned out awesome. Our prescription stuff is elcon I believe. If I have to I'll use it sparingly again so far the only product to work.
As for my older daughter DRY SKIN CREME generic from Walmart works the best for her but she's 7 and out of the baby stage and drooling. I do remember when she was a year old or so her chin and mouth area was always red and rashy.
My youngest son has it really bad on his legs still, his belly, arms and cheeks aren't as bad as they use to be. I would give him a quick bath and bearly pat him down, so he was still damp and coat him with vaseline. It worked really good. When he would have the bad break outs we would have to use a steroid cream but usually after a day or two we could use the vaseline on him again.
If its only happening at daycare the worst I would check into if she is allergic to something there. Is she on carpet there and not at home, the cleaning supplies used on the toys.. maybe a pet that is in the home or only in the home when the kids aren't there? They could all be triggers also.
Stay away from soaps and lotions that have scents to it, they always dried my son out so bad! For soap and shampoo we use Johnson & Johnson and it works the best for us. We would also use an oatmeal bath once a month to every other week when it was bad and flared up. Keep her nails clipped as short as possible so she can't scratch herself and make it worse.
My son has this on his legs and arms and what we used after the perbscribed med lotion was Eurcin and it works great. Even the doc said he recs this lotion over any other lotion out there. We had to use the med one first to get the bumps and reddnes to go down first.
I hate to say it - but it doesn't sound like eczema. If it goes away and comes back, then it is a rash, and probably something environmental at daycare (possibly glycerin or cleaner?). I noticed your in WI, but check out these two websites: www.naet.org and www.heartland-healing.com. The second one is a natural practitioner in the TC south metro, and the first describes natural remedies in treating allergies and such. Good luck!
Have your daycare keep a food log for a week on your daughter.
I had a little daycare girl who would get the same kind of rash shortly after eating canned peaches. (She loved them...) but she would break out like that too.
It sure sounds like some kind of allergic reaction. Especially if she's only getting it in one place. Good luck!
MY little boy had the same thing except it was when he was a little younger. It seems to pop up in the Spring. We tried every cream, lotion you can think of but what ended up actually workings was Cortaid for his face to heal the redness and itching and then Aquaphor for moisture. My son had it a bit on his legs, arms and back so our doctor prescribed a strong "Cortaid" with Hydrocortizone. Initially I was worried about putting something like this on him but it worked and it gave him and us relief which is the most important.
As for daycare, well, not that the daycares are bad but they are hard to keep really clean when they are part of a large group and they have many more places to rub their little faces. My son would come home with red face sometimes too. its hard to clean the face clean and dry for too long but it is easier when they are at home because you are watching them and them only. I brought the cortaid and hydrocortizone to daycare for them to apply if he got red and they were fine with putting it on.
They say eczema stems from a possible allergy of some sort. I always lean towards a possible milk allergy but time will tell.
While I wouldn't discount the allergy option, I would suggest that perhaps it's stress or even something she does when stressed that causes her eczema to flare up. My son is prone to mild patches of eczema, but last winter, whenever we had family visiting, he put his fingers in his mouth and his eczema would flare up. My parents don't have a picture from him in his 4th year that doesn't have a huge ring around his lips. The dryness turned to eczema quickly and spread, so we go in the habit of vaseline-ing his face nightly before bed. Anyway--I'm not suggesting that she is stressed in a way that is bad--obviously, we did not discontinue seeing extended family--but rather maybe she's hitting the age of separation anxiety and it's showing up in her body. (Oh--my extended family is NOT a stressful situation--it was simply the change in routine that affected him.)
The first thing that came to mind were the toys (soap and disinfectant) or the crib sheets (reaction to the detergent especially if they use Dreft). At what point in the day does the daycare start to notice it getting worse? Is she crying when you leave and then it flares up? (could be stress related) Does it flare up after she chews on a few toys or after snack time or after naptime? You should enlist their help in trying to figure out the trigger.
Are you sure it is eczema? I have eczema as do two of my children and it doesn't usually act like this. It sounds more like an allergy to me. If it is eczema, I highly recommend the Eucerin cream. It comes in a tub and is a little pricey, but SOOO worth it. It's best to put it on when the skin is a little wet, like after bath to trap the moisture in. If it is really bad I have used an unscented lotion on my daughter (like an Aveeno) and then the Eucerin on top of that. I am with you, I have avoided the steroid cream if at all possible. Good luck!
It sounds like maybe daycare isn't wiping her mouth good enough and the food staying on her face might be irritating it. I'd ask daycare to wash it better because the doctor said that is causing her to get a rash. Good luck!
My daughter (20 mos) also has eczema as do I. Like your daughter she gets it on her face just around her mouth. At times I think it flares up more when she's teething but I would ask your daycare provider if they are using wipes (diaper wipes) to clean her face after snack/meals. My provider had been doing this (with all the kids) and since I know my daughter's skin is sensitive I asked them to just use paper towel on her. Those wipes can be so drying, imagine putting alcohol on sensitive skin, ouch.
As for lotion, we use an over the counter product (buy it at Target or Babies R Us) called Gentle Nature's Eczema Cream and it works really well. It has Winnie the Pooh on the bottle.
I also noticed a lot of your responses suggested allergies which I've considered with my daughter as well but have not had her tested. Keeping track of any new foods she has right now would probably be helpful.
My 10 months daughter is also plagued by eczema on her face. When she's sick or getting teeth it gets really bad. Eucerin lotion helps alot otherwise Gentle Care Eczema cream (the winnie the pooh bottle)works great too. (Its sortof expensive, but it works).
To stop the itching if it spreads to her body we give her an epsom salt bath to soothe it.
are they giving her a pacifier at daycare? that may be irritating her skin if she is teething and drooling and the pacifier is keeping the moisture and friction irritating her skin. my son had similar issue around his mouth, but his doc called it dermatitis. he also had eczema on his back and it could have been that... went away at home without a pacifier and applying bacitracin at night, but it took a few months to really stop it from coming back. for eczema, Aveeno makes a good lotion 'soothing relief' in a tube in baby aisle at target, says for eczema on the bottle. good luck, hope it clears up soon.
Our doctor recommended anti-itch cream, Hydrocortizone 1%, but I don't know about on her face. Our son has it on his back & arms in spots. I would ask the doctor first if it's okay to apply on her face. Good luck!
If the doctor said that it is eczema, then it is eczema. She is probably scratching it during the day, making it flare.
In eczema there is an imbalance of the essential fatty acids. I took a corrective approach myself, and was able to throw out all lotions- just don't need them or allergy medicine anymore. Yay!!!
Now you will find out whether your doctor can work with a natural approach. Leave a message asking about supplementation with Omega 3 fatty acids, and a Mediterranean diet for the eczema. If this doctor was not trained in basic nutrition, you may need to find one that was. Generally, I have found that D.O.s tend to have this training, more often than M.D.s in my area. This is very much a matter of individual practice, though, so ask questions and research.