Hi
I was wondering what products many of you recommend for an infant (2 month old) who has a very bad sandpaper like rash all over her body. Her back is actually peeling today since her skin has been so dry. I did take her to her Pediatrician who ruled out any illness. He stated it may be sensitive skin or she may be having a reaction to a food that I am eating as she also has very bad reflux along with it.
I use dreft detergent on all clothes/linens that come into contact with her. I use Eucerin on her skin which does seem to help a little. I use Aveeno sensitive skin baby wash and only bathe her twice a week to prevent overdrying of her skin.
Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Also, he instructed I go on an elimination diet (eat only chicken, rice, potatoes) for a couple days to see if this helps. Has anyone ever had a breastfed baby who had horrible reflux, crying during feeds and a rash that actually ended up being secondary to food? If so, any advice?
My daughter had a very bad diaper rash that started to bleed. I use Arbonne products that are completely natural on her whenever she has dry skin or any type of rash. It might seem like they are a little expensive but the products last a long time because they are concentrated and you only have to use a little bit. You can go to their website at Arbonne.com because you can't find it in stores.
Both of my kids would go throuh periods as babies where they would get a rash once in awhile. I would start eliminating any kind of scented detergent or soaps. I couldn't even use dreft with my son. He was allergic to the baby powder scent in it. I use All free and clear detergent, but there are tons of companies that make unscented soaps. Do not use scented fabric softners or color safe bleach or anything until you figure it out. If you want a fabric softener you can find unscented dryer sheets.
My daughter had horrible diaper rash for the first 2 months of her life and I took her to the dr about 5 times for it and it finally went away on it's own. After all the different treatments I tried - Desitin (the thick old kind not the creamy) was the only thing that helped a little. I know this isn't the same thing, but rashes usually disappear.
If your child is so uncomfortable that she is unable to eat I think you need to get a second opinion from another Dr. It sounds like she needs to be treated with something other than just leaving it alone. When my children had skin rashes I would try lots of baths, either baking soda in the water or an oatmeal bath (FYI - don't waste the money on the packaged Aveeno oatmeal bath - just grind up oatmeal in the blender).
You poor thing and that poor baby!! I know how frustrating the rashes can be! My daughter is one year old and has super sensitive skin. I used All unscented, as another mom suggested here. I didn't use fabric softeners in her laundry until after 6 months, per our Dr. I only use Downey-free. Also, I found my daughter's skin rashes more if I dress her in non-cotton clothes. Her skin just needs to breathe! I too used the olive oil, I did find the J&J creamy lotion (it comes in a tube) works better with her dry spots. My Dr also had me use a little cortisone cream on the rash/dry spots. I did have a friend who had to follow the diet deal, it was hard for her, but did help her son until his system was able to deal with the other foods (around 8 months) and she lost mega weight, shallow, I know but a plus anyway! :)
My daughter didn't have reflux, but was very gassy and fussy, we used the Mylicon gas drops at each feeding (not the generic, it contains sorbitol, an artificial sweetner that is not healthy for the bowels, and fed her more upright (hard to do when nursing) :) Also, my Dr recommended feeding her smaller amounts more often.
Hello- My daughter developed a rash that was on her right arm and torso. Our doc told us it was something that was irritating her skin. He told us to use All Free detergent, no fabric softeners, Lubriderm lotion and Neutrogena regular glygerin bar soap. He told us that Johnson and Johnson products and Dreft are not mild like some think and have fragrances and other things that can be irritating to infant skin. We also switched diapers. We had been using Huggies at the time and went back to Pampers. That seemed to help most. Hope this helps you out. Good luck.
It sounds to me like you're dealing with eczema and reflux secondary to allergies.
For the rash -- All Free and Clear is very common among these kids and recommended by our allergist. He suggests no fabric softener. I used Downy unscented, but some kids do better with sheets and some with liquid. Dreft was the absolute worst. At four, he still reacts to it if his clothes come in contact with his brothers that have been washed in Dreft.
I used to use Gentle Naturals eczema wash and lotion. Worked better than anything the doctors prescribed. Our new allergist has suggested a 15-20 minute bath every night. This length hydrates the skin. Soap (Dove or Ivory, unscented) at the very end. This is important to keep the bacteria off the skin so when the baby scratches she doesn't get infections. While skin is still wet, put Vanicream all over. You can get this OTC by asking at the pharmacy. Since starting this routine, we have only used steroids once in 6 months. He used to have eczema all the time. His skin is beautiful and soft.
For reflux -- Watch what you eat. Potatoes and rice are actually considered our allergist to be irritating foods. It can be a challenge to figure it out with such a little one. Some zantac from your doctor may help, but you really want to know what's causing it.
You might consider getting your daughter in with a pediatric specialist for allergies. Our son got into National Jewish just before his 3rd birthday, and his entire personality has changed. I think he would be a calmer child if we had got such expert help sooner. I don't know if they could do allergy testing on her. I know it's not real accurate under age 2, but we did get some good answers for our 1 year old when he was seen, so they might be able to help such a little one.
It's a tough thing as a mom to see your baby so miserable. I hope you can find something that gives her relief, and soon!
I also have a 2 month old daughter and she has a similar rash on the sides of her cheeks and a little on her forehead at the hair line, she is a breastmilk/formula baby and I have cut out all lactose in my diet and changed her formula to the lactose free kind and its taken about 2 weeks but that seems to do the trick. According to our MD she's recommends not using anything on her face at least as it will block the pores that are still trying to form. Good luck!!
Hi Kristen. I have a 10 year old and 5 year old daughters. They both have Excema but I have to use different skin lotion for both of them, as their skin reacts differently. What I swear by is Eucercin, it's the best lotion over the counter. My 5 year old got this prescribed to her when she was 8 months old and then I found out they sold it over the counter so I started purchasing it at Wal-Mart for $10.82, I lather her in it after every bath and she hasn't had an excema break out since. Good Luck and remember to use the lotion daily.
My daughter has a 6 month old son who has the same thing. The docter sent her to a G I specialist and a alergy specialist. The GI specialist gave a prescription for something for the reflux that he will stay on untill he is 1 year old. As for the rash she had testing done and he was alergic to a few things she was eating and when she stoped it the rash went away. She introduced those foods back slowly and he is getting better.
My first born had the same type of description when he was 6 weeks. He was unable to break down the proteins found in milk and soy so I had to give those up while nursing. He grew out of it when he was 1. He too has sensitive skin and excema. Unfortunately, one of the worst products to use for babies is Dreft b/c of the abundance of perfumes found in it. I switched to perfume free products, such as All clear, use all chemical free cleaning supplies in my house and NO dryer sheets because of the formaldehyde and high level of perfumes found in them.
DO NOT use Johnson and Johnson baby product b/c of there harsh chemicals and perfumes. Use Eucerin. It is hard b/c we love the smells that we can put on our sweet babies but really when your baby has sensitive skin that is the last thing they need.
Try eliminating milk and soy from your diet and switch laundry detergent and fabric softener and see how you baby responds. If it doesn't help, you can more options you can try next.
Secondly, my second child had reflux terribly, he too would cry ALL THE TIME! Again, with him, he was allergic to the proteins found in milk and soy. I took him to a pediatric GI who had me quit nursing and he had to go on Alimentum or Nutramigen (very expense but life changing for him). He also had to take prescription medication called Prevacid. It was life changing, he was a new baby. He is 2 1/2 now and no longer has reflux or any allergies. I hope this helps, I remember feeling desperate when we were experiencing those times. It will get better, you just have to be open to some changes and trying many different things.
My son has eczema pretty bad right now (he is 13 months) and we are trying Mustela Dermo-pediatrics Stelatopia moisturizing cream and it seems to be working really well. You can find it at babies r us, bath & body works and online.
You should try a lukewarm bath, not too warm, just warm enough so she does not get cold and when it is running pour a little bit of baking soda. My toddler has had really bad skin rashes and terribly dry itchy skin since he was a baby and we have had 3 different peds tell us that. The eucerin is great too, which I read you are using, make sure you apply it at least once a day. I always applied after baths, and in the morning and before bed. Make sure you do not use anything with scents or dyes because it can make it worse. And since you are breastfeeding I would definitely try the elimination diet because she may be sensitive to something you eat, although some doctors say that what you eat should not cause problems. Maybe try using your own detergent instead of dreft, she may have a sensitivity to it or try another one. My toddler had breakouts when I used baby detergent, when I started using tide it went away. He still has the eczema, but it is better. If it turns out to be just something she has than your doctor may prescribe you a mild steroid cream, like we have for severe cases. Hope this helps a little. Good lock and God bles.
Hi! We live in Colorado which is very dry like NV. My pediatrician said to not use lotion, but to use regular vasaline on our little guys skin. Put it on right after a bath especially and it should help keep the moisture in. I would stay away from the Eucerine and other lotions. Also - Dove liquid sensitive skin works for bathing well. Very moisturizing and costs less then the Aveno Baby. God Bless!
My son, who is now 15+ months, had rashes/eczema when he was in his early months (also during the winter). I eliminated dairy, nuts and soy from my diet for a while; this was not easy, but it helped, and I was eventually able to add them back. I also kept a cool mist humidifier in his room. I did bathe him almost every day as part of his bedtime routine, but made sure the water was not too warm, and that he wasn't in the water for too long. I would apply moisturizer while his skin was still damp (because I am a Consultant with the company, I have always used all Arbonne products only, and would recommend them, even if I wasn't associated). I would make sure that whatever products you use on your daughter's skin are free of fragrance, dyes, mineral oil, and nut and seed oils and contain lots of natural, moisturizing ingredients. A Naturopath also suggested that we add probiotics to his diet (you can buy powder for the wee ones). We had a lot of success with all of the above. Hope this helps!
We started using Liquid Dove Body Wash(generic works just as well) on my son and it worked almost immediately. We still use it to this day and he has never had dry skin or a rash since. We do not even put lotion on our children!
I also stopped using Dreft and switched to the ALL-Free and Clear and that has seemed to help as well. No dryer sheets either:)
My daughter has very sensative skin too and gets rashes for unknown reasons. We use Aquafor ointment on her. You can find it with the diaper rash creams in the baby isle at your store. No matter where she has a rash on her body we use it. I swear by it! Good luck.
I only use Arbonne products on our entire family - everything made by Arbonne is pure, safe and beneficial and is botanically based. They do not use mineral oil (even Eucerin uses this - it's essentially a derivative of black crude oil and occulusive to the skin), animal products or by-products, and have a 1% preservative base (as opposed to 25-50% on OTC products). Two of my four kids have eczema and we haven't had any occurences for fourteen months. My pediatrician believes in this so much, she set up a wholesale account so that she could offer it to her patients.
It really is amazing stuff and I would glady get you some samples or be happy to chat with you. Feel free to give me a call (324-0887) or email me [email protected]
Also, these products are associated with a phenomenal business opportunity that I'd love to share with you. Would $300-$500 make a difference for you on a monthly basis? It does for our family and that's just the beginning!
Kristen-
Your poor baby! I hope the rash isn't painful! I would switch laundry detergents ASAP! I use and recommend Shaklee's Get Clean products. If you are local to Longmont, I could bring some by for you to try. To find out more about their products- go to http://www.shaklee.net/startahealthylife/getclean
For her rash, I recommend Earth Mama Angel Baby- their products are all natural and wonderful! The Baby Bottom Balm has been a lifesaver for my daughter's diaper rash (caused by sensitivites in my diet)(Can also be used all over, not just on baby's bum), but their Baby Lotion and Oil will be helpful as well. I can also let you try these as well as give you a good discount on them, if you are interested. To learn more about Earth Mama Angel Baby, go to http://www.naturalchoices4baby.com or feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
Good luck and I hope your daughter finds relief soon!
Hannah Gaitten