[shy_bear]

A. was prescribed a steriod cream for his eczema. It says not to be used in the diaper area; plus I use it VERY sparingly b/c of the side effects. His ENTIRE diaper area down onto his thighs is covered in eczema. I wash his clothes in dye, fragrence free detergent. I bathe him with Aveeno and we use Aquaphor lotion on him. The doc totally blew me off; he said he sees kids who have eczema covering their whole body so A's case was not that bad. He said we should use an over the counter cream; the pharmacist said it is still a steriodl!! Doc also gave me an anti-fungal cream. I left him out of his diaper for about 15-20 minutes tonight. Any suggestions?????

[bajj]

I would not bathe him too often, because that can just make the eczema worse. I use Eupherin Calming Cream on my boys, who both get it real bad.

Good luck!

[snaps]

My daughter does not have severe eczema, but at times she has had it on her elbows, buttocks, knees and lower legs. She used to also get it on her cheeks a lot when she was younger. I agree with decreased bathing and we have used Cetaphil cream which clears it right up. This was recommended by a pediatric dermatologist.

[mommy3]

Shy_bear -- First, I'd want to make sure that your baby has eczema on his diaper area -- It sounds more like a reaction to soap or cream. Then, I'd stop the Aveeno. Even thought Aveeno is touted as a "natural" soap, it still contains several chemicals your baby may be reacting to. As has been mentioned, no soap is probably best for your baby--that's what we ended up with all three of my children for several years with each of them. I'd also see how long per day you can just keep your home nice and warm right now and take off your son's diapers -- just like you mentioned. Airdrying may help a lot. Try new diapers lately? My littlest one was allergie to Pampers, as was my son, so we loved Huggies Supreme. My oldest was allergic to other diapers and Pampers were perfect. Might diapers be the culprit, causing contact dermatitis?

My children have each had mysterious rashes and I try my best to change whatever they've had on recently and not use it for a while, I double rinse all clothing (that helps a LOT) and use NO soaps except for laundry soap (even the dye/fragrance free can cause allergies, esp if this is new for your son. considering trying something else?)

Skin reactions take time to sort out -- keep trying. If you aren't in agreement with your M.D., then try out more options, including a second opinion? I wasn't happy with rash advice I got when my regular ped was off so I went to a Naturopathic M.D. b/c it was going to take us 4 mos. to get to a dermatolgist and by then my baby would not have had any skin left, I thought. The Naturopathic M.D. was right on and solved the mystery -- milk allergy that gradually built up -- that plus no soap, the right diapers and lots of clothes/body rinsing did the trick. Continue your diligence -- you're on the right track, I'm sure. Best of luck, susan

[taramayrn]

Do not put any cream with cortisone on areas such as the genitals as it can affect growth. It also thins the skin.

I have horrific excema and haven't found anything that has helped until last Friday. I was looking in the Walmart pharmacy and ran across a product by Spectro and it's specificly for excema. They also have a kids' product. It made a world of difference with just one use. I'm hooked.

[Stormster]

DS has mild Eczema (so far knock wood) case and many problems with Yeast around his genitals and some of the meds are the same.

First we are seeing a really good Ped. Derm who cleared up his rash and some of the things she said:

Use any meds sparingly people glob it on and it's not necessary.

Minimize washing as mentioned above and cetaphil for everything with TISSUE. It worked for us. I put a little Cetaphil on a tissue wipe him gently (it's nice and slippery) and then spritz the area with water and pat (wiping always makes him worse). Lately also I give him baths with just a little Cetaphil and in fact nothing else but water. I believe the Cetaphil has made the biggest difference.

We have a lot of meds for the area, fairly strict protocol but our problem is mostly yeast so I don't think it would apply to you but I will say I've had very good results on his legs and arms (the Eczema) with A&D and Vaseline. I really slather it on his legs and it seems to keep it in check (not cure mind you) but you get the point. There is also a moisturizer she gave us called Mimyx (Prescription) and it doesn't say anything about not using in that area.

I just want to reiterate I truly feel less washing less fussing NO WIPING ....tissues and cetaphil are amazing with a clean water spritz to rinse off. And vaseline or thin layer of med with thin layer of vaseline over. I know I slather it on his legs but when I put it under his diaper I do a thin layer.

Also have you tried 10 minute diaper breaks throughout the day? I'm a believer in it but again, our problem down there is yeast.

I CAN TOTALLY RELATE ANYWAY. It's awful. PS We do have a cortisone cream the doc gave us that we use in his genital area we have to....not OTC stuff, temporarily and sparingly but I would never use anything like that if there were breaks in the skin and never for more than a week or so.

[mumofone]

I have had eczema my entire life. My daughter also has it. I use steroids very, very sparingly as they will "thin" the skin over time and apparently they are linked to sterility.

I use a product called "Dermal Therapy". I purchase it at Walmart for under $10, and it is amazing. There is absolutely no steroid in it.

Hope that helps.

[teendoc]

The groin/perineal area is an unusual site for eczema.

My favorite eczema cream is Weleda. It is very think but has a large amount of emollient. Also they make a diaper cream with Zinc Oxide. You can get it at Whole Foods.

Also for bad diaper rashes you can make the type of Butt Paste pediatricians have prescribed for years (though nothing in it is prescription). Check out my blog post about it. Dr Mommy's Magic Butt Paste I just had to create a batch of the cream for Zara.

Good luck!

[shy_bear]

I went to Whole Foods today. I bought 7th generation diapers. I bought Borage dry skin lotion, an organic baby wash that has no soap in it, I am making my own baby wipes...we will see if any of this helps!
Thanks for all the great suggestions!

[Nalyd_loved_forever]

My DS has eczema.

First, the doctor told me not to bathe him everyday. Baby's aren't that dirty and a sponge bath should suffice.

Second, she told me not to use any soap, only water (I still sometimes use Aquaphor baby wash). She also told me to use Cerave (?not sure of the exact spelling. DS is asleep in his nursery so I can't check) cream which does not clog pores.

Third, was all cotton clothing so his skin could breathe and when changing him, let his tushy air dry before putting the diaper on him.

DS also had a milk allergy which exasperated the rash. He is now on Nutramigen. She also prescribed a steroid cream which we use sparingly.

All of these combined have really helped. I hope it gets better.

L.