Baby & Child Eczema: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & FAQs

Do you have a child or loved one suffering from eczema?

Are you often tired, frustrated, and exasperated because you feel helpless to calm the itch from your baby or child’s eczema?

Is your child’s periodic eczema flare-ups causing a cycle of repeat visits to the dermatologist and sleepless nights?

The topics covered in this article will help answer some questions and provide some natural alternative treatments.

Table of contents:

• Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)
• Symptoms of atopic dermatitis (baby eczema)
• Causes of atopic dermatitis in babies & children
• How do you treat eczema flare-ups in babies?
• What is the best treatment for baby eczema?
• What causes eczema on the faces of babies?
• How to treat eczema on my baby’s face?
• Will baby eczema go away with age?
• How can I treat my baby’s eczema naturally?

Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)

Eczema is used generally for any form of dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis (eczema) is a common skin condition that can occur at any age but is common in children starting from infancy. Eczema atopic dermatitis is what makes your baby or child’s dry skin, red and itchy.

Unfortunately, eczema is long-lasting (chronic) with no known cure and tends to flare up every once in a while.

Symptoms of atopic dermatitis (baby eczema)

Baby eczema usually looks like red patches of dry, scaly skin. It often crusts over and is itchy and uncomfortable for the baby. Baby eczema commonly occurs on the neck, cheeks & head.

The good news is that your baby’s eczema atopic dermatitis is not contagious.

Newborn babies often develop cradle cap, or Infantile Seborrheic Dermatitis (another type of baby eczema). It looks like yellow, greasy, or crusty patches on the baby’s scalp.

Cradle cap can be a fungal infection, possibly related to antibiotics either given to the mother before the infant’s birth or given to the infant during their 1st week.

Causes of atopic dermatitis in babies & children

It is possible for eczema symptoms to develop within the first few months of a baby’s birth.

1. Eczema is likely to develop by the lifestyle and diet of the mother before the baby was born
2. It is also commonly found that one or both parents also suffer from eczema or other allergies
3. A reaction of the baby’s sensitive skin to the hot, humid, dry, or polluted environment
4. Things that come in contact with a baby’s sensitive skin eg. baby’s clothing, bedding, bathing wash, or detergents used can cause eczema.
5. Diet and medication can cause eczema, usually due to allergic reactions

 

How do you treat eczema flare-ups in babies?

You should have these broad goals in mind

1. Strive to prevent future eczema rash by maintaining a healthy skin barrier
2. Anti-inflammatory, moisturizing skin ointments during eczema break out
3. Controlling the itch which helps reduce scratching that usually cause broken skin to be infected
4. Avoiding or managing various triggers to reduce flare-ups

The above goals will guide your actionable steps to relieve your child and baby’s skin, such as:

• Protect them by cutting their nails short.
• Investing time and patience to discover the triggers for your child’s eczema
• Perform elimination tests on clothing, toys, bedding, type of detergent used on baby’s laundry, and other products used by the baby.  Avoid harsh chemicals, fragrances, synthetic materials which are known triggers
• Stick to those brands that are agreeable to your baby’s skin and does not cause a breakout

What is the best treatment for baby eczema?

At ilovenatural.store, our mission is to make available the effective, tried & tested natural, traditional solutions of different cultures to the awareness of the masses.

We believe the world of nature that our Creator made holds creative, natural healing solutions for all of humankind. Our selection of products is rooted in proven medicinal traditions of various cultures yet supported by medical research. Our recommendation is always to try natural ways of eczema treatment.

Many have affirmed Emu Tracks emu oil products have helped their child and baby’s eczema skin condition.

1. Baby bath products from Emu Tracks, such as the specially formulated Baby Shampoo & Wash or Ultra Mild Shampoo contain emu oil offers an effective, natural and safe way to manage all kinds of eczema and skin problems.  It forms a protective barrier against environmental irritants, manages dry skin, and does not make eczema worse.
2. Pure Emu oil is also an ideal moisturizer during eczema breakout as it has powerful anti-inflammatory and superior penetrating properties. Pure Emu Oil provides soothing relief from dry, inflamed, and itchy skin.
3. Pure Emu Oil can also be taken orally in the form of capsules. For young children, it is advisable to cut the capsules and empty the content into their food, or drinks. Emu Oil contains Vitamins A, D, E, F & K2 building healthy skin, hair, nails, and heart.

What causes eczema on the faces of babies?

1. Climate. The heat and humidity of a child’s environment might cause dry and itchy, eczema skin.
2. Dust, dust mites, carpets, and stuffed toys may be the ‘friendly enemies’ to babies’ health.
3. Irritants. Baby skin is vulnerable to substances, such as soaps, bubble baths, and rough fabrics that can irritate their skin. Keep away from triggers such as chemicals, additives, artificial fragrances, and coloring present in cleaning agents.
4. Food. Children can be sensitive to certain foods, common culprits that make eczema worse are milk, egg and peanuts.
5. Sugary foods reduce immune function and usually cause inflammation

How to treat eczema on my baby’s face?

• Wean off conventional steroid treatments or replace them with natural, healthier alternatives.
• Control the environment (if possible) your child spends the most time in eg. sleep & play.
• Anticipate and reduce baby’s risk by applying topical moisturizers to protect & nourish the skin.
• Good bath practices eg. avoid water that is too hot or baths longer than 10mins, moisturize immediately and often.
• Prevent your baby from scratching their eczema rash by using mittens or seamless wear made of non-irritating materials.
• Do not rely on steroid creams, they are not for long term skin health. When older children need to be weaned off steroids, they may experience topical steroid withdrawal (TSW).

Will baby eczema go away with age?

The following are excerpts from an article written by Dr. Peter Lio, a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology and Pediatrics at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine. He is the co-founder and co-director of the Chicago Integrative Eczema Center and very passionate about finding safe treatments that work for eczema.

“Studies have demonstrated that patients who develop eczema during infancy tend to experience a greater severity during adolescence”

Hon K. L., Tsang Y. K., Poon T. C. W., Pong, N. H., Kwan, M…& Leung T. (2016). Predicting eczema severity beyond childhood. World Journal of Pediatrics. 12(1), 44-48. doi: 10.1007/s12519-015-0064-9

“Taken together, these findings seem to indicate that the process of “outgrowing eczema” is not as common as we would like to believe and that many children will continue to suffer from symptoms well into adulthood…we are still unable to confidently predict if a child or infant will clear the disease later in life.”

Atopic dermatitis has no known medical cure but you can read all the testimonials from users of Emu Tracks Emu Oil products. They have all found a natural treatment for their children with eczema on facebook.com/ilovenatural.store and https://www.ilovenatural.store/review

 

How can I treat my baby’s eczema naturally?

Earlier, we mentioned some lifestyle changes that will be beneficial to keep eczema at bay. In addition,

1. Use baby bath products specially made for managing eczema that keep skin moisturized, soothed such as Emu Tracks Emu Oil Shampoo & Wash, Ultra Mild Shampoo, Pure Emu Oil as mentioned above.
2. Apply Pure Emu Oil routinely to the skin after bath, before sleep, and whenever it itches.
3. Apply Pure Emu Oil on the dry and inflamed areas for constant protection.
4. Keeping the bedroom cool and well ventilated. Installing a humidifier may help to provide more moisture in the air to prevent dry skin.
5. Consume Pure Emu Oil orally for chronic conditions. Emu Oil capsules can be cut and squeezed into baby food, milk, or drink. Pure Emu Oil contains Omega 3,6,9 and Vitamins A, D, E, F & K2 to repair and restore skin.
6. Use a humidifier. Air conditioners or cold, dry winters can wreak havoc on a baby’s face, hands, and feet. Hazy or air pollutants are also common triggers. Avoid the outdoors in these conditions and use a good humidifier cum air purifier in a closed environment.

 

More helpful tips:

Eczema is not contagious and it is not developed because of poor hygiene. So eczema sufferers should avoid bathing for long periods and too often. Avoid especially bathing in hot water that will dry the skin further, and deplete the natural oil in the skin.

It cannot be emphasized enough to always know what your baby’s skin comes in contact with. Read product labels carefully and be familiar with some of the chemical names used. Choose chemical, synthetic coloring & fragrance-free alternatives.

Choose material and fit of clothing carefully. Make it light, airy, and loose-fitting to prevent irritation and abrasion that can aggravate a baby’s eczema skin condition.