Tips to Treat Baby Eczema

At one stage or another, your baby might have itch rashes. The problem with baby eczema is that it prompts scratching which only worsens the problem. In many cases, children born in families whose members have asthma, hay fever and other allergies are likely to get eczema.

As a parent, in order to be able to deal with the condition whenever it affects your baby, you might want to arm yourself with as much information about it as possible. itchylittleworld.com provides a great amount of information about eczema that most people probably don’t know.

Patches of dry or red skin are a common sign in children who have eczema. Although the signs can occur anywhere in a child’s body, the condition mostly affects their cheeks as well as the joint areas of their legs and arms.

How do I treat baby eczema?

The first step is always to keep the skin moisturized. Since bathing washes the natural oils off the baby’s skin, it should be minimized. Emollients can be used to reduce skin dryness and prevent skin from cracking. Emollients don’t necessarily improve the itchy areas, but they restore the protective barrier of the skin.

Here are other great tips to handle baby eczema:

1. Avoid harsh fabrics

Wool fabrics and scratchy lace should be avoided at all costs. Cotton or any other breathable fabrics that don’t irritate the baby’s skin are the best options. At the same time, you may also want to use fragrance-free detergent and soap and avoid using fabric softener.

2. Use petroleum jelly as a protective barrier

Petroleum jelly can come in handy in a situation where the baby has come or is likely to come into contact with dry winter air. If the baby gets eczema flare-ups around the mouth area, adding a barrier of petroleum jelly before meals helps reduce allergic exposure through the damaged skin. The barrier also helps protect the baby from acidic foods when they inevitably come into contact with the affected area.

3. Keep the baby cool

Sweat irritates the skin. That means that whenever your baby is sweaty, make sure you rinse the sweat as quickly as possible and then reapply moisturizer if you have to. Keeping the baby’s room cool is a good way to minimize sweating. The room should not be so cold such that you are forced to dress the baby with extra layers of clothes which will only increase perspiration.

4. Reduce the effects of scratching

Scratching the skin spurs itching. In order to minimize the damage caused by scratching, make sure that your baby’s nails are short and smooth. If most of the scratching happens at night, put some socks or cotton mittens on the hands to minimize the damage.

Although eczema is not necessarily an allergic reaction, it can be triggered by various allergens in the environment. Heat can also aggravate the condition. This is why it is so important to take the necessary precautionary measures to protect your baby from conditions that are highly likely to trigger eczema. As long as the exposure is minimized, your baby has every chance to never be affected by this condition.