|
dianerene -> RE: eczema on toddler (8/28/2009 12:29:04 PM)
|
my 5 year old has had pretty nasty eczema all her life. when she was younger, she had it mostly on the backs of her knees and as she grew it spread to the insides of her elbows, the back of her neck, her armpits and, when it's really bad, the trunk of her body. I was also given a topical steroid for her treatment along with a stern warning to use it sparingly.
As a concerned mom I will say that I have not totally rid my daughter of the need for the steroid, I have found some ways to greatly reduce their use. I use nothing but Aveeno products on my little one ...
- when she is really itchy and we cant get the anti-itch lotion to work, I put her in an Aveeno oatmeal bath. she actually requests them and they work wonders!
- after every bath or shower, I coat my little one in Aveeno Skin Relief Shower and Bath Oil, then gently pat her dry so that her skin still feels oily. This alone has decreased the need for the steroid incredibly.
- every morning we use Aveeno lotion before gettng dressed, just to add a little moisture to her skin. I also keep an small bottle of Aveeno anti itch lotion for the little patches that I notice she rubs at.
I have also found a few key things that work with us. for one, eczema is caused by a lack of moisture in the skin ... oddly enough, baths decrease the moisture in our skin naturally. I reduced the number of baths she had per week and in turn the severity of the eczema was reduced. I don't let her go dirty, but if she doesn't need a bath each night, I don't give it to her. In the summer this is more difficult, especially since we have a pool, but I make sure she is rinsed off each time she gets out of the pool. we also opted for a salt water system as opposed to a chlorine run pool.
another thing that I found this year worked really well, was keeping the areas where the rashes are covered on dry days. this was hard for us this summer because of the heat, but on the dry hot days I sent my little one out in tee shirts instead of tanks to keep the rash under her arms covered. at school there were days that she went in a light fabric, long sleeved shirt to keep her elbows covered as well. since she spent mos of her day inside and in air conditioning, it wasn't as uncomfortable as it sounds. and, she could see that this was working, so she appreciated the itch free days.
finally, I keep the crusty rash exfoliated. I have a slightly rough sponge (it's called a facial Buf Puf) that I use to gently remove the crusty stuff that forms on the rash. I use it in her bath and then pay special attention to those areas when applying the oil.
But, there are some days that the steroid cannot be avoided. on those days I mix the steroid creme with lotion - 50/50 - and apply it to her skin that way. It works fast and efficiently and rarely have to apply it more than once a day and usually only have to use it for 2 mornings before the rash is under control again.
I have been doing this for 5 years and the rash behind her knees has been gone for 2 years. today we focus only on inner elbow and neck areas because those areas are exposed most often to the dry air.
I know this is lengthy, but I hope it helps. I have two children with eczema and know how hard it is to see your child suffer from the itching.
|
|
|
|