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Much has been said and written about baby eczema. But, it’s still something that baffles moms and drives them insane. Caring for an itchy and restless baby is no joke. It’s heartbreaking to see your baby when she has those eczematous patches on her body.

Baby Eczema is very common. Everyone mom I know has experienced it with at least one of their babies. They all assured me it would pass with time, and it did. But, how do you deal with it in the meantime?

Both my babies had eczema. Today I am going to share with you how I dealt with baby eczema and share a miracle treatment that has worked for me.

Please remember: If your baby’s eczema is very severe, please see a doctor – preferably a skin specialist.

NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure statement here.

A little about Baby Eczema

Although your baby may have dry, itchy patches of skin most of the time, these may sometimes worsen and become inflamed, resulting in an eczematous flare-up. During a flare-up your baby may need more intensive treatment, which may include treatment with steroids.

The following are some triggers to avoid in order to prevent eczema flare-ups:

Dry skin – caused by poor skin hydration and moisturization. It can make a baby more itchy. Low humidity, especially during winters also causes dry skin.

Irritants – woolen clothes, polyester, perfumes, body soaps, and laundry soaps. These can all trigger symptoms.

Stress, Food, etc.

Baby Eczema is especially difficult to handle because they find it difficult not to scratch and scratching further aggravates the situation.

How can you soothe your baby’s eczema?

If your baby has a mild case of eczema with only a few red and dry, itchy areas, just mosturizing and keeping the skin hydrated will help. In addition, you will have to identify and eliminate all triggers in order to prevent any flare ups. This might include changing or stopping the use of some of the baby products that you currently use on your baby’s skin.

In some severe cases, doctors may recommend a steroidal cream or ointment, as well as an emollient. These are are safe if used correctly. Follow your doctors advise and use them only as recommended. When using a steroidal cream, remember to use it only on affected areas. Also, use the correct strength and quantity and no more than twice a day (unless otherwise advised by your doctor). In addition, continue to moisturize as much as needed.

Tips on soothing your baby’s eczema

1. Limit baby’s bathing time. Don’t give your baby long baths or use extra water. Also, use lukewarm water and not hot water to bathe your baby. Hot water strips the skin of oils and makes it dry out.
2. Be careful while drying off your baby after the bath. Don’t rub your baby dry. Just pat dry with a soft towel. Eczema skin can be sensitive to rough fabrics.
3. Immediately after patting dry, use an emollient moisturizer on your baby’s skin. An emollient covers the skin with a protective film and traps in moisture. While choosing a moisturizer, remember that oil based creams are better rather than an aqueous one.
4. Moisturize throughout the day. Regularly apply generous amounts of emollient moisturizer on your baby’s skin, all through the day.
5. Avoid irritants – check your detergents, baby soaps and other cosmetics that you use. In fact, you would do well to wash your baby with just water and very little or even no soap at all. Babies don’t get really dirty or grimy. Water is sufficient to keep their skin clean and healthy.

How I dealt with my baby’s eczema

With my firstborn, I didn’t know anything about baby eczema . In fact, when I first noticed the dry patches on his skin, I thought it would pass off with regular application of a moisturizer. But soon it got worse and he had a flare-up that needed treatment with steroidal ointments. Within 2 days of the treatment, the patches got better and I made sure to keep his skin well hydrated after that. I followed all the steps mentioned above and he has since outgrown his eczema.

In the case of my daughter, I was more aware. So, the minute I noticed dry patches on her skin, I took quick action. Eventually I developed a eczema treatment regimen for her. She is 10 months now and I still follow this routine every day. I haven’t noticed any white patches since then, except for some days ago when we were all sick and I neglected this routine.

My baby eczema treatment routine

1. Massage your baby with warm coconut oil (This is a traditional practice, where I come from, and helps with the eczema). I strongly recommend Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) over any other oils because, from my personal experience, it is more effective than other oils. But even regular coconut oil works fine, as long as it is from an authentic source and not refined!
2. Following the oil massage, apply a paste of plain oats on to the skin and leave it on for 15 minutes. I powder regular oats and cook to make a paste. However, you could even use colloidal oats if you don’t mind the cost!
3. Next, give your baby a bath using lukewarm water and a mild soap. I use Johnson’s Top-to-Toe baby wash. Don’t use extra soap. It’s okay if some of the oil remains on your baby’s skin.
4. Pat your baby dry with a soft towel. Don’t over dry, allow the skin to remain a bit damp.
5. Finally, apply generous amounts of an emollient moisturizer. I use Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) and have found it to be a better option as compared to any other creams that I’ve tried.
6. Apply moisturizer throughout the day, as needed.

If you have a baby that suffers from dry skin or eczema, I hope these tips will help you soothe him/her. If you try my baby eczema treatment routine, do let me know how it worked for you. And if there’s any way I can help, feel free to reach out.

You’ve got this, mama!

– Kimberly.