Eczema: bathe more? Less? What about yeast rash?

[Uno-Mom]

You folks have been my #1 reliable info source about Sprog's eczema. I asked her pedi today (2 yr appt) about bathing and her eczema outbreaks. The pedi hemmed and hawed, didn't really give a clear answer. Usually she's pretty cool, so I just moved on.

Should we do extra baths or fewer when Sprog has an outbreak? Our treatment after the bath is lots of vaseline under longjohns for bedtime. We also do the vaseline throughout the day. Our typical bath schedule is ever 2-3 days. Her eczema is fairly mild, most of the time, though it has gotten nasty a couple times.

One more question: right now she has a bad yeast infection diaper rash. We left our appointment with Nystatin cream which I believe is pretty effective. Until she heals up... does bathing help or hurt this condition?

Poor baby, it hurts so bad that she's learned a whole new skill: lying! When she poops or pees, she grabs her bottom with a worried look and says: "I'm dry and clean mommy, no no need diaper!" She really, really wants to avoid having that area touched and she'll do anything to avoid it!

[crl]

Oh poor Sprog!

I don't know about bathing and the yeast infection. I remember hearing that airing things out helps so if diaper free time is viable, that might help.

On the eczema, we found that bathing less helped. But I think I have seen some people say the opposite. We slicked ds good with aquaphor and that helped a lot.

Catherine

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

We bath every other day, the other days she gets a "wipe down". Basically a wet wash cloth that is rinsed a few times, starting with her face finishing "down under", then I quickly put her lotion on to lock in the moisture. She gets some spots that are stubborn, but the rest of her will be fine.Like she has had an eczema spot on her tummy for over a week. Can you pour water on her bottom? Or squirt warm water? We did that for diaper rash, jojoba oil worked wonder on her diaper rash. Yeast like warm and moist, so going commando is good!

[Trigglet]

When she's having an outbreak you need to soak in the tub more often, but then when she's okay again reduce the frequency. When mine was really bad (when I was pregnant) I was having twice daily 10-15 minute soaks in the tub followed by aquaphor on damp skin and then with cotton pyjamas over - ghastly feeling, but it definitely worked. It's counter intuitive, but if you basically just think that you're trying to actually get moisture into the dermis and keep it there, then it makes more sense.

Poor sprog - it's so bloody miserable, but definitely attack it hard with the luke-warm baths and aquaphor on wet skin and you should see an improvement in a couple of days.

The other thing to watch out for is staph infections, which people with eczema are much more prone to - that needs treatment with a steroid cream (ugh). And don't be surprised that the pedi didn't know how to treat eczema - many many docs don't have a clue about dermatological issues.

Good luck, and so sorry for you and your DD! :hug5:

[Avispa]

When she's having an outbreak you need to soak in the tub more often, but then when she's okay again reduce the frequency. When mine was really bad (when I was pregnant) I was having twice daily 10-15 minute soaks in the tub followed by aquaphor on damp skin and then with cotton pyjamas over - ghastly feeling, but it definitely worked. It's counter intuitive, but if you basically just think that you're trying to actually get moisture into the dermis and keep it there, then it makes more sense.
:yeahthat: more baths for eczema outbreaks, but no soap. We let DD2 soak in her bath and wash her up quickly with a tiny bit of mild soap, rinse her very well, and then out right away so that her skin gets minimal exposure to the soap. You don't want to let her soak in soapy water.

I hope she'll be feeling better real soon!

[Uno-Mom]

Well, the way things look, both Sprog an I will be home sick tomorrow. Perhaps I'll take advantage of the situation and let her have a naked day! Or, if our cold symptoms get too bad, we'll enjoy warm baths and a misty bathroom.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

Always put lotion/cream/oil on when wet. I use a fatty bath fizz on DD once a week. The coconut can be broken in two it is so rich. They help a lot.

http://www.fizzbathshop.com/index.php/moisture-bath-fizz-pack.html

[fedoragirl]

I actually did fewer baths with DD when she had eczema. I massaged her entire body with a non-fragranced oil everyday. That helped a lot. I also added oatmeal (steel cut, ground in blender) to her baths which also helped. We used CA Baby SuperSensitive soap for the few baths.
I think Nystatin is good but not the most effective. I highly recommend sitz baths in warm water and baking soda (1 tablespoon) 2-3 times a day. That REALLY helps.

[MamaMolly]

Here are the results from a Google search on Wet Wrapping. I hear it is supposed to really help. http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=eczema+wet+wrap&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

[sweetsue98]

I would say fewer baths during outbreaks. Use luke warm water since hot water will dry the skin out. Pat dry and apply lotion immediately.

[lizzywednesday]

With the yeast, ask your pediatrician if he/she wants you to add an OTC cortizone cream to the Nystatin.

We did last December for my DD and it helped to clear it very quickly.

I also used gloves to apply the cream.

FWIW, some of the mamas here have indicated in the Diapering forum that disposable wipes' solutions can contribute to yeast growth, so if you're using them, you might want to switch out to plain water instead.

ITA with the extra naked time for Sprog. If she's got a potty chair or potty seat, she might be amenable to using it instead of her diaper while she's got the yeast rash. The doggong thing is PAINFUL. (My DD screamed each and every time she peed when we were fighting her yeast rash last December.)

[Kindra178]

The latest treatment advice is lukewarm water baths every single day. Use liberal amounts of Vanicream or Aquaphor while the child is still damp, so don't dry the child completely. Do a quick pat dry. If any doctor advises otherwise on baths, they are not practicing evidence based medicine, nor are they following the latest research.

[Green22]

I have received conflicting advise.
Alergist said bath every day in warm (not too warm) water for 5-10 minutes. Ped said that a derm would say to bathe every other day. We’re in DC so we take a bath every day. I slather either CeraVe or recently, the aveeno eczema crème with oatmeal, then a layer of Vaseline. I do cortisone on her bad spots. Allergist said do cortisone until you see/feel and improvement but then take that many days off as it took to get good. Tried it, and never worked so now I just spot treat to try and prevent cracks (her hands are really bad).
Also recently bought Nordic naturals fish oil gummies – can’t report yet if that is helping or not.

Not sure what to do with the diaper rash re: bathing, but I imagine you would want to be washing off regularly with that, then slathering with the treatment crème. I also then layer Vaseline on top of anything b/c it keeps moisture in and keeps wetness out (a little). Good luck.

[Gena]

There is so much conflicting information/advice about eczema. It's maddening. I think at some point it just becomes trial and error to disocver what works best for your kid.

We've found that Aquaphor actually makes DS's eczema worse (although it's great for his lip licker’s dermatitis) and cortisone doesn't help either. We have found bathes every other day to work best for his skin. Lately we have been using Aveeno Eczema Therapy and are seeing dramatic improvement.

[Uno-Mom]

Yaaaay! We're already seeing results from the nystatin cream! Now I feel bad for not going to the doctor sooner. Sigh.

Sprog has stopped lying about her dirty diapers. She came and asked me for "doctor cream" (b/cs she got it from her doctor) and when I asked if it felt good, she said "thankyou doctor!". :)

[fumofu]

We're big fans of jojoba oil. I use it after my daily showers, I put it on DS after his bath every 3 days if his skin is fine, or every day during eczema outbreaks or whenever his skin is dry. I've also converted DH to use it on his face and up his nose because of nosebleeds and cracked skin from the dry heat - the morning after first use he said, "That oil stuff really works!" I also use liberal amounts on my thumbs when the skin cracks - ouch!

The oil gets absorbed quickly then no longer feels greasy.