Excema and diapers

[JTsMom]

DS2 seems to have some excema- it's on his face, and all of his diaper area, but especially in between some of the folds on his fat little thighs. His ped rec'd trying 1/2% hydrocortisone, and 7th Generation diapers, b/c she feels the cloth is irritating him.

I know nothing about excema- would switching really help? What about switching detergent or something like that? I'm using Charlies, and I use an extra rinse, then go back and rinse again. How about fabric choice? We use mostly organic cotton, but also have a little bit of fleece, and 1 Flip with the stay-dry insert, which I know is microfiber and something else.

[Trigglet]

I'm sorry that your little one has eczema - it can be really miserable. I developed it when I was pregnant and wanted to avoid steroid creams and other prescription meds, so I know a thing or two about treating it with other methods. Basically, with eczema several things are your enemy: heat, wool, perfumed lotions etc. And the things that are your friends: aquaphor, cetaphil, cerave; time without the diaper on; frequent diaper changes; perhaps try a different, non-perfumed detergent; avoid PUL and other 'plasticky' covers. I would try some natural fibre prefolds/fitteds without covers for a while and see if you can see an improvement.

When you ge your baby out of the bath, slather on one of the creams I've listed above WHILE THE SKIN IS STILL WET. This is really important as eczema is a problem with the skin not being able to maintain its own moisture barrier, so you have to try to do everything you can to restore it. It can get messy (especially if you use Aquaphor, which is the best) as it has the consistency of vaseline, but it really works.

If there seems to be itching and irritation you can use pure aloe vera gel to cool and soothe.

Hope that helps and if you need any more info you can PM.

Lizzie

[Trigglet]

Oops, meant to say that I use Crunchy Clean detergent (www.crunchyclean.com) and have never had a problem with reaction to it. I would recommend starting with a trial size of the unfragranced diaper detergent that she sells, so you can try without spending a lot of cash.

Also, I would suggest that the ped doesn't know what he/she is talking about when it comes to eczema - most of them don't. So, if you are in doubt (e.g. you think it isn't eczema, or it gets a lot worse after trying the things I've suggested), find a dermatologist, but be prepared to come away with not much more than the information I've given you, plus a prescription for stronger steroid cream. Eczema is famously difficult to diagnose and treat, and often is just a 'catch-all' term for any rash that doesn't fit any other category.

Sorry to ramble!

[Clarity]

Lori,
I have no diaper advice, but dd2 has had food allergy related eczema since she was about 2-3 months old. I just wanted to add that our dermatologist used to tell us that eczema was not typically found in the diaper area. Have you considered taking him to a dermatologist?

Definitely keep the effected areas slathered with aquafor. That's what our dermatologist recommended. OTC hydrocortizone did little to help our dd's eczema, she needs a 2.5% cream that is by prescription only. Also, I'd be really hesitant to use steroid cream on a small baby without being certain of what you're treating.

Oh, and just as an aside, if you are bf'ding, I wish I'd been FAR more cautious about what I ate once dd2's eczema appeared. Most especially I wish I'd cut out all things nut related. She's allergic to dairy, egg, peanut and tree nuts and we carry an epi-pen everywhere now. Now that her allergens have been identified her excezma is under control.

[ThreeofUs]

One other thing you might want to consider: reaction to the fabric.

My DS2 would - whenever he got warm - react to the fleece in exactly the way you're talking about. We couldn't even put him in fleece to sleep; it just made him uncomfortable....

[bubbaray]

According to our pediatric dermatologist, eczema is rarely in the diaper area. If its in the folds of skin, it sounds like a yeast infection not eczema. You will need an antifungal if that is the case, steroids won't help yeast.

[Green22]

We used 7th gneration diapers when baby was in size 1s and I found that she got cuts in her folds. I think the diaper feels too harsh for her skin. We switched to Luvs and Pampers (non dry max) and have not had that problem since.

Also, I 2nd bubba's comment - I would make sure it isn't a yeast issue.

[JTsMom]

I missed that this post got some replies- thanks guys. I was actually googling to try to find some answers and got my own post as a result. LOL

Now I'm wondering if it could be a dairy sensitivity. Here's everything I can think of that could be relevant, since I'm not sure what's going on:

-He gets a strange rash, every now and then, all over his diaper area. It looks like little bright red dots, plus a more general redness, and it looks pretty awful when it shows up. I can't seem to tie it to anything- it just pops up, lasts a while, then goes away. I've tried .5% hydrocortisone, and Triple Paste. I'm not sure if they do anything or not. It will go away after I use them for a few changes, but it also goes away if I don't. Maybe I'll try to get a pic of it and post it.

-In addition to the redness, he also has several dry patches, but they aren't red. Those are the ones that were in the folds of his skin- that's gone now, but there are still patches on his legs and arms, and behind his knees.

-He's been dealing with serious cradle cap. It's getting better, but it's still there.

-He spits up a lot. It happens many times a day- I'd guess he averages 7-10 times. Sometimes it's quite a bit, other times just a little. A few times, it's been projectile spitting.

-I'm probably drinking too much coffee, and I consume a fair amount of dairy, so it could be tied to either of those things.

-He prefers being upright. He'll only nap in his swing, or in arms. He wakes up instantly if I try to put him in the crib. We co-sleep, and he'll only sleep on his side or belly. (I know, that's terrible, but he literally won't sleep on his back at all).

-He occasionally wakes up screaming.

-He nurses pretty frequently, and needs to be burped a lot.

-When I first posted this, he had a lot of redness/rashiness on his face. I thought it was just typical baby acne, but the ped said it was excema. It coincided with the cradle cap, and has cleared up. I did put a little of the hydrocortisone on it, just in case.

-I haven't done anything differently with the diapers except to try to change him more frequently, and I've stopped using the Flip with the microfiber insert, b/c that does seem to result in a rash every time. Fleece vs. organic cotton with a Pul cover seem to both have the same 50/50, sporadic rash results.

-He's a BIG baby, and actually jumps up percentile-wise at every check up.

-He seems pretty happy most of the time. He's WAY easier than Jason was as a baby.

I think I'll cross post this in the Lounge. I'm leaning towards trying to eliminate dairy for a few weeks to see if that helps.

[ThreeofUs]

I'm leaning towards trying to eliminate dairy for a few weeks to see if that helps.

Sounds smart. GL!