What Triggers Eczema in Babies?

There are certain “triggers” that precipitate outbreaks of eczema in babies, toddlers and children. Once you know what these triggers are, you can make a big difference as to how often and how severe your baby’s eczema outbreaks are. If you follow Susan Clark’s advice in “Beat Eczema,” you’re unlikely to need all these tips, but many are just plain common sense anyway for babies with allergic tendencies.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
– Benjamin Franklin

Allergens:

• Infants with allergies and/or asthma have eczema much more frequently than babies without any auto-immune problems, so it’s definitely worth removing typical allergens from their environment.
• Airborne Allergens: Dust mites and pet dander are top of the list.
• Food Allergens: Common allergens are dairy and wheat.
• Unfortunately the list of potential allergens is long, so it can take time to find all your baby’s triggers. Stay with it; it’s worth the effort for sure!

Temperature and Climate:

• Extreme temperature changes seem to bring on eczema.
• In very dry climates and in our over-heated/air-conditioned homes, skin susceptible to eczema needs to be kept moisturized.
• Don’t overheat baby’s room or add too many blankets.  A cool room is best.

Rough Textures:

• Avoid clothing that chafes (especially wool).
• For toddlers, overalls work better than pants with waistbands.
• Cotton is usually better than synthetic materials.
• Lycra is often poorly tolerated in hyper-sensitive individuals.
• Cut up a soft, flannel diaper for washcloths.

Scratching:

• Eczema is “the itch that scratches,” meaning that scratching makes the rash appear.
• Cotton  mittens help keep babies from scratching. These are especially needed at night when your baby is not distracted from the itching.
• Scratching can cause infection, which is more worrisome than the eczema.

Saliva:

• Babies who are still at the drooling stage or toddlers and children who repeatedly lick around their lips will need to have their faces protected with a moisture barrier.
• Wipe wet chins and necks gently and replace moisture barrier. Babies drool on their chests, too. Change wet shirts and bibs often!

Perfumes and Chemicals:

• All creams, soaps, shampoos, lotions and moisturizers must be hypo-allergenic.
• Avoid packaged wipes. Use plain water and a little hypo-allergenic soap, if necessary.
• Your baby’s skin needs to be kept moisturized, but not with water, milk, juice, sweat or saliva. These are all “chemicals” as far as the skin is concerned. Yes, even water is a chemical. It draws moisture from the skin like crazy. That’s why your hands get so dry after doing dishes or scrubbing out the bathtub.

Urine and Feces:

• Change your baby’s or toddler’s diaper often.
• Keep baby’s folds clean.
• Wash thoroughly, but gently, and apply a hypo-allergenic diaper cream or other moisture barrier.

Sweat:

• Keep sweaty little bodies clean.
• If you have a sweaty baby that can’t tolerate frequent bathing, use a hypo-allergenic lotion cleanser.

Click here to view this information again in my “Eczema in Babies” Slideshow on YouTube.

Coming soon: more tips on Eczema in Babies and a list of topical eczema medications with their potency.

Click here to find out how to beat eczema in babies.

Tagged as: allergies, asthma, chemicals, climate, cotton clothing, dust mites, feces, hypo allergenic, laundry detergent, lotion cleanser, perfumes, pet dander, rough textures, saliva, shampoo, sweat, temperature, the itch that scratches, urine