My Baby's Eczema

Review of New Product! Ilumina Organics

2008-12-23T14:11:00.000-08:00

This past week I have been using on my child with eczema and myself Ilumina's Organics Head-to-Toe Baby Wash (Ilumina products are mainly for mothers and babies and include soaps, washes, and pregnant/nursing mother products to name a few). Now, I have used a lot of supposed "all natural, organic" products before and usually what I get is something half all natural or semi-all natural that doesn't seem to do much in the way of cleansing or leaves my daughter's/my skin feeling like it wasn't washed at all or very dry and I always have to try diligently not to get it near her eyes. I always test these new products on myself first, since I have used so many its very easy to tell if they will irritate her skin or not if I use them first. I was pleasantly surprised I must say. The ingredients listed on the bottle are indeed all natural and/or organic and the company even claims the bottles in which their products are placed in are 100% synthetic free so nothing potentially harmful will leach into them from the plastic. Organic washes tend to be watery and not sudsy but this wash was both. It has a pleasant natural smell and lathers up quite well. I used it in my hair first and was shocked at how soft my hair was after rinsing and combing. I have never used a baby wash product that actually made even my adult hair manageable, much less soft. It had the same effect on my daughters hair and did not irritate her eczema laden skin or eyes whatsoever and even made her skin feel hydrated and soft. I am very pleased by this product and will be trying some of their others in the coming weeks for my child and myself. If their baby wash can do this to my hair then I can't wait to see what their adult shampoo will do.

Summer Is My Favorite Season For Her....

2008-07-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

So its July and for about two months my child can touch almost anything and not break out in the dry or red patch that is eczema. She has had soft to the touch skin completely clear of anything except the occasional scratch from our new puppy. :) I can even use, (for now), regular childrens shampoo at her nana's house with no adverse reactions. Such a huge difference from the horrible dry days of winter where I can steadily apply her creams and keep her skin moist and then a few hours later her skin breaks out and starts oozing again. Sometimes nothing seems to help during that time of year, but for a few short months the both of us can rest peacefully knowing that she is neither itchy or dry. I never thought I would say this but... thank God for humidity....

Dealing With Your Child's Eczema On Vacation

2008-04-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

So it's Spring and my family and I are getting ready to go on vacation. Going on vacation with my baby who has eczema can be really difficult sometimes depending on where we go. This year we're going to Florida. If you happen to be going on vacation in a warm climate there may be some things you have to be very careful about and the same goes for those of you who go on vacation in a colder climate, say a skiing vacation for example. You should know up front in what kind of weather your baby's eczema is the worst in. My daughter's eczema happens to be the worst in cold dry weather while her skin flourishes in warm humid weather. However, I still need to be careful about the sun, as her skin is much more sensitive than most peoples skin. I have plenty of SPF lotion except for one little problem, what kind of spf lotion is not going to cause a breakout. I find Eucerin's Extra Protective Moisturizer to work the best at protecting and preventing her skin from breaking out. It's also in a spray pump making it easier to apply without all the rubbing.

On skiing type snow cold weather trips I would also recommend this moisturizer for its spf qualities. However, in the warm climates we tend to go to the beach where sand gets EVERYWHERE no matter what. You have to be especially careful with your infant or child who has eczema and rinse the sand off thoroughly without wiping. Wiping can cause the skin to breakout and be irritated by the sand. Also be sure to give them the best protective clothing you can while being careful not to get them sweating with too much clothing on. And lastly, don't forget the schedule of applying products or moisturizer and to bring your baby's special soaps, shampoos and conditioners for hotel stays or family stays with you.

All in all I'd say to remember these tips so that upon arriving back at home you have the peace you left with and not a huge breakout to now deal with. I'll let you know how my vacation with my eczema baby works out.

Dealing with the eczema around family...

2008-01-18T20:28:00.000-08:00

I find that it can be really hard sometimes to explain to family and friends that my daughter cannot have certain lotions, gels or soaps on her. My mother in law in particular loves to put Oil of Olay on her claiming that it will make her skin stop being so dry. It can be so hard sometimes to explain to her over and over again that her skin isn't dry because its lacking moisture, its dry because she has eczema caused by skin irritants. I try to tell her that what her miracle lotion containing fragrance and perfumes for starters, are whats making it worse, to no avail. After dealing with this for a few years, most people, relatives and friends are understanding. They usually won't put anything on her skin without asking, but there are those few who I think will probably never learn and must be reminded forever. I have also learned over time to be patient with these few. I know they don't intend to harm or cause my child discomfort so I try to be more understanding. So I guess that is really all the advice I have to give on that matter. The only thing I can say to you who may be feeling frustrated about this is....I feel your pain and try to be patient. Some people are well intentioned though ignorant and nothing you do will probably ever change that. Its a sad fact but maybe,just maybe if you are persistent they will get the picture one of these days.

Where did my baby get eczema?

2008-01-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

So firstly, eczema is obviously not contagious but does usually happen based on heredity. For example my daughter, baby A, has atopic dermatitis that seems to come from allergies that have developed from a mixture of her father's and my allergies. My husband, her father, has asthma and allergies to animal dander, pollen and perfumes. His skin however has no sensitivities. Now that he is an adult his skin has grown out of a mild eczema problem. I have only a few allergies to dust and cat dander. When I was a baby I had a severe case of seborrheic dermatitis. I have grown out of it but since her father and I have this combination of allergy issues, this has made it possible for my daughter to inherit this gene for skin allergies. A question was asked at thetech.org to a geneticist that addressed inheriting eczema that I found interesting. You can click here to read it. It helps a little in identifing as much as you can about your baby's eczema. It is however, important for a dermatologist to properly diagnose your baby's skin disorder if you haven't already. Here is also an article I found helpful about genetics and eczema.

Why don't I introduce myself....

2007-12-19T22:36:00.000-08:00

Hey,
My name is Brittney and I am starting this blog to document my daughter's and my journey through her baby eczema. First I will call her for this blog "Baby A". She was born just over two years ago and since being diagnosed with atopic dermatitis or baby eczema it has been a rollarcoaster finding the right way to get rid of or at least control this antagonistic affliction. Just two weeks after bringing her home from the hospital her skin on her forehead, right between her eyes, and temples became dry and crusty. I tried putting baby lotion on it but it just became oozy and she scratched it and itched it with her little newborn baby hands. It was so aweful seeing her like that. The skin doctor I took her to really wasn't of much help, he just prescribed a mild steroid cream (for a newborn baby :( for petes sake) and told me to find some lotion and soap for sensitive skin. So I went on a search and found dozens and dozens of products that supposedly heal or help baby eczema but most of them, if anything, made it worse. Errrr.... so over the past two years I have pretty much figured out how to keep this mess under control. Now my little Baby A doesn't itch and rarely has a breakout. Over the next few days and weeks I am going to give as many details as possible to tell you everything you should and NEED to know about controling or getting rid your baby's eczema completely.