Have you tried everything and find yourself dealing with another flare-up? Sometimes a small change can make a big difference, so I decided to put all of those small changes in one place. I’ve tried most of these eczema treatments and tips myself ad added a few that came from other moms and dads. Many of these eczema tips can help everyone, but I started this list to share 40 eczema tips for babies and toddlers.
Each of these tips falls into a couple of categories:
- Bathing
- Skin Care
- Cleaning and Clothes
- Food Allergies and Diet
- Doctors and Medication
- Parenting Tips and Miscellaneous
There’s a lot on this list and it may be overwhelming, but keep reading and find tips to deal with overwhelm too. As long as you find something you relate to, focus on that. Tackle these tips and you’ll find your way to freedom from your eczema.
Here are 40+ eczema tips that will make a big difference in your routine.
Bathing
For us, bathing was one of the biggest aspects of change when it came to severe eczema. It remains one of the most important aspects to get right when trying to combat atopic dermatitis. If you don’t know where else to start, choose to start with bathtime.
1. Water Filter
If you have hard water, chlorine, or lots of fluoride in your tap water it can cause your child’s eczema to flare. If you can afford a better water system go for it. However, most people aren’t ready to make a big purchase. To be sure, try a water filter first. If after a couple of baths you see a difference, your water is something you’ll have to tackle to clear baby eczema.
2. Colloidal Oatmeal Bath
If you don’t see what all the fuss is about bathing, I challenge you to try a new kind of bath. Oatmeal isn’t just for snacking, but for bathing too. I love colloidal oatmeal baths because they are calming and soothes itching. Not only do oatmeal baths stop the itching they moisturize your child’s skin. I can name at least ten reasons to take an oatmeal bath tonight.
I understand, though, that oatmeal isn’t for everyone. So, if you’re not into oatmeal maybe another bath can help. The kind of bath you choose depends on the type of children’s atopic dermatitis you’re dealing with.
Here are some types of baths you can try:
- Bleach
- Epsom Salt
- Himalayan Salt
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Baking Soda
- Bath Oils
These are some of the more common baths the list can get pretty long. The key with bathing is to keep the water warm not too hot and keep bathtime short.
3. Lukewarm Water in the Shower
As I mentioned, it’s essential to keep the water in the bath lukewarm for children with a rash. This is to prevent your child’s skin from drying out. Though hot water may make you feel clean, instead of adding moisture it dries out sensitive skin.
No matter how you look at it, water is moisture. The only way to get moisture into your baby’s skin is by putting water on it. If you find you or your toddler doesn’t want to soak in a cool bath too long, try a quick lukewarm shower if you can.
A blast of warm water on the skin will feel nice, wash away toxins, and put moisture on the skin. You won’t need to step in, but for a few minutes. What you do after you get your skin wet is important, you need to moisturize immediately.
4. Stop Using Soap
When you’re bathing you’ll have to be careful about what you use to wash your skin. I found a soap that worked great for us, on most occasions. But during oatmeal baths soap was counterintuitive. The point was to soak in moisture not wash moisture away.
Our dependence on soap at every bath is a bit of a habit. If you’re only in the bath to add moisture, then why are you washing all the moisture away? Water-only baths from time to time take away the most drying element at bath time and that’s soap.
Try washing with water or moisturizing oils if you feel like you need a cleaning agent. And don’t worry you don’t have to forgo soap at every bath. We always used soap if there was a worry about a skin infection. Otherwise, bathing every day doesn’t mean adding harsh soap to the skin every time.
5. Use Bathing Suits in the Bath
For some bathtime can be less soothing than others. When you get in the bath you’re more exposed than ever. Your child may take this opportunity to scratch. If you’re the type of parent who hates bath time because of severe itching, try using wet suits in the bath.
Wash around the bathing suit as you go, moving it around as you clean. Once you clean one exposed area of skin cover your little one back up with their bathing suit. This method is for severe cases when you really can get your little one to stop scratching or when your placing wet wraps for the night.
This method is for toddlers and won’t work as well with a baby. If you are working with a baby and they don’t like baths read my 10 tips to help soothe a crying baby after bath time.
Skin Care
We need moisture all day, not just at bathtime, so it’s important to have a baby skin care routine that works. A skincare routine can include anything we put on our skin to soothe the eczema itch. Most of this advice revolves around moisturizer and what to avoid putting on your skin.
6. Wet Wrap Therapy
A wet wrap is a popular eczema treatment. The treatment is simply a piece of cloth you wet and wrap around a flare-up or thickened skin. Use these to keep your skin moisturized while you sleep and to calm sudden flare-ups. They can also be used as a reset to the skin after a long rough flare-up.
You can add a steroid cream, moisturizer, and any medication to the skin that you need. The idea is to let your skin soak overnight. Wet wraps are like a deep moisturizer for a skin condition.
Some will find that wearing wet wraps for the first time will cause itchiness, you’ll have to decide if that works for you or not. The good thing about wet wraps is you can place them on targeted areas or go full body.
For little ones, you can purchase full-body wraps that go on like pajamas.
7. Moisturize Damp Skin
Don’t let your child’s skin dry before you moisturize it. The water on your skin is the moisture you are trying to seal in.
For best results add moisturizer before you dry. If you have too much water on your skin you can pat dry. You can even rub in your favorite moisturizer first and then pat dry excess water. Water is moisture, not products.
8. Use a Cream Instead of a Lotion
While products don’t necessarily provide moisture, some choices are better than others. The right choice will help you add and seal in moisture. So with that in mind, emollients are better for sealing in moisture than lighter lotions that contain mostly water. If you use a lotion that is mostly water you will need something to seal in that moisture.
This is why some people swear by petroleum jelly and others can’t use it. If you’re blocking moisture from getting in petroleum jelly works against you. However, if you’re sealing moisture in that can be a different story.
However, if you are moisturizing damp skin like you should, there’s no need for an extra step. Use a cream on damp skin and if you must seal that in with an oil.
9. Use a Tub of Moisturizer
Sometimes the packaging of your favorite product matters. Don’t pay extra for the fancy-looking bottle with a spout. If you are looking for an emollient to seal in moisture, you don’t want too much water in your products. Moisturizers that need to travel through the sprout of a lotion bottle need more water. While tubs of moisturizer can be the thick whipped oily ingredients that you need to scoop out.
You need a tub of natural oily ingredients for itchy skin. But please, don’t forget to add your water to your skin before sealing with an eczema cream.
10. Sensitive Wipes
Wipes have a lot of chemicals on them. So do a lot of other products you would think are regulated and chemical-free. The fact is, sensitive wipes exist, which means the rest of the wipes aren’t sensitive.
Shouldn’t all wipes be sensitive?
Wouldn’t sensitive products be great for everyone’s skin?
Well, I digress, the point is, check your wipes.
You may want to switch to a sensitive wipe with fewer ingredients. Think of it this way, if you can’t use your wipe on your baby’s face do you really want to use it on a diaper rash? After all, which area is the most sensitive? Your wipes should be sensitive enough to use everywhere.
Take it a step further and use only water wipes or a rag with water on it. The rag is even better for the environment anyway.
11. All-Natural Skincare Products
Most people think products are the answer to “curing infant eczema.” Most products do more harm than good. You’ll need to take a close look at your products to be sure they don’t contain chemicals. While you should check everything around you, pay close attention to the products you put on your dry skin.
If a product has 15 ingredients in it you don’t need it. If you’re early on in your journey with too many ingredients you’ll have no idea what’s affecting your skin.
Here’s an example, shea butter has one ingredient. If you use shea butter and it doesn’t work for you, you’ll know it was the shea butter because it was the only thing you were using. Once you know shea butter doesn’t work for your little one you can eliminate all other products that contain shea butter.
This is the time to become a minimalist. Use one or two products with one or two ingredients and nothing else. Then work your way to finding your favorite.
12. Use Sunscreen Daily
Sunscreen can be tricky because you need to be sure that you find a sunscreen that works well for sensitive skin. Also, you may be worried about counteracting the vitamin D you get directly from the sun. Studies have shown that vitamin D can help improve dermatitis.
Regardless, if you know you are going to be spending a lot of time in the sun you have to protect your skin. Sunburn is dangerous for babies whether they have dermatitis or not. As long as you are careful to choose a natural sunscreen with baby-safe ingredients you can have fun in the sun with your child.
If you need help choosing, check out this sunscreen guide.
13. No Makeup
You’d be surprised to see no make-up on the list since we’re talking about children. But you’d also be surprised at how many “fun” skincare products are aimed at kids. Playing dress-up seems awesome until you take a look at the ingredients inside. For kids, be careful with makeup when it comes to Halloween and dress-up days at school.
If you just can’t seem to figure out what may be causing a breakout, look into what you may be wearing also. After all, everything you wear your little one is also being exposed to. The toxins in lipstick are enough to shock you.
While there are moms out there working on regulations, it’s a good idea to take a look at your own skincare product as well. Everything you touch your baby may come into contact with.
I don’t say this to dishearten you or to convince you to give up your favorite things. But even if you don’t have eczema symptoms, you deserve good skin care products as well. So choosing better makeup might be a treat for you and your baby.
14. Ditch Harsh Chemicals/ Fragrance (Sulfates)
So while we’re getting rid of chemicals in our makeup bag let’s just do a full sweep. Home cleaners, perfumes, laundry detergents all have chemicals may be the reason for your baby’s symptoms.
Even things like sulfates that are in everything can be bothering you. Similar to skincare products, if you do a clean sweep of harsh chemicals you may be able to figure out a little faster what the problem is. If you can narrow down your product list to one or two you’ll notice a reaction when something new is introduced. As you add in a new product pay close attention to anything new causing irritation.
Cleaning and Clothes
Laundry is important for anyone with sensitive skin, so are the fabrics you were. If you don’t know what you’re putting on your body for the majority of the day, it’s time to find out.
15. Mittens
“Don’t Scratch,” is easier said than done. Once your baby is too big for a swaddle put mittens on their hands at night to keep them from scratching. They may still rub their face, but this could help keep deep scratches at bay.
Mittens at night work for adults too. Place a moisturizing cream on your hands and cover overnight for a deep moisturizing treatment. Not sure what to moisturize with, try a one ingredient product like hemp oil.
16. Humidifier
Dry air can cause issues for eczema-prone skin if you aren’t moisturizing enough. Keep a humidifier running to help moisturize your dry skin even while you are sleeping.
Even in a naturally humid part of the world, we added a humidifier to our routine in the dry winter months. It made a big difference getting our little one to sleep at bedtime as well.
17. Air Purifier
The constant fight against airborne allergens is much simpler if you have a good air purifier with a HEPA filter. If you have allergies and pets this is a must.
Now you may be wondering if you should run a humidifier or an air purifier. This will always depend on your environment and your allergies.
Dry climates may need more humidity and an air purifier might counteract that. It all depends on how you feel. We have both ready to go depending on the weather and sudden flare-ups. This is why it’s important to base your baby’s eczema choices on them.
18. Cotton Clothing
Polyester is a no for some people with eczema. This is even more difficult when you’re choosing clothes for babies and toddlers. Don’t forget to check bed sheets and blankets as well. A cover made of polyester or wool might also be irritating to baby skin.
The best options for clothes are breathable and comfortable. If you’re not sure if a fabric is causing a flare-up, check to see if the little one is itchier in one material than another. The only way to do this is to dress the baby and observe.
Has your baby been giving you trouble when you’re dressing them? Maybe it’s because the clothes aren’t comfy.
When all else fails, one benefit to being a baby you can run around without clothes if you need to. If it’s summer and it’s too hot and itchy, let baby be free to run around in just a diaper.
19. New Laundry Detergent
Laundry can bring up a multitude of problems. The easiest fix for atopic eczema is to switch out your detergent to a chemical-free or sensitive version.
Laundry can get tricky when you learn you could have a moldy washer, hard water, and harsh chemicals all playing a big role in your skincare. If you take care of all those issues just to use the wrong laundry detergent you’re putting yourself back at square one.
Like all other chemicals, there are sensitive versions, but all-natural detergents with no sulfates are the best. If you’re worried about your laundry detergent getting your clothes clean, you may need to look into the water you have.
20. Make Your Own Cleaning Supplies
When you change your detergent, it’s natural to find other natural products as well. All-natural products that include lemongrass and essential oils can get the job done. On lockdown, I found Grove and had a ton of cleaning supplies sent to me. It was amazing and environmentally friendly.
If Grove isn’t what you’re looking for, try more all-natural solutions that you make yourself. I’ll never use oven cleaner again after finding a way to clean it myself with this recipe.
21. Dust
Eliminate dust everywhere you can before you vacuum. To clean dust, shake out curtains and wipe down surfaces with a damp cloth. No need to buy fancy dusters that claim to trap dirt, when you’re all done dusting vacuum it away. Dustimites play a huge role in an eczema flare-up, the more you can do to eliminate dust the better.
22. Breezy Clothes
Sometimes the fabric is just one issue. Your baby’s skin needs to breathe. I used to put hats on my youngest to keep the ooze from his cradle cap getting everywhere and it ended up doing more harm than good. The sweat from the hat just made the problem worse.
Letting the airflow on affected areas that have been wrapped or covered in clothing is important. If you can’t be free like a baby or you’re out in public choose clothing that is loose on the skin and can pick up a breeze.
23. Lower the Temperature
Heat causes sweat and sweat causes flare-ups. Keep your little one cool as possible in the hot weather. Especially in humid areas where the moisture may cause chaffing. You want the moisture to be absorbed by the skin barrier. You don’t want so much that it’s leaking off of you.
Heat can also cause itchiness simply from the stress and discomfort. Try to keep your baby comfortable by keeping it cool in their room at night to help them with sleep. You can always add a thin blanket while they’re sleeping if it gets too cold.
24. Deep Clean Your Couch
When was the last time you vacuumed or washed your couch?
Pet dander and dust mites love to live on couches along with the popcorn from last week. You won’t be able to deep clean your couch every day, but you should opt for a good wash every now and again. This can accompany a regular vacuuming schedule to rid the environment of pet dander. It’s something you probably don’t realize can make a big difference when it comes to severe itching.
25. Wash Curtains
Curtains are similar to couches traffic come through every day, but they can get out of sight and out of mind. If the last time you took your curtains down was when you purchased them, it may be a good time to wash them.
Couches and curtains can be tackled as a big spring cleaning project. Cleaning is a great way to start finding your eczema routine.
26. Vacuum with a HEPA Filter
When you vacuum up the dust, use a good vacuum cleaner, so you’re not sending dust mites back into the air. A HEPA filter traps dust and allergens so that you aren’t breathing them in or getting them on your skin.
Don’t stop there, every now and again you need to clean the filter so you can eliminate the allergens and keep the filter working properly.
27. Keep an Eczema Journal
I talk about journaling for food allergies a lot. In the upcoming “My Eczema Plan,” I mention keeping notes on what works and what doesn’t for the skin. If you love journals and are writing down everything anyway, make a quick note on how bath time went. You can also note if a product combination worked for your baby’s skincare routine.
A food allergy journal comes in handy. Especially, when we as parents, try to recreate the 15 steps we did that one night we got the baby to sleep a full eight hours.
28. Sanitize Stuffed Animals
Did I mention dust was bad? Dust likes to hide in places we forget about like stuffed animals.
They’re being played with regularly, so they get the regular washing treatment. But if they’re sitting up in those cute little nets you may want to steam sanitize them or wash them every now and again. If everyone is sneezing and you can’t figure out why start cleaning idle toys.
29. Call an Exterminator
One question when I went to the allergist was about bugs, simply because they carry dust with them. If you’re moving into a new home and don’t know what the bug situation is like, call an exterminator. It’ll help with the hebegebees (I hate bugs) and it will keep allergens and dust to a minimum in the home.
Food Allergies/ Diet
For us, food allergies was the biggest culprit. Examining what you are putting in your body will make a big difference in your baby’s eczema. Your particular diet may be completely different from someone else’s, but one thing that is for sure is that diet plays a huge role.
30. Drink Water
Water has a ton of benefits for eczema inside and out. I know what you’re thinking please stop telling me to drink water. It does seem like trivial information when you’ve done everything, but we need reminders. Water is moisture inside and out and drinking more water helps hydrate dry skin.
Keep in mind that baby’s under 6 months can’t drink water, so this advice is more for toddlers and moms. Besides that, you’ll find that what’s in your water is an important part of your skincare as well. Check for toxins because everything in your water ends up on your child’s skin and in their body.
31. Food Diary
A food allergy journal is the best way to find out what’s going on with your relationship to food. A log will show you a pattern of eating habits and reactions.
A food diary can point out allergies, but also foods you may have tested negative for that are causing baby eczema. If you don’t know what else to do, write everything down. Get data and take that data to your child’s pediatrician. When you go to the doctor you’ll have proof of an eczema flare up. If nothing else you’ll see that something strange is happening every time your child eats guacamole and you can take action. (I really hope you can eat guacamole btw)
32. Change Diet
This is where it gets tricky and again you’ll need to work on your own plan. But I feel I have to say it: change your diet. If it’s not working you need to do something new. For the longest time I wanted to breastfeed, but it wasn’t working. I couldn’t get enough of my son’s allergens out of my milk, but switching to a hypoallergenic formula helped.
Mom guilt is tough, but if your child needs formula, so what. If a vegan diet works better follow it. Do what you have to do for YOUR child’s needs. You just always need to be safe and try and find a doctor who can assist you in making the right choices.
33. Get Allergy-Tested
Seeing an allergist was the biggest game-changer for us. For others, it turned out to just leave more questions. Some will claim their child’s dermatologist was what made a difference for them. It goes to show with baby eczema you can’t depend on any one thing.
I land on the side of the argument that it’s better to get tested and know for sure. Even if you find out there are no allergens, you’ll still have crossed something off your list. This is another reason why allergy journals are so important. Just because cheese is causing you a problem doesn’t mean it will show up on an allergy test. However something you never thought of might. So if you have the means you should get tested, but if you can’t, talk to your doctor about what other options you have.
Doctors and Medications
I always say those famous words “talk to your doctor about…” I’m never going to recommend any specific medication because I’m not a doctor. You should speak to your doctor if you feel you need medicine. The fact is eczema can’t be cured, so you need a doctor who will listen to your experiences to find an eczema treatment that works. Most medications are a temporary fix, so be careful with what you use.
34. Talk to Your Doctor
Whether you have an allergist, a pediatric dermatologist, or a general practitioner you need a doctor you trust. If your doctor is terrible, get a new doctor. If your doctor is great, but won’t listen to you or makes you feel uncomfortable, get a new doctor.
I am fully aware that it’s not always that easy, but I say it because your doctor isn’t going to change who they are.
I’ve been there, I’ve spoken to a judgemental, nonchalant doctor. Just because they are supposed to know better doesn’t mean they do or that you’re talking to the right doctor for you.
It may make you anxious or stressed and it can be hard to change or pester your child’s pediatrician into getting the results you need. But once you’re in the right place or you finally get results it will be all worth it.
35. Allergy Medicine
We played the allergy game and lost every time. The journal showed allergies, the prick test showed allergies, and the blood test showed he was allergic in the worst way. Once we knew he had allergies everything changed. My son took Zyrtec for quite a while and it helped clear his symptoms especially in spring. Even now when his flares come back at certain times of the year his allergy medicine sometimes makes a comeback.
Your allergies can be causing a flare-up, especially if you have hay fever or allergies to cats and dogs. Talk to your doctor about daily allergy medicine like Claritin or Zyrtec.
36. Take Vitamins
We don’t do vitamins yet, but there are lots of vitamins on the market that have been studied and work well for eczema. If your little one is old enough for vitamins it may be the difference in overall health that can help clear dermatitis.
37. Probiotics
Gut health and digestion are often root causes of eczema. Sometimes underlying health issues are the reason problems show up on the skin.
There’s a direct link to using probiotics and eczema. My son used them while he was on antibiotics and his eczema rash did clear while on them. Now I wasn’t in a controlled study, and of course, the antibiotics played a role. However actual studies do show some promising things about probiotics.
For children you can find over the counter chewable tablets or powders you can add to a baby bottle. You can find them anywhere you find children’s vitamins.
38. Use a Non-Steroid
We used a topical steroid and it didn’t work for us in the long run, which is why I didn’t add them to this list. I’ll mention more about them in the “My Eczema Plan” ebook, but for now, let’s talk about what did work.
Our allergist put my son on a non-steroidal topical cream. As time progressed we only put it on when he had a serious flare-up. When he finally cleared up we never used it again. Although it’s not a steroid it had its own side effects that we wanted to avoid. To learn more about it read about my son’s eczema journey and the bathtime routine that cleared his skin.
This goes to show there are so many options beyond steroids now that work in a similar way. That being said if steroids work for you that is your journey and you shouldn’t let anyone make you feel bad about it.
Parental Advice and Misc
Other parents can give good advice sometimes as long as it’s solicited. Getting through the tough times may mean hearing some of the things they did. Here are some of the tips I get from other parents along with advice that doesn’t quite fit in any of the above categories.
39. Join a Support Group
Find a support group that fits your situation. This may be virtual or in person. I know in 2020 in-person group meet ups may not be an option, but there are several social media groups.
When choosing a group try to avoid any that make you feel worse about your choices. You’re going through enough as it is you don’t need someone telling you everything your doing is wrong.
As we find ways to reconnect with people in the future, having playdates can be an amazing experience for kids with eczema. Other parents with eczema children have a better understanding of what you are going through. It can save you from rolling your eyes after explaining for the thousandth time that eczema isn’t contagious.
40. Read up on Eczema
The thing that helped me the most through our toughest eczema nights was research. I read studies, articles, blogs, and books that mentioned eczema. It helped me figure out how to get to the bottom of our issues with eczema. It helps to know the rest of the world is still figuring it out too.
Dealing with Eczema Overwhelm
Are you feeling overwhelmed?
All this advice can be helpful if you find the one tip that clicks for you. But along the way, if you find yourself writing down 10 things you want to try, you may need to take a step back. The way to tackle all this information is to do less, not more.
Clean everything, eliminate allergens, and start with the one thing that will help you most right now. If bathtime makes you happiest do that first. If cleaning gives you a sense of calm create a weekly routine for that. Once you’ve got a rhythm move on to the next natural thing.
If you need help creating an entire plan I’m here to help. Take these tips and find your favorite, then start making an eczema plan based on no one else, but you and your little one.
The truth is I’ve got 100+ eczema tips that you can get in my emails.
For now, add this list of tips to your research as you create your baby’s routine. No little change is too small to make a big difference. Once you find the root cause your life will change and you can begin to heal.
Treating Eczema
So you’ve reached the end of the 40+ eczema skincare tips list. Did you read every tip? If you get information overload don’t worry just take it one step at a time. If you found one thing on this list to help with baby eczema then you’re off to a great start. If you already know where to start then you’re practically on your way to clearer skin.
In this article, we went over bathing, allergies, medications, and cleaning your environment. All of it is important for your eczema care. My eczema tip is if you don’t know where to start, choose bath time. Baths at night have the potential to be the most calming time of the day.
Not enough tips for you? Then I’ve got more, just tune into the Eczema Mama mailing list to see what’s next.
So have you tried the things on this list? If so, what do you need more than anything to help you on your eczema journey? Let me know in the comments below.
