BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Food Allergies => Topic started by: DJDG's mom on November 04, 2007, 03:29:48 am
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Hi,
My daughter is 6 months old and has had eczema on and off for a month now. I am very discouraged, I can't figure out what causes the flare ups. It started on her cheeks and is now head to toe. My doctor has told me to go off dairy for 2 weeks, it's been only 2 days. She is up so much at night that I am wondering if it's the itch, I giver her Benadryl but I can't do that every night. I also would like to start her on solids, but the cereals I bought a month ago all contain milk, are there any good brands that contain no dairy products?
I bath her with colloidal oatmeal (Aveeno) and use moisturize several times a day. I just need some help on what could be causing this, she is strictly bf.
Thanks in advance!
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Hi there,
I can totally sympathise. My son had exactly the same symptoms you're describing when he was about the same age. Turns out that he's allergic to egg, nuts, shellfish and prawns, all of which I was eating on a regular basis whilst I was breastfeeding (exc for the nuts but apparently its in a lot of cooking esp if eating out). He's now bottlefed, and totally avoids these foods and he's skin so much improved. However, turns out he's also allergic to dust mites (which is everwhere!!) his skin is better but not the best. We're still working on it...It's a challenge...
So, I guess the first thing is to find out what your daughter is reacting to (it may or may not be dairy which you've already cut out) - we did this via a skin prick test. If you're still breastfeeding, you have to watch your diet - cut out dairy, seafood, nuts and egg (which are the main things to look out for apparently) until you can work out the trigger. And keep moisturising (10 times a way if you have to!). That's what I did and it did help his eczema in the end.
Hope this helps!
Annie
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I am really sorry you are going through this. I know what it is like to watch your child suffer with eczema. My son has had atopic eczema since he was 6 weeks old. THere were times where my husband and I would hold an arm and leg each to stop our son from destroying himself in the night. If we did not hear or feel him wake quick enough he would bite his arms as he could not scratch them due to the sleepsuits we put him in. James's eczema has slowly improved since we found out his major food allergies after he was RAST tested some of which we highly suspected but were told by several health professional that we were wrong and that eczema is not related to food allergies. James is also has enviromental allergies which are harder to control. There are lots of potential triggers and can be difficult working them out but here are some things that may help.
Make sure you put your daughter in 100% cotton clothing.
Only use non biological powder and use an extra rinse. ( I think all free and clear is available in Canada)
Don't use any fabric softeners.
Don't use soap to bath her, we used just plainwater at your daughters age.
Apply an emollient to her skin within 3 minutes of getting out of the bath.
Damp dust each day.
Boil wash her bedding twice a week, we often did it more frequent.
Keep her bedroom basic, don't have lots of cuddly toys in it.
If you have carpet it may be worth replacing it with solid floors like wood.
Don't use perfumes, air fresheners etc as this can cause flares.
Use water and cotton cloths for nappy changes instead of wipes. We use fragrance free wipes when we are out and about.
I would continue to eliminate dairy for at least another 4 weeks as it can take a while for the proteins to leave yours and your daughters system.
If you want to start introducing solids then I would keep it very basic. You coul try some baby rice, not sure of the brands in canada. I know that the pure baby rice in UK is dairy free. It may also be worth choosing one that is organic.
I will keep thinking and add to this if I remeber anything else.
Kelly
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WOW, Thank you both very much! I also had a dermatologist tell me that eczema is not allergy related, I just don't believe that. I know she is allergic to something. My doctor said they don't usually do allergy tests at this age, is that true? I feel so helpless, I wish I just knew what it was, just when it seems to be getting better it flares up again. Is it possible that soy milk is not good either? I don't eat shellfish, but I will cut out egg if there is no improvement in a week.
We have no carpet in the house but we do have 2 dogs and a cat. I really apreciate this advice, I've felt like I had no answers after 2 doctors and a dermatologist. She is such a good baby, I'm sure she would sleep better if it weren't for the itch. I will update if you want, I will probably also have more questions!
Truly grateful,
Tara
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Sometimes eczema isn't allergy related in which case moisturising and bathing in a soap free wash would be adequate to see an improvement (my daughter had this) -however, with our son the symptoms just kept getting worse even though I was doing all the right things which led our paediatrician to conclude that there definitely was an allergy involved as well.
As for the allergy test - my son just got his done about 3 weeks ago (he would have been 9 months old then) - he wriggled alot but otherwise did not show any discomfort. It was really good because then we knew for certain what his main allergies were (although there could be more that was not tested for). It took a lot of guesswork out!
It is really horrible to watch your child suffer - I suppose all we can do is let our babies know that we're there to help them through it...
I've attached some information sheets on milk, dust mites, egg and peanut allergies for you to have a read of - I found them really useful - hope it helps!
Annie
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Please do update us and ask as many questions as you want.
Kelly
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Hi Djdg's mom! My son, 9mths, also has eczema; has done since he was 2mths old! Jimbob has given you fab advice for eliminating a lot of the factors that can be involved. Can I add as well, that you can freeze cuddly toys for 24hrs to kill off dustmites as well?
I notice you said you're using Aveeno cream. It is lovely stuff, but didn't do much for Little Man's skin. You may want to go back to your doc & ask for something different. It's often a case of trying different creams until you find what's right. And I know you don't want to keep giving Benadryl, but believe me as we've been there several times, you don't want the eczema becoming infected because of broken skin.
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Sarah13h is right you don't want the eczema to become infected. The other thing is that if it helps your dd to get some decent sleep then it might be worth giving it to her at the moment. When my son was at his worse benadryl did nothing for him and we had to use vallergan forte in the end. If you are worried about using it too often then consult dd's pediatrician and see what they advise. Freezing cuddly toys is a good tip and one that I had forgot about, probably because I gave James's away instead of doing this.
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Try and wash with NO wasking powder for a while. Get a prescription for epaderm or other emolients with paraffin and emulsifying wax at the docs as it moisturises beautifully. Do use the corticoids but not much... cream her when she is fast asleep... attach scratch mitts to her long sleeved top (sew them on).
No batch additive (but a prescribed one) and lots of creaming right afterwards...
Try not to give her very acidy food such as lemons, oranges, peaches, etc.
When you put the heating on, put a little pot with water on it, it moisturises the air...
Good luck :-*
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And the doctor is right. very rarely is eczema allergy related, we just want to think that because it's an easy explanation. Said that in another thread today, Jenn's dietician worked for 20 years with eczema kids and only once was a case allergy related. And even this one only from the outside of the skin. When the food touched the skin, not from the inside...
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Hi Tara! I just wanted to say that my ds went through the same thing around that age, and I too was told that it was probably due to the milk based formula, and to try soy based for 2 weeks, however within days his skin was 100 times worse. I never used any scented laundry soap, perfumes, powders etc., however I did use "baby" soap every few days or so. And like you and the other moms I went crazy trying to find the answers to help my LO. I did find a great skin care company that uses ALL NATURAL and ORGANIC ingredients in all their products. The prices aren't too outrageous and a little goes a very long way... the website is www.californiababy.com The 3 main products we always have in our house is... California Baby Calming Botanical Moisturizing Cream, California Baby Calendula Cream, California Baby Super Sensitive Shampoo & Bodywash. I really only use the creams when he starts to get a "flare up", but we use the shampoo and bodywash to wash his hair and his body ONLY when needed. (if he's a real dirty little boy! ;)) Trust me we tried EVERYTHING and nothing helped until I found this website, they also sell some of their products at Target. (and NO I do not work for the company! Just a mommy who hates to see he baby uncomfortable!)
Good Luck, and I hope this helps!
xoxoxox
-Lola
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I agree that not all cases of eczema are allergy related but there is more than most medical professional would admit. My son is a prime example as his eczema flares terribly with even the slightest amount of dairy. James has multile food allergies and they all effect his eczema but some cause stomach pain and yucky nappies and also cause his face and lips to go puffy. So whilst lots of people have eczema that is not food related there are cases where it is.
DJDG's mom, how is your dd doing?
Kelly
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I think Earth's Best baby cereals do not contain any dairy and the dietician we saw confirmed this as well. We buy it from Whole Foods. Here is a link to their web site. http://www.earthsbest.com/products/cereal.php
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Hello everyone!
I haven't been on here for a few days so I just read a bunch of your replies. I can't thank you all enough for your much needed and used advice! I am still off of dairy, it's been 2 weeks, I can't say that it's made a difference but I'm not too sure. I got a prescription HC cream 1%, I apply twice daily, thin layer and I apply it with the moisturizing cream. I can say that her skin is %95 better (still rough to touch) and looks beautiful! What a relief, although I'm still not sure if it's the cream or the dairy, I suspect it's the cream because I noticed the biggest difference the day after I started with the cortisone. I am instructed to use it for a week and then see how it goes. The dairy free diet is helping me lose weight so at least something is coming out of it!!!
All of you have not only given me great advice and pointers but you've also given me some reassurance that I'm not alone. I will keep you posted as to how her skin is after I stop the cortisone this Saturday.
Much love to all of you!
Tara xox
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We found that instead of stopping completely after the advised period of use that we had to wean our son off steroid creams. You are on a mild potency so that is good. When we were down to using this strengh we went from using it twice a day to once a day. Then we cut down to every other day. After that we applied it every 2 days until we got to once a week then we stopped altogether. When we tried to go cold turkey James suffered from the rebound effect and his eczema flared worse than before. It may be something to ask the doctor about.
Kelly
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Excellent! Once it's a bit better you can use 0.5% cortisone, then even lower until you just use the moisturiser or 50/50 cream.
:-*