Author Topic: face scratching causing to wake up baby at night  (Read 10239 times)

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Offline cecilem

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face scratching causing to wake up baby at night
« on: April 03, 2009, 05:59:20 am »
I have a 3.5 month old son who can't seem to sleep through the night because he is constantly scratching his forehead with both hands.  He has a bit of dry skin patches on his forehead (which I constantly put cream on) but he is still persistently scratching his head (even in his sleep) and this causes him to wake up after we've put him down at night (after the 730pm feed).  His sleep between 730pm till the 1030 pm dream feed is therefore constantly broken up and interrupted.  He then wakes up again at 230am (can't go back to bed soundly because he starts to start the whole scratching the face routine again). 

Please help.  If anyone has had this happen to them, what did you do?  I have bought a really light cortisone cream but the nurses do NOT recommend us using this on him because of fear that he might ingest the cream via his hand (after he rubs his face).

HELP!!!

Offline jellybabe

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Re: face scratching causing to wake up baby at night
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2009, 11:05:16 am »
How about trying stratch mittens or baby mittens? And try to always make sure his nails are as short as you can get them.

Offline Canadian Evan

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Re: face scratching causing to wake up baby at night
« Reply #2 on: April 04, 2009, 00:26:44 am »
I always found mittens fell off....some of the Carter's brand sleepers have pullover mitts attached to the sleeper...they're awesome...they either sit as a cuff or fold over the hand.  They don't fall off.

Also, perhaps the babe is itching because the dry patches are bugging him.  ARe you nursing?  It could possibly be a food sensitive bugging him.

Offline ~ Vik ~

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Re: face scratching causing to wake up baby at night
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2009, 00:48:12 am »
Hi there,
It sounds like your lo has eczema. My son has eczema on his face, neck, hands, elbows, knees, and ankles, and has had it since he was about 1 week old. He too constantly scratches/rubs his face, hands and ankles in his sleep to the point of waking up. Eczema is generally a chronic condition, so it's more about managing it than curing it. We have a regime that has really helped, but it took a lot of trial and error to get here (it's only been really well managed in the last month or so). You may have to experiment to find what works for you. Here's what we do:
- when we first get him dressed in the morning I put aveeno baby cream (specifically for eczema) all over his body. I also put Spectro EczemaCare cream on all of his dry patches.
- at every diaper change I put the two creams on every area that I can easily get to (I don't get him naked every time, but I put it wherever I can)
- whenever we go out I put Vaseline on his cheeks (they are the worst) to protect them from drying out further
- at night when we put him in his sleeper I repeat my morning routine and put Vaseline on his cheeks and behind his ears, as these are where be scratches the most
- I use hydrocortisone cream (1%) to control flareups only. If I notice that a patch has gone bright red or that he's scratching at it more than usual, I put it on morning and night before the other creams until the redness goes away (this takes at most 4 or 5 applications, sometimes only 1)
That's it! It's a bit of a pain, and he doesn't much like being greased up all the time, but his skin looks a million times better than it did. If I took close up before and after pics, you wouldn't even believe it's the same kid. He does still wake himself up, but it's gone from every hour or so to only 3 or 4 times a night.
I hope that helps, and good luck!
D ~ dairy, egg, peanut/nut and mustard allergies
Proud to have breastfed for over 24 months!


Offline JJshappymum

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Re: face scratching causing to wake up baby at night
« Reply #4 on: April 06, 2009, 03:15:33 am »
Hi,

My lo is 4 mo and also scratches his face during his sleep and I can't use mittens because he likes to suck on his fingers. Have you tried changing the products you use on his skin? Maybe they are too aggressive? I use organic baby products and I don't use any mineral based oils. The pediatrician also told me that for skin conditions probiotics really help. You can find them in the pharmacy or at you natural foods store and they have brands specific for babies. I found one in a powder based form and I give him just a pinch twice a day at mealtime.

Offline mark45

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Re: face scratching causing to wake up baby at night
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2009, 12:42:59 pm »
Just to echo what has been said above: It is worth trying to reduce the amount of soad / shampoo that gets used and hopefully find a moistuizer that works for you.
« Last Edit: April 30, 2009, 13:51:39 pm by Gareth - Harvey & Theo's Dad »