I'm finding that keeping her free of dye/scented products AND applying lotion frequently does not help her completely. Though her eczema has significantly improved and her face is no long covered in red, rash-like patches, we cannot let her wail and toss around all night because of irritated skin. So, I finally broke down tonight and ran her a warm, oatmeal bath. Let me tell you what.. It made her skin softer and more moisturized than any product we have tried!
Simple, Mess Free Instructions for Milky Oatmeal Baths
- Cut off the foot of a pantyhose.
- Fill it with plain oatmeal
and tie it off.
- Draw warm bathwater while holding the oatmeal filled pantyhose underneath it. This will create a creamy, milky bath instead of having to bathe in actual oatmeal. [Great too, but messy!]
- While baby is playing in the water, wash her with the oatmeal filled pantyhose. I ran it over her entire body, including hair.
- After washing, leave it in the bottom of the tub.
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| You can see her Eczema a little on her belly :( Not TOO bad though |
You might also be interested in this article. It has some helpful suggestions, including a diluted bleach bath to reduce Staph. Aureus on the skin (but you should find out if it's present first with a lab test).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/health/01case.html
Thankyyou for the idea, Monica. I have the same exact condition with lil man, our poor baby! Glad to inform that baby bath was great, maybe we don't have to use Cetaphil washer after all if this can help sooth his skin :-)
ReplyDeleteWe have been applying a good lotion on her skin after every bath and all her problems have been minimal. So if you take care of the bad skin, you shouldn't see many problems at all. Glad I could help. Good luck! =)
Deletemy 4 months old is suffering from eczema for 2 months, any idea how many moths before it will disappear. i will try the oatmeal bath tonight and see it for myself. thanks for sharing...
Deletehai Monica, we had to resort to the steroid cream the other day having weeping skin on his elbows (bhuuu, so sad to see it). Preferably not using it at all but don't want it to get worse either.
ReplyDeleteanyway, I had an accidental chat with a mum here that bring her kids to salt theraphy room treatment and apparently really helpful for her boys.
Having browse around about it, I think I'll try to do it at home first because I'm sure going to these therapies will be quite expensive :-)
I might try giving him bath salt plus oats for his bath & let you know the result?
PS: been dabbing lotion & cream every 1-2 hrs too, so far it's keeping his skin under controlled ;-)
Thanks for sharing! I'll have to check out that sort of treatment... when my daughter's eczema starts getting bad again, I might have to try that as well. Thanks!
DeleteHi there. I came across your blog when I was looking for natural treatment for eczema for my 4 month old baby. I will try the oatmeal bath you suggested. Thanks for this. However, I still have a few questions:
ReplyDelete1) How often did you bathe your baby with this oatmeal bath when she was suffering with eczema?
2) What lotion did you use? Did you use the same lotion on her face too? How often did you have to put lotion on her in a day?
3) Did you have to use any soaps as well? Or did you just soak her with this oatmeal bath? What about shampoo? Did you use a specific shampoo for her?
Thanks so much in advance.
Hi, thanks for reading! Sorry it took so long for the reply.
Delete1) I only give my daughter an oatmeal bath when her eczema is really bad. You will see improvement after one bath but I'll do it two or three times if needed.
2) I use Aveeno Daily Moisturizer & Aquaphor healing ointment. Basically, any unscented lotion that says helps eczema will work fine though.
3) I use Aveeno Baby Moisturizing Wash. I got a free sample from her pediatrician and it works great. We also use any unscented baby soap too. I use the body soap for her hair still at 16 months old. I will switch to an unscented shampoo soon though.
My daughter's eczema has been under control using those tips. I'm hoping it works for your baby too. =) Best of luck to you!
So we tried this with our 2.75 year old son tonight, who has suddenly developed the skin of an alligator, because he's been miserable and lotion hasn't been enough. All I can say is WOW. His skin looked a million times better after his bath, and he wasn't itchy at all. We had him "swim like a dolphin" (lay in the bottom of the tub - his terms, not ours) so he'd get a really good soak for about fifteen minutes. I can't wait to see how his skin looks in the morning.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this pragmatic approach really helped me out a lot. I wasn't sure how I was going to oatmeal him without having to then scrub the tub or make him stand still while the paste hung around (ha, have you ever tried to get a two year old to hold still?). I've shared this with all of my friends on Pinterest and Facebook, so if your site gets a lot of hits, I take payment in oatmeal and knee highs. :D (JK, of course!!)
I guess I just want to thank you for your ingenuity. It really helped us out a lot!
haha! Thank you! I'm glad it helped! Shall I convince you to try an oatmeal bath for yourself to help combat the dry winter months? =) I haven't even done that yet... but I maybe I will now!
Deletemy baby is only 3months old it is also advisable to have an oatmeal bath for her rashes? if ever its ok i dont need a cleanser? just the oatmeal and the warm water?
ReplyDelete