Our second son has pretty bad eczema and frequent flare ups. Eczema is 80% prevention maintenance and being consistent. Once it flares up or rashes form, it’s more difficult and frustrating to treat. Eczema is nicknamed the itch that rashes, as its a cycle that starts with dry skin that gets irritated/inflamed, causing a rash. Scratching makes it worse. Its best to keep skin cool, avoid excess heat/sweating, and lock in moisture with a barrier cream like aveeno or aquaphor.

We heard from friend’s doctors that kids with eczema have higher chances of having food allergies. Many of our friends kids have both, and their doctors have performed food allergy tests after having allergic reactions. We’re still trying to get tested as our current allergist didn’t consider hives as an allergic reaction. If your kid has bad eczema and allergies, watch for asthma and wheezing as this triad goes together. Even if they haven’t had a full anaphylaxis with food like swollen throat or trouble breathing, noticeable hives should be considered a severe reaction. Some allergists have treatment programs that micro dose kids with allergies to build up tolerance.

Doctors may prescribe fluocinolone 0.01 % oil. They recommend applying this to damp skin 2x per day until skin is clear. Once clear, doctor recommended applying this once a day, every 3 days, only to sites where it tends to flare. We’ve been on the fence about using this as we heard it can thin out the skin. Below are some things recommended from both our doctor and from friends that can help.

  1. Moisturizer: apply twice a day, once before pajamas. Put in fridge for more soothing effects for flare ups. Any of the below works. There are more expensive ones that we’ve tried but they didn’t work for us.
  2. 1% hydrocortisone: use sparingly for more red/rough spots (even before you see a rash you can feel the skin get rouhger). Don’t put on face, pits, groin or any area with thin skin