9 month old baby suffering eczema and allergies

manyhats

Mon, May 13 2013, 8:24 pm

He's had this condition from birth and despite all of his parents efforts- taking him to a # of Drs. the situation has really not improved. His cheeks have a pronounced rash. He rejects most food , will only eat butternut squash, His mothe nurses him and avoids milk and eggs b/c he is allergic to them. He does not pick up objects and put them in his mouth. This causes poor muscle tone and he will be assigned a therapist. At night he is up every 1.5 to 2 hours.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

bamamama

Mon, May 13 2013, 9:18 pm

manyhats wrote:

I have a friend whose baby improved when she cut out gluten and soy in addition to eggs and milk.

amother

Mon, May 13 2013, 9:26 pm

A few things:

a) Don't beat yourself up over this and try (I know it's hard) not to get too stressed about it. IYH, she (he?) will outgrow it to some extent. Every kid does, at least partially. There is hope. I thought my daughter was doomed to welting red cheeks but bh she really is soo much better.

ECZEMA

b) I don't know how bad the eczema is but if it's really bad, you need to treat it separately, apart from the allergies. Yes, with CORTISONE. It doesn't have to be long term but in order to help it clear up, you must use cortisone. Desonide was the one that worked for us. Twice a day for a week.

c) To keep the eczema from getting infected, bathe the child daily and add bleach to the bath, 1 capful/gallon of water. Let the child sit in the water for 15 minutes. When you take him/her out, use aquaphor or vaseline and coat the skin with it. Soak a pair of cotton pajamas in warm water, wring it out, and dress the child in it. Put a dry pair on top of the wet pajamas. Allow the child to sit in that for 20-30 minutes. Take off both pairs and put on a dry pair.

d) Aquaphor or vaseline should be used twice a day (not just for a week, ALWAYS) and cream her/him up very well with it. The drier the skin, the more it itches, the more they scratch, the worse it gets. It must be kept very well moisturized always. It really helps relieve the pain.

ALLERGIES

e) You might want to speak to a pediatrician/allergist about this. I personally believe that babies aren't getting the bulk of their nutrition from solids so for an allergic kid it's really not worth it. They don't need it and it's not necessarily good for them.

f) Is the mother staying away from ALL dairy and eggs? Not cheating even one tiny bit? That could make a big difference if those are the only two allergies. If yes, and it is confirmed that these are the child's only two allergies, it is possible that the eczema is coming from environmental factors such as detergent, soap/shampoo, mold spores, or something else. Detergents, soaps, and shampoos should all be hypoallergenic for a kid like this.

g) You don't say if allergy testing was done, though they don't always do it for children under a year. If not, there is a very good chance that the child is allergic to more than just dairy and eggs. Don't be upset at me for saying this, I truly believe that the best thing for the child would be to stop nursing and switch to a dairy- and soy-free formula such as Elecare or Neocate. Both of them make flavored versions that are more appealing to baby. This should be the baby's only source of food, no solids (see above). I'd gladly send you a can of flavored Neocate to try out or you can try calling 1800-neocate and they will probably send you a sample.

Good luck!

amother

Mon, May 13 2013, 9:45 pm

My son suffered terribly and was up at nights , his sheets had blood from scratching. Allergy testing showed eggs and some other things and I stopped it and saw no change. I gave up nursing and gave him elecare per allergist and saw how much happier he was. He was about 6 montha then and the allergist said pump so u wont lose your milk and try the formula to see how he takes it. It was the best thing I did for him. He drank formula till almost three bec he didn't have foods that he could eat. took years but you would never believe it's the same kid. My allergist couldn't believe how beautiful his skin is, he said he was one of the worst patients filled with hives and eczema when I originally brought him in. Hang in there! It's so hard when you're going through it, but don't give up. If your not happy with one doctor go on to the next.

amother

Mon, May 13 2013, 9:50 pm

amother wrote:

I'm the amother above you. I totally believe the bolded. It is so common. I also stopped foods for my daughter and it did nothing to help her.

MaBelleVie

Mon, May 13 2013, 10:09 pm

Honestly, weaning is a real leap. Why go there before exhausting other avenues? Have they tried switching their detergent to a free and clear version? Have they done allergy testing to pinpoint food allergies or others? Have they been religiously moisturizing the skin using a heavy duty moisturizer and treating any bad flares with something stronger?

Many allergic/eczema babies can be successfully nursed. I did it- once we knew what foods my ds was allergic to, I cut them out completely. Switched detergent and moisturized day and night with vaseline. His eczema BH cleared up and he was a happy baby. Eventually they all need to eat solids as well. You're not doing anyone a favor by going straight to hypoallergenic formula.

ETA A mil should never suggest to her dil to stop nursing.

mochacoffee

Mon, May 13 2013, 10:52 pm

Please be careful with elecare and neocate. My son suffers from eczema and allergies too and when I tried both those formulas my son projectile vomitted them. The formula hes been on is enfamil nutramigen. Thats the only formula he can take and its great. My son breaks out from time to time with bad eczema rashes, what I use is aveeno unscented regular baby cream OR aveeno unscented eczema baby cream mixed with baby eucirin aquephore and after a day or two there is such a difference.
Good luck, if u find any other remedies please share. Thanks.

anonymrs

Mon, May 13 2013, 10:57 pm

lovemytwins wrote:

And my daughter only tolerated Neocate. You gotta try them all and see which one works. For each kid it will be a different one.

MaBelleVie

Mon, May 13 2013, 11:23 pm

manyhats wrote:

MBV,

I also think it's not my place to tell dil to stop nursing. I will google to find out benefits dairy and soy-free formula. I would only discuss results with son and let him decide.

Would you be comfortable sharing more info?

How old was your child when he/she took allergy tests? At what age did your child start to get better? Are there lasting affects?

If these questions are too personal, I'm sorry- disregard them.

I'm going to point out again that I don't think its a good idea to bring up weaning. Going behind your dil's back doesn't make it better. Also, the aversions to food and lack of mouthing objects sounds completely unrelated. I'm glad he's getting therapy to help on that end.

My ds had eczema starting at some point between 1-2 months of age. He was tested for allergies at six months and again a year later, once he was eating mostly solids. So long as he doesn't eat the wrong foods and his sheets and clothing are washed in the right detergent he is BH great. He has sensitive skin in general so I have to be careful about proactively moisturizing if the weather is dry or cold/windy.

smss

Tue, May 14 2013, 6:50 am

MaBelleVie wrote:

agreed. reasonable or not, I know I would be fuming if my MIL ever said s/t like that to me...

ETA: or if she said it to my husband.

manyhats

Tue, May 14 2013, 10:23 am

mbv,

Regarding gs's aversion to food and lack of mouthing:
My son made the following amazing statement: "Gs seemed to figure out that the source of all his problems has to do with taking things into his mouth therefore he fights when his mom tries to feed him, vigorously shaking his head back and forth. Likewise, picking nothing up from the floor to mouth.

smss,

The mil/dil relationship frought with tension from the get go. The subject of NURSING is a definite no no. I have an open relationship with my son and I am NOT totally convinced that I CAN'T bring the subject up to him. I know full well that he will politely listen and do , in the end, exactly what he feels is best for his family.

I appreciate your answers and the time you spent conveying your messages

Isn't this week a perfect time to bring up mil/dil relationship. Happy Shavuos!

irg2013

Tue, May 14 2013, 10:56 am

I am sure that mom is very concerned about this-- I would let her take the lead.

If she asks you for advice, I think the most helpful thing would be to assist her in finding a pediatric allergist or gastroenterologist who can discuss appropriate tests and appropriate options with her. Some of the formulas mentioned are allergen (soy or dairy) free, others are "pre-digested" -- broken down into the smallest components. Babies tolerate different ones differently. Some formulas are extremely expensive and may be covered by insurance. Everyone is different, but for me going to an expert is a lot easier than trying to navigate all the options yourself and was certainly easier/more effective then putting myself through the tircha of an elimination diet without knowing what the baby was allergic to.

Superwife

Fri, May 17 2013, 12:29 am

I had a similar situation with my daughter. On top of it all, she had constant (and I mean she never didn't have one...) ear infections. I went for allergy tests by my pediatrician and all tests came back negative. I know allergies run in my family so I tried a different approach. I went to an "energy healer" who used a pendulum to test her for allergies. My mom also tested her through acupressure. Both tests came out almost exactly the same and I have discovered that my daughter is basically allergic to 90% of food on this planet, LOL! some of the allergies I would never have dreamed even existed (allergies to carrots...apples...barley...potato...almost all fruits and vegetables, certain meats, certain fish.... the list goes on) She also developed a feeding issue (probably because her stomach did not agree with these foods...). When I was nursing, I stopped eating these foods and when she started solids I re-introduced them to her. It was a bad idea. As of now, she is not eating the foods she is allergic to and her ears and eating have definitely improved. Her eczema is still a problem, but I suspect that she is eating something she shouldn't and I haven't figured out what it is yet. I definitely recommend using "alternative medicinal approach" regarding allergies. Your DIL doesn't need to ween yet. There are other options out there that work.

buzz

Fri, May 17 2013, 1:43 am

I just had my baby tested and only eggs came up, and not that bad either. I took him because his right cheek and eye were all puffed and I was convinced it was the bamba. (it wasn't!)
Anyway, from a mum who has no kids with allergies and no siblings either, B"H, what does it mean?

I still eat stuff with egg in it and nurse him 3-4 times a day, his cheek is rashy and red or more red depending, it is generally near the mouth and you see it much more when he is outdoors..

He is not up at night from it, I don't think it effects him at all, do I need to do anything?