Although there are many medicines that can prevent itchiness and the onslaught of rash-flares, most are designed for adults and children aged seven and up. The best natural remedies for baby eczema increase skin hydration and stimulate barrier repair, reducing the need for strong corticosteroids medication.
Natural Prevention for Baby Eczema
Baby eczema can manifest from birth, when the infant is three to four months old and teething or even later at 8-9 months. At first, red patches start to occur, then develop into flakes, which can be very itchy.
To keep rashes at bay, the following prevention has proved to be effective:
1. Keep the house clean. Dusts are irritants that can trigger eczema. The house must be free from dust especially the baby’s room. But in cleaning the areas in the house, avoid using cleansing detergents that contain irritating agents or those which are scented because the scent itself may be an irritant.
2. Do not overclean baby’s skin. Giving baths to babies becomes part of the going to bad ritual, it relaxes the babies especially if they love water. But babies are not very dirty that they need everyday bath. The only part that you need to be strict about your baby’s cleanliness is the part covered by the diaper. If this area is cleansed, bathe your baby at most three times a week. Every bath should also be short to avoid drying out the baby’s skin. Dryness may leave the skin vulnerable to flakes. The water must be lukewarm and the water hardness can be overcome by using Oilatum Bath Oil
3. Avoid irritants. A few common irritants are baby’s saliva drooling, and fabrics such as wool and anything made of rubber. For baby’s clothing, towels, and beddings, use organic cotton or silk. Make sure the baby wears a bib to quickly wipe off baby’s mouth when drooling.
4. Avoid processed foods. From six months onwards, your baby starts on solid foods. Feed your baby only natural food. Avoid processed foods which have additives that may cause allergic reactions to baby. Such allergies may also trigger eczema. In preparing baby’s food, use natural ingredients like homegrown or organic.
5. Only use Hypoallergenic laundry soap. In washing baby’s clothes, use mild soaps or laundry soaps formulated for sensitive skin. Avoid soaps having non-biological additives as they may leave particles on the clothes and react onto the skin when sweat comes in contact.
6. Hydrate skin from within and from outside. To keep baby skin hydrated, apply natural hypoallergenic oil moisturizers on baby’s skin after bath, before drying up with a towel. This will lock in the moisture in baby’s skin. Drinking plenty of water also help keeps the body’s required water content.
Baby’s room must also be hydrated using a warm-mist baby humidifier such as Livart warm & cool dual humidifier. The ideal humidity is between 40 and 60 per cent.
Natural Remedies for Baby Eczema
1. Organic coconut oil. Organic pure fractionated coconut oil keeps your baby’s skin moist. It especially provides relief to ultra-sensitive and dehydrated skin, and reduces inflammation. Its formulation is helpful in treating skin diseases like psoriasis and eczema.
2. Manuka honey. Produced in New Zealand by bees thriving in manuka bushes, manuka honey contain anti-bacterial like methylglyoxal, and anti-viral properties. It has hydrogen peroxide making the honey a natural antibiotic. It is used to treat eczema by directly applying the honey onto the affected skin.
3. Expose baby’s skin to mild evening sun. Take long walks or spend vacations by the seaside, mild evening sun exposure does wonders for atopic skin. Be careful to avoid sand on baby’s sensitive skin or exposure to strong winds as they dry out the skin.
Natural remedies for baby eczema should be part of the long term management of this condition.
What is your experience? Can you share some good advice?