Out of the first 10 words my child learnt as a toddler, one of them was “Scratch”. That is the reality of a child with eczema. These kids live in a constant state of itchiness, the moment you take their clothes off their first instinct is to start scratching. As parents it is very painful to watch a kid with eczema scratch, because when they do they go through their layers of skin like paper and within minutes they start bleeding.
This one time I was having one of those rough mom days with my kids being extra difficult. I needed to make lunch for my 2nd one who was 15 months at the time. I had to put her down on the kitchen floor for few minutes so I could quickly whip-up something for her. The moment I put her down she had a full-blown tantrum on the floor. She was crying and crawling all over as I proceeded to ignore her tantrum. Only a few minutes had passed when I looked down and was mortified to see the blood dripping down my daughter’s face. She had managed to leave small streaks on the cabinets, the floor, and even on the dishwasher. During her tantrum, she had scratched her face so much that it started bleeding and she was still scratching.
Usually kids with eczema don’t realize that they are bleeding because the intense itch masks their pain receptors. Some kids with eczema when they get angry, sad, sleepy, or hungry the first thing they may want to do is start scratching. Eczema child tantrums are very different than normal ones, because they morph into something adults may struggle to handle. Like other fellow EczeMOM’s we have had to come up with ways of dealing with this never-ending itch. Here are some tricks and tips that you can use to help your toddler.
Cold compress method
I find this method very quick for those times when your kid is having a tantrum and all you can do is hold your child’s arms so they don’t make themselves bleed. Grab a cold compress gently hold it in 3-second intervals on the area 3-4 times that your child is vigorously scratching. You can identify these areas because they are usually red and hot from the friction of them scratching. It’s a vicious cycle, the area gets very hot and causes more itchiness. The idea behind this method is using the ice to cool the area down and shock the nerves causing confusion. Usually this method causes the child to stop scratching instantly long enough for you to calm them down.
Disclaimer: Be very careful when using ice on your child’s body, do not use it for too long as you could cause damage. Do not use ice on babies less than 6 months. If you are uncomfortable with this method do not use it.
Cover the Area
Out of sight out of mind! Besides the face, cover the area that is causing them irritation. I wish I could put my kids in cute shorts or sleeveless dresses but I can’t. I buy cotton full body suits or full sleeve onesies so their legs and arms are always covered at home. A common area of irritation is around the wrist so we used old socks and cut out the finger area to cover them up. At night we put those socks on them because EczeMOMs know most of the itching happens at night. You can also find eczema gloves and similar products on Amazon. Here are some links to products I have used in the past
Oatmeal bath
A study conducted in 2012 revealed that using oatmeal as part of the bath regiment showed significant improvement in skin within 4 weeks. Colloidal oatmeal (fine oatmeal powder) is now a popular ingredient in eczema baths, creams and lotions. Colloidal oatmeal is said to help with maintaining and replenishing the skin barrier. You can buy Colloidal oatmeal products available in store and add it to the bath water for the kids to soak in[1]. Ideal soak time is 10-12 minutes, be sure to not let the kids soak for too long as their skin will start to dry out.
Topical steroids
Pediatricians don’t usually advice using steroids for kids below the age of 6 months but for toddlers over-the-counter or prescription based topical steroids are available. My first advice would be to find your child a dermatologist, they tend to be an expert in eczema care than the general pediatrician. I found out from my dermatologist that the steroid ointment recommended by my pediatrician was too strong for my child. There are few FDA approved steroids in infants as young as 3 months in cases of severe eczema. It is very important that these topical medications should be used in a few specific ways under the supervision of a Physician as like any other medications they too have side effects.
As an EczeMOM one of the issues that was a constant battle in our house was making sure once the steroid was applied in an area it was important that the kids didn’t scratch in that spot. This is because once it got on their hands it was very easy to reach their mouth. For my 4-year-old we called it the “No-touch cream”, this way she knew not to touch it. At night when she had no control of her hands we would use fine knit gloves on her hand as a safety. My 15-month-old, with him I tend to stick to applying the ointments at night right when he is sleepy and put on scratch mittens.
Clipping fingernails regularly
This is a very easy and effective step to do to keep your kids from hurting themselves. Using an infant nail clipper I cut their nails once every week, there are times when I forget or get lazy I can tell right way, because their eczema spots get bad very quickly. Be very careful when cutting their nails, it’s very easy for them to get hurt. If you have a squirmy child like my 3rd one, let them go to sleep before you cut their nails. With my 4-year-old I make it a mommy-daughter manicure routine, this way I know she will always agree to it.
Consistent bath Routine
Based on a lot of trial and error, I have landed on giving my kids a bath every other day. Daily baths were causing too much drying out but waiting more than 2 days had similar results. Our dermatologist recommended keeping them in no more than 10 mins. I found that giving them short baths every other day reduced their eczema breakouts and made them less itchy. Also, cannot stress the importance of applying eczema-safe moisturizer immediately after taking them out.
Humidifier
Eczema and dry winter air are mortal enemies, a good humidifier is an essential tool to manage eczema. You can often talk to your heating & cooling company to install a central humidifier, however they come with a hefty price tag. A cheaper and easier alternative is to buy a portable unit for your room. Ideal humidity for eczema skin is between 30-40%[2], if you want to know the humidity in your house you can also get a cheap humidity meter online that will help you measure it. Be mindful that too much humidity can be a breeding ground for mold so don’t overdo it. There are two kinds of humidifiers, a cool mist and a warm mist humidifier. Warm mist humidifier works best for my kids but terrible for mommy hairstyles.
EczeMOM tip: Be sure to regularly and thoroughly clean the humidifier as it can have mineral build up and attract bacteria.
There is no ONE solution to the eczema problem, it’s a combination of all the tips mentioned above that will help your child. You might find that some tips won’t work for you, causing you to find an alternative route. In my case, when I used the store-bought Oatmeal bath my daughter broke-out in hives so instead I decided to make my own. As a new mom to a child with eczema it can get very overwhelming to go through several websites and get all the information needed to help your child. My goal is to make that easy for you through this blog. If there are any other tips and treatments that you feel I missed or could add to the list, please do mention them in the comment section.
[1] Catherine Mack Correa, M., & Nebus, J. (2012). Management of patients with atopic dermatitis: the role of emollient therapy. Dermatology research and practice, 2012, 836931. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/836931
[2] Farhat, E., MD. (2015, February 11). Skin secrets from a dermatologist. Retrieved February 05, 2021, from https://www.allinahealth.org/healthysetgo/prevent/skin-secrets-from-a-dermatologist
