Fighting My Child's Eczema

From the day my first child was born we have battled his eczema. It's not severe but it is persistent. I can't say I was surprised since I've got a number of family members with allergies, asthma and eczema. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

He was sensitive to dairy as a tiny baby but outgrew it by the time he celebrated his first birthday.

That's when we discovered the massive egg allergy. It was not respiratory in nature but the first time I gave him scrambled eggs after he turned one was quite scary (his whole body turned red and his face and ears swelled -- see photo at left). I became very skilled at baking without eggs. By the time he was two and a half he had outgrown that sensitivity. Whew!

All along the way, I've been trying to untangle the mystery of the occasional tiny patches of eczema that crop up on his arms, lower back and lower legs.

At various times I've kept a log of his diet, done some elimination diet testing, carefully reviewed what environmental allergens he's encountered. I know that some of it is hereditary, some of it is seasonal (it gets worse in the winter when the air is dry) and some of it is food-related (he doesn't handle artificial colors well).

His eczema isn't bad enough for me to put him through exhaustive (and painful) tests right now. He can decide about that for himself when he is older. For now, I just find that keeping on top of it is vitally important - dry patches that are left unaddressed quickly worsen.

I think some of my preventive measures have helped. In the winter, we use a humidifier in his bedroom. All year round, we try to eat as organically as possible. I also take precautions to keep contact allergens to a minimum:

• changing our sheets and air filters frequently and vacuuming all of our carpets weekly to reduce dust mites
• not wearing shoes inside the house so we don't track in pollen and dirt
• not having pets
• using biodegradable, unscented, dye-free laundry detergent
• using organic shampoo (Jason Natural Kids Shampoo or California Baby Shampoo) and Aquaphor Healing Ointment (especially after bath!) rather than complicated skin lotions
• using non-toxic household cleaners
• using good sunscreen (click here for a website that rates the safety and efficacy of sunscreens and other personal products)
  
• using hydrocortisone cream (1%) sparingly
• rinsing off chlorine right after swimming

Please leave a comment to share what methods you use to battle eczema!