It can be hard to deal with eczema in babies, they are too small to understand that they should not scratch the rash and a parent’s heart breaks to see eczema on their small child. Nevertheless, finding eczema in babies may actually be a great way to discover other more serious issues.
Allergen Connection
One of the biggest causes of eczema in babies and even adults is allergy related. Itching symptoms can be the first sign that your child has a serious allergy going on. When you first notice infantile eczema, you should contact your physician for a baby check up. Your doctor should then talk to you about recent changes in diet, clothing, lotion or even laundry detergent. These questions are important for ruling out contact dermatitis and understanding which allergies to check for.
Asthma
Atopic dermatitis is a hereditary form of eczema and often runs in families or presents in an individual with an underlying asthma condition. This is yet another time when eczema in babies may provide an excellent opportunity to find serious medical problems before they flare up. The sooner you are aware of potential problems such as asthma the more proactive you can be with treatment options.
Prevention
Eczema in babies, children or adults can also be the result of contact allergens, which are much less concerning than asthma or a serious allergy to food like peanuts. When you and your doctor have ruled out internal allergies, you will need to watch for external ones like scented lotion, laundry detergent, body wash and even shampoo. Prevention under these circumstances requires you to find all the potential allergens and then keep your child from coming into contact with them, easier said than done in some instances.
Treatment
For young ones with moderate to severe eczema you may need to purchase over the counter or prescription hydrocortisone creams. These will sooth the itching associated with the rash until it has run its course. You can also try cool baths, oatmeal additives, anti allergy medication and non-scented everything!
