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One of the most common skin conditions to affect children under the age of 5 is eczema. Childhood eczema is itchy, irritating issue can flare up in children who are just days old, or become an issue as kids start to get older. When eczema happens to a child it can cause a great deal of stress and frustration both for the child and their parents. In this article we’re going to look at how eczema shows up in children, what may be its cause, and most importantly what you can do to help provide relief, protection, and healing to your child if they are dealing with it.

How eczema starts

In most childhood eczema cases, babies experience dry, rash-like patches of itchy skin on the face and scalp. In many cases this ‘baby eczema’ heals itself as the child grows, but in some cases it sticks around. As the baby grows, the patches of eczema flare ups can move to areas like the elbows and knees as crawling happens, or legs, arms, and feet as they start to walk and become more mobile.

For most cases of childhood eczema there are times when flare ups get worse and when the whole issue seems to be a thing of the past. It’s not uncommon for parents to notice several months without a flare up only to see it creep back up again at the worst possible time. While many cases of childhood eczema go away as the child grows, some cases persist into adulthood. Learning how to identify and treat eczema issues early on can help prevent them from being a long-term issue.

What causes childhood eczema?

While there are lots of theories about what the true cause of eczema in children may be, nothing is certain just yet. The best research shows that kids who have eczema tend to be part of families where eczema has been an issue with their parents or grandparents. Eczema also seems to show up more in kids who have family members with severe allergies, food sensitivities, asthma, or inflammatory conditions. The underlying reason for this cause may be that eczema stems from the same part of the immune system where allergies, inflammation, and other sensitivities come from. In fact, many kids who have long term childhood eczema often develop asthma or other related allergies as they grow.

It’s important for parents and family members not to blame themselves when eczema shows up. No matter what the cause is, there are some effective and hassle-free things that can be done to help heal and protect itchy kids, so that they can live a happy and irritation-free life.

Treatment for eczema in babies and children

There are probably as many treatments for eczema in babies and children as there are kids who deal with it, but there are also some tried-and-true methods that many parents find helpful. Over time, you’ll find unique combinations of treatments that seem to work best for your child’s individual needs, and that’s where the real solutions begin. Here are just a few of the best known treatments that can help relieve itching and irritation while also helping the skin repair and heal itself.

Wet wrapping

This technique involves slathering specialized moisturizers on the skin and then wrapping the skin with layers of wet bandages covered by dry layers. This method helps offer super hydration to the skin that penetrates to deep levels. The more hydrated the skin is, the less likely small irritations will cause an eczema flare up

Diet journaling

Many parents find that certain foods, usually those with inflammatory qualities, cause eczema flare ups. Keeping a journal about what your child eats and when eczema flare ups happen can help you find the triggers and eliminate them without the hassle.

Dry brushing

Many parents swear by this simple method and find that it helps the skin clean, heal, strengthen, and detoxify which can prevent future flare ups. Dry brushing is done by making gentle brushes along the skin with a specialized fiber bristle brush.

Natural remedies

Coconut oil (when nut allergies aren’t present), herbal washes, homeopathic remedies, anti-inflammatory foods, and other natural remedies are gaining popularity in many homes where a child deals with eczema. These methods can be a great addition to the advice given by your child’s health specialist.

Eczema clothing for children

Most of the intense damage kids do to eczema flare ups happen at night or during times of rest. Even newly trimmed fingernails can cut skin leading to staph infections or other issues. The use of sleepers or mittens like those from Bamboo Bubby, help you target the specific scratching that kids with eczema are prone to so that further issues can be avoided.

If your family is dealing with eczema, now is the perfect time to start taking action. Learn the signs and symptoms of your child’s specific case, work with experts when possible, and start learning how to best handle flare ups.

  • my little man gets dry patches on him and i am hoping he will outgrow it

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  • oh its heart breaking to see little ones suffer this condition

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  • Only one child with this and glad he grew out of it, very hard keeping gloves on in summer. Good thing I had moved from the tropics with the heat/humidity.

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  • we get eczema in our family and its worse during summer

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  • so frustrating when nothing seems to work, I found that playing in sand flared up my daughter’s eczema.

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  • My daughter had eczema as a baby & it got worse when the weather got hotter. Thankfully she is 2 now & it seems to gone. I’ve got my fingers crossed our little man won’t get it – so far so good at 5.5 months. But if he does glad to know there are so many good ideas to help.

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  • my daughter has never had this although I have friends kids who have … not nice

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  • You truly do learn something new everyday!

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  • I’m so grateful my children have never suffered with this. My friend’s children all do

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  • my son suffered a rash on his face, used a cream which now I can’t remember the name, but it help.

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  • Will have to pass this ideas and bubby bag to someone I know who’s baby daughter who suffers badly from eczema. It must be so painful for these poor bubbas.

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  • I’m just so glad so many people have found this article useful! The eczema journey is often a really long and isolating one, so its great to be able to share what we’ve all learnt in the hope it might help someone else along the way too – Kelly x

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  • i always feel so sad for very young children with eczema as they don’t understand that they must not itch.

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  • My son suffered from eczema as a child and still has horrible episodes as an adult. I’velost track of all the creams and lotions he’s tried – none seem to work for longer than a few months.

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  • Both of my kids have suffered from mild eczema, but luckily outgrew it as they got older. It’s not very nice for babies/children or anyone to suffer

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  • I have two kids that have inherited eczema and one is in her 30s and the other in his teens and they still both get eczema..i feel sorry for them both. they have suffered all there lives 🙁

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  • Such a terrible thing to endure. I suffer from it but only mildly & my first born had it around her armpits, knees. Great advice here

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  • I had eczema as a child, then again when I was a teen. It was so bad that it is used to weep and my clothes would stick to my skin. Only things that worked was change of diet to exclude dairy and wheat and haven’t had a problem since. Have a severe allergy to peanuts also, which may be linked

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  • My son inherited my eczema poor darling

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  • My sister got this the poor thing…seems extremely irritating!

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