One of my good friends is battling eczema with her 6 month old, solely breastfeeding child. For anyone who has suffered from this, or had a child who suffered from it, you know how hard it can be to both cure and function with. My friend has tried different dietary measures, such as taking out dairy, gluten and soy, but her little babe keeps getting worse and is quite uncomfortable.
Different homemade lotions and such have been somewhat helpful in the past (she makes a lotion bar similar to Madeon: Lotion Bars, which many have found very helpful for this skin condition), but at this point she really needs to address the root issue. And to do that she needs to find out what that root issue is!
From my own personal reading, I know that many find relief after healing their gut on a diet, like the Body Ecology Diet, or the GAPS diet. But since I haven’t personally dealt much with this issue, I feel like I am very limited in what I can recommend. But I know that many of you have dealt with this condition with success and I am hoping you have suggestions to offer.
Would you be willing to share what has helped you and what hasn’t? We would love to hear anything and everything that you think would be helpful. Thanks in advance!
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Kim
My son has battled eczema since he was a baby and not many things have worked. He has a lot of allergies but the one thing we recently found was he can’t have eggs. He sometimes still gets eggs in food and has a flare up. Even a little bit of eggs for him can make a big difference in a bad way. I have found that chandler farm body butter works great for him, plus he must be totally egg free to clear up. Hope that helps.
Tressa R
Our how family has had eczema at one point or another. My youngest sister had it especially bad. She would itch so bad that she would keep us up all night wanting us to scratch her. We would put tights on her legs and socks on her arms at night to prevent her from scratching, but they would be all bloody in the morning. The only relief she got was when my mom eliminated all artificial colors and flavors, preservatives, and certain foods she was allergic to (chocolate, peanuts, hot dogs, milk, etc). That helped the most, although she still had little bouts every now and then. 20 years later she found out that she is gluten insensitive, which was probably the missing factor in getting rid of it completely.
I had some eczema on the inside of my elbows. One time we went to California and getting in the ocean stung at first, but then after a week of being there and being in the ocean every day we noticed that my eczema was so much better. We continued to do salt water soaks when I got home and after a few months it was gone.
I currently have a different rash on my wrists, not sure what it is, but I use peppermint oil on it when the itching becomes unbearable. I don’t dilute it, just put it straight on and it relieves the itching.
I hope some of this information helps. I know how miserable the itching can be!
Susie
Peppermint essential oil is not recommended for young children, certainly not infants. It is also best to not use essential oil in neat (undiluted) form, as a general rule. And always make sure the oil is of highest quality.
Sally
Hmmm…maybe I shouldn’t try it.
Sally
My son also gets an itchy rash on his wrists. It occurs from his snow gloves and the moisture from the snow or sweat. He doesn’t like to put anything on it, but might like the peppermint oil, since it smells good. I’ll have to try this. Thanks.
Sarah
A mixture of a few drops of organic lavender oil in olive oil base (or calendula oil base) helps balance and tone the skin. It’s effective for dandruff. Especially after using a harsh tar shampoo or some thing that irritates the skin. I use a few drops rubbed into the scalp after washing.
Tina
Kimi,
All three of my children were covered with eczema as infants. My son had horrible dairy and corn allergies, my oldest dd was/is allergic to soy, dairy, egg, citrus, pork, anything
chemical- hormones, fertilizers, pesticides etc.. My youngest had the most issues,
all above allergies plus all fruits except pear, meats, seafood etc.
For the better part of 8 mos I ate pasture raised lamb, potato, olives, pear and zucchini while I nursed her. Eventually she outgrew some of the allergies, we’re now on GAPS and have had amazing progress with them all- but in our case eczema was a major indicator of food allergies. I followed the TED ( total elimination diet) from Dr. Sears and it helped us… later we found Dr. Natasha and the GAPS protocol….
but eliminating allergies was the key. In my youngest dd’s case, there wasn’t a hypoallergenic formula on the market she could have used- allergic to something in all of them, even elementals, so bf was our only option.
Tina~
Karen B
I also had to stop nursing my son, he reacted to everything I ate. He had to have pregestimil (He is 18 so I am not sure if they still make this). I also found that using pine tar soap worked. He was allergic to everything except apples, banana’s, rice and sweet potatoes. He can now eat most everything but it took until he was 10. He had the worst ecxema I ever saw. I will try to remember the other things I did. Once he stopped having the things he was allergic to his skin was beautiful. His skin wasn’t totally clear until he came off the formula. It was a long road and I didn’t think he was getting enough nutrition but he did fine. Good luck with your friend Kimi. If I think of anything else I did I will pass it on.
Cara
My son had eczema from early on. First I was able to get rid of it by eliminating any dairy from my diet (breastfeeding), but eventually we did GAPS and he was healed. It started creeping back after over a year of being gone, so we’re doing the GAPS intro again and it’s on it’s way back out. It’s been strongly tied to what he eats for us.
Jessica
Our three-year old son suffers with eczema and we have found several solutions. Each person, however, seems to have different triggers and ways to combat them. We haven’t found any food triggers to be honest. After awhile we actually hoped we would so that we would have an answer. What we know so far is that when he sweats or gets warm at all if he has anything on or close to his skin that is chemical-based (laundry detergents, flame retardent pajamas, etc.) he is going to have flare-ups. First piece of advise is to get rid of any sleeper pajamas as they probably have the flame resistent stuff on them. Next, we have found as we don’t feel we can always afford organic clothing we rely on thrifted cotton/natural fiber clothing. Since thrifted clothing has almost always been washed several times the dyes or other skin irritants seem to be absent unlike what we found in lots of new clothing. We wash any thrifted items several times as laundry detergent is a major trigger for our son. For laundry we now use either Vaska or Biokleen detergent. We also use vinegar for our softener and no dryer sheets, bleach, etc.
Other things that have worked for us–For soap/shampoo we use Dr. Bronner’s castille soap which is awesome for so many purposes (we use it as laundry detergent sometimes too). We have pretty much give up on all lotions and now use only coconut oil or in a pinch olive oil. Amazon often has great deals on Nutiva coconut oil. I also love that our son could eat it if he wanted so no worries about it being on his skin.
Good luck! It isn’t fun but it definetly put our family on a wonderful path of more natural eating and living.
Anne Marie
I agree. One of my son’s had it bad as a baby. We found that certain soaps (especially lavender or chemical based ones) caused it. I started making my own laundry soap and using less for his loads. Washed everything in hot water and double rinsed. We used a bath soap that was only coconut oil and glycerin (Sappo Hill).
Also, artificial fabric fibers (like polyester and flame resistant stuff) in clothes or bedding really got to him. It caused him to sweat and break out.
I wish I would have known about food allergies with the first. But by the 2nd, I stayed away from dairy and processed foods and had great success because my mom use to break out as a child with diary. Now he’s off of dairy and doesn’t it doesn’t seem to flair up unless we encounter processed foods.
Sarah
This was my first thought, laundry detergent!
Sarah Mercer
Please consider the GAPS diet! I had eczema for months for the first time in my life this winter that I could do nothing about. It cleared on the FIRST DAY of the intro diet! It has also significantly eased digestive symptoms and ADHD. I’m so happy that your friend has even heard about the GAPS diet and is considering it. Thanks for your post and invitation to respond. 🙂
kendra
I have a HUGE number of food and chemical allergies, and have been very careful in what to expose my son to, as well.
Considering your friend’s baby is exclusively breastfed, and removing some of the key allergens from the momma’s diet hasn’t helped so far, I would definitely suggest paying attention to what products she’s using on her baby. This includes laundry detergents, diaper wipes, shampoos, soaps, lotions, etc. MOST products contain surfactants that are allergens… cocamidapropyl betaine (goes by many names) and sodium lauryl sulfate (again, many derivative names) both cause me to break out immediately, and they are in MOST products, including diaper wipes and laundry detergents. I would recommend switching to a detergent like Charlie’s Laundry Soap (the ONLY one that doesn’t irritate my skin), a soap like Dr. Bronners or, if that’s too harsh, try Kiss My Face olive oil soap, or something similar. Try to avoid fragrances in products as well.
I’ve found Earth Mama Angel Baby’s bottom balm actually helps on my son’s eczema spots, as well as helping with diaper rash. And their shampoo/body wash is very mild as well. California Baby soap still irritated my skin.
Hope this helps. Eczema in children (or adults) is sooo frustrating and hard to pinpoint, and doctors are rarely any help! I would say just keep cutting things out until you’ve got it under control, then slowly reintroduce products until you’ve started to find a pattern.
Teresa M.
My son suffered from eczema as an infant and toddler (he’s now 4 years old), and it covered over 90% of his body. It covered his scalp, was in his ears, in his bellybutton – you name it. As result of constantly having open sores, he had several staph infections. No creams whatsoever helped him, and believe me, we tried a bunch. After a very trying journey and more than a few doctors, we learned that he suffered from food allergies. In one of our doctor’s visits, I learned that these are the top food allergens:
-egg (the #1 allergen. The rest I’m not sure of the order)
-dairy
-nuts
-soy
-fish and shellfish
-gluten
After finally being tested when he was 15 months old, we discovered that he was allergic to 15 of the 16 food items tested. That included a few of the big ones listed above plus chicken, bananas, corn, tomatoes, baker’s yeast, brewer’s yeast, and the list goes on.
If your friend is as desperate to figure things out as I was, I would suggest something a doctor recommended to us. My son and I followed it, and his skin cleared up. Go on a very strict elimination diet of only the “safe” foods, which are lamb, rice, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, apricots, pears, peaches and salt (the kind with no iodine) as the only spice. Stick to this diet for 5 days. A day or 2 doesn’t cut it, because it has to work through mom’s system and baby’s system. I had another allergy doctor tell me that he’s never known anyone who was allergic to beets, and I believe that lamb is equally as “hypoallergenic.”
If after 5 days, there’s no difference in baby’s skin, ditch it. However, if it’s helped, slowly add back in 1 food at a time allowing a few days between additions. Be very careful during this time that you do not accidentally add back in more than 1 food at a time. Like eating ketchup – it has both tomatoes and vinegar (brewer’s yeast).
I know everyone’s food allergy story is different. This was our experience. I empathize with your friend, because I remember going through initial elimination diets (only cutting out egg and dairy) and getting frustrated because he just kept getting worse. Each flare up was worse than the previous, and things really hit the accelerator when he was about 6 months. My heart goes out to her, because I know dealing with a baby who cries a lot and sleeps little worsens an already stressful situation.
As with most life trials, some good did come out of it. It forced me to turn to real foods. That was the point where I became enthusiastic about nourishing foods like bone broth, beet kvass and such.
I hope this was helpful. Love to your friend!
Teresa
Sarah Jane
Consider the possibility that it could be sugar. There are some who get eczema when their diet consists of refined sugar.
Lynda
Yes! Sugar and stress has been a key for me. However, it’s been the key long after removing the reactive foods. Just pointing out how damaging sugar can be. A couple days in row of a couple cookies is all it takes if I’m also stressed. And that’s natural sugar too, for me.
It’s stressful being a baby in pain 🙁 so any soothing along with treatment is bound to help.
Probiotics also helped me, as well as a couple colon cleanses (for mama only of course!).
I would add to Theresa M’s above that even though her doctor said 5 days was enough, it’s not in all cases. It takes 4 days *minimum* for food to leave your system, so if your baby is still getting some on that fourth day, it can potentially take another 4 days. I’m no doctor, so take this for what it’s worth, but if it was me, I’d give it 10 days before ditching the “safe” diet.
Poor little one! Good luck to your friend.
slawebb
I know it isn’t ideal, but after trying a lot of stuff and spending a lot of money my dd had a very severe reaction to tahini. Never would have guessed that one. But her face swelled up, it was scary. We ended up having her scratch tested with an allergist. I then eliminated those foods for 2 years and she is almost completely allergy free now. She had severe eczema basically from birth. She had bleeding, itchy arms, hands, feet and legs as well as a rash on her face. She also had an egg , dairy, beef and nut allergy.
ScarlettK
I have recently discovered baltic amber. http://www.hazelaid.com/C_Testimonials_Skin_Ailments.html
I’m not affiliated with them in any way. I had heard about the amber then ordered a necklace for myself. I have been very impressed with it! Maybe it could help.
Megan
Eliminate allergenic foods and sugar! This has really helped my nephew and my 15 month old. Also, we use Robathol Bath Oil which has been really wonderful, as well as Shikaii brand Robathol lotion from their children’s line. For bad spots I cover with 1% hydrocortisone cream then some Vanicream. Don’t dry them off too much after a bath, just pat dry and get lotioned up! Sometimes I give her Benadryl before bed when she seems particularly itchy.
kelly c
my daughter suffered terribly from eczema starting as a very your baby.
we took her all over until we found an allergist that was able to explain how eczema is linked with allergies and asthma.
eggs and wheat are two major eczema allergies. our daughter is also allergic to some fresh fruits/ vegs as well as nuts.
laundry detergents caused eczema flare ups for our daughter (watch what grandma washes a pack n play crib sheet in if staying there!). too much sun. chlorine (in a pool.) any kind of soap or lotion with fragrances.
one thing was we were going to go broke if we kept buying all the “special eczema” lotions and soaps. 🙂 many of them are not so helpful.
for us using Crisco and slabbing it all over our girlie worked wonders. it can get messy, but cleared her skin.
note: the steroids can def have a place in bringing baby to place of comfort, BUT over time they thin the skin and it is not good for continual use. your friend may already know that, but it was good for us to learn and use it only as a 10000% last resort. our girlie would bleed it was so bad.
anyway, our daughter has amazing skin now with just the occasional flare up. we have changed how we roll (no pools, no eggs in foods, etc) for her & it has well served her.
one last thing, God is sovereign over our littles and has created them as is. 🙂 hopeful your friend can rest in that Truth as she serves her baby and seeks to find answers.
1001petals
As you can see above, different things affect different babies. We are just at the tail end, I think, of dealing with it. Actually, most cases of infant eczema are temporary and not due to food allergies. From my research, if it’s a food allergy it can become quite severe.
I also did an elimination diet, cutting out wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, shellfish and nuts but I don’t think it was any of those as I’ve gone back on them all now, one by one, and his eczema hasn’t flared up badly at all (it is hardly there at all, now.) Dairy is by far the #1 trigger, if the eczema is due to an allergy.
We already use very low-toxic/natural products and I dress my son in 100% cotton so I knew it couldn’t be that — but I had taken to using mainstream disposable diapers and one woman told me her son got eczema whenever she put him in them. So we switched to using cloth most of the time, 7th generation diapers otherwise. I did stop using the organic baby shampoo on him though and switched from pure goat’s milk soap to Dr. Bronner’s baby castile soap. I also put some jojoba oil in the bath. And I hate to use it because it does contain parabens, but applying Aveeno’s eczema cream to him twice a day, once right after the bath, then again several hours later, has helped more than any other natural cream/emollient/oil.
Lastly, I keep a humidifier on a few hours at a time everyday. I get eczema from time to time and for me it is entirely related to being moisturized enough so I suspect my son is like that as well, perhaps with a sensitivity to disposable diapers (harsh chemicals) and dairy (I have yet to go back to drinking milk but will eat some cheese everyday.)
It really is a matter of trying everything and seeing what works. What makes it especially hard is that the flare-ups come and go and it may be hard to pinpoint an exact cause, or causes as I don’t think it’s always that simple.
Good luck to your friend!
Cory
My son had eczema as well. We have a pretty allergic family history – but not of foods, mostly hay fever and animal dander. That’s why it was sooooo hard for us to pinpoint! He had a rash like a friend’s baby did, who was allergic to peanuts and eggs, so I was terrified of starting my son on solids. I tried eliminating eggs and dairy from my diet, to no avail. California Baby eczema cream worked wonders, but never fully got rid of it. Eventually we pinpointed it as we carefully started solids, and it was caused by….carrots! Most Americans aren’t allergic to carrots, but the internet has it that 25% of Europeans are! Thing is, I have a very slight quasi-allergy to carrots, along with a couple other raw foods. It made sense once I thought about it.
So my advice, if you want to avoid the confines of a strict elimination diet, is to think about what other allergies you might have in your family. Does someone get gassy after eating oats? Try cutting that out. Does peeling potatoes give you itchy hands? Cut that one too. Apples make you feel bloated? Out they go. You get the idea. Also look for a pattern. My son got worse every Sunday – and I tended to serve homemade soups for dinner on Friday. In which I of course used carrots. If it seems like there’s a pattern, try keeping a diary and writing down EVERY ingredient. I might have caught my son’s trigger earlier if I had.
Bonny
My mom had rosacea and eczema for her whole life that have cleared up completely on the GAPS diet. Good luck to your friend!
Sonia
I have heard cutting out sugar can help.
hobby baker
My daughter has eczema from about 18months on. Before we figured out her food sensitivities, I had luck reducing the rashes by about 50% with calendula cream. Corn is a big one, and even more difficult to avoid than soy because it can be hidden in so many forms. Also consider cutting laundry detergent use in half at least, most people use too much anyway. My kids are super sensitive to chemicals. I switched to specialty non allergy provoking shampoos and soaps with all natural, organic and herbal based ingredients, though the kids don’t need shampoo but once a month or so. I use baking soda and vinegar for cleaning and fabric softening. And all new clothes must be washed before wearing unless I want a serious chemical burn rash on them. We have gotten the eczema about 90% controlled with diet. Now considering GAPS to heal her the rest of the way and strengthen the body’s own resistance.
nancy broyles
I wish I had done an elimination diet while nursing. It is much easier for an adult to do than a toddler who sees every body else eating what they want. I was advised to make a paste of probiotics and water and put it on my nipple while the baby nursed. Mom should take a double dose of a multi vitamin high in magnesium and zinc to fight deficiencies. Most people with eczema are deficient in EFAs. We have had the best luck with a double dose of Evening Primrose Oil. How to get that in the baby, I don’t know. Get rid of all soaps and chemicals in the house. It could be an allergy to sls which can get on baby from soap/shampoo of others in the house. No perfume on mom or dad including deoderant. Make your own laundry detergent. Forget over the counter lotions. Use coconut/palm/olive/sunflower oil. Keep in mind the baby could be allergic to the food based lotions as well. Run a humidifier in baby’s room. We had great luck with emu oil used topically. Best of luck!
Mary
My dd who is now 8 suffered from eczema from about 3 mos of age on. She was also a breastfed baby. We never found any foods that contributed to it and had only limited success with home made lotions and creams. After a lot of trial and error we found that only bathing her 1 time per week unless she really needed it worked the best to control her eczema, even now if she bathes more than a couple of times a week the eczema comes back. We also avoid any scented body products and laundry soaps. We do use a prescribed steroid type medication from the doctor as a last resort when it is flaring up but only need it about once every 2 months or so. Good luck to your friend.
Rachel
I agree with all the above…check diet and chemicals being used on the skin. My daughter had it for several years. Diet didn’t make a difference, but lotions, detergents, and soaps did. We do all fragrance-free and natural now and it’s helped us all. BUT I also have to share the best lotion that worked wonders for our daughter (after we had tried SO many things), since I am surprised no one else has mentioned it yet!! We have passed it on to many friends and they all say when nothing else worked, it was a wonder: Aquaphor (by Eucerin) Healing Ointment Advanced Therapy. It is also fragrance free, which is a must in our home due to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (me). It has cleared up my daughter so many times, as well as my mother-in-law who has tried everything for her own constant itching and bleeding (even prescription ointments and medications) to clear her skin up.
cirelo
Polyester for my son, took forever to figure it out, I was sure it was food related but I was wrong.
Kathryn Niflis Johnson
DON’T use steroid cream!!!
Netty
Good luck to your friend! I have two things to share:
1. Nourishing Days Blog just ran a giveaway last week from another blogger who created a class about going on GAPS and how it healed her food allergies/sensitivities. You might want to check it out:
http://realfoodmedia.com/foodallergies/?AFFID=40772
2. Acupuncture is awesome for all kinds of things! You can find a GREAT acupuncturist by looking here: http://www.tai.edu/Practitioners.aspx
It’s not a TCM style school…it uses 5-elements style acupuncture which is more emotional and I’ve found, much more beneficial. (As I understand it, the style is older than TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine).) Often the practitioner would use magnets on a baby…not needles.
Good luck! Allergies are never fun. –Annette
Melle
My granddaughter had this issue from when she was tiny. She’s 3 now. We find using Evening Primrose Oil externally helps, also Kerry’s Herbals Miracle Salve, and nothing with parabens, fragrance, nothing drying. Perhaps EPO would help internally too. We believe she has a dust mite allergy that worsens things. Perhaps a clean, clean diet for mom, and a very clean external environment for baby (no dyes-fragrances etc, allergy prevention in the sleep environment, only softest cotton next to the skin, etc). Hope this helps. Good luck to mom and baby!
Georgia
My daughter had an itchy red rash on her cheeks from about 7 months until after 12 months, while I was still nursing her. It spread all over her face and hands and started appearing all over her body. She would wake at night from itching. I kept it moist with lotions (calendula based) and that helped. I thought it was a dairy allergy and eliminated that from my diet, but her rash didn’t completely go away until after she stopped nursing. Months later I discovered the rash reappeared when she ate orange or drank orange juice (also when she ate pineapple). Now she drinks milk with no problem, but I keep her off any citrus and her skin is clear as can be. My husband had the same reaction when his mother ate oranges during the time he was a nursing baby.
Karen C.
My advice would be to make sure she is TRULY eliminating the foods in question. So many people think they go on an elimination diet, yet do not eliminate the sources completely. Examples — an acquaintance said she eliminated dairy yet still ate pizza. forgot cheese = dairy. Sleep deprivation can do that to any mom! Also, another friend was eating sausages and they had casein. TED can be close to impossible if one is eating pre-prepared and processed foods.
umatji
manuka honey is amazing – little babies can have small amounts and the mum can have more and you can also put it straight on the skin. our second still has problems but was awful when he was little. We use no chemicals in our home, all whole food – me and him cut out wheat, dairy, sugar, all processed foods, caffeine and also went low fructose that helped. he had socks on his hands all the time and also at night we would cream him up (body shop hemp cream is great – bizarre but a super super moisturiser or other hemp based creams) and then bandage him – or wet wrap (stockings that have been wet then wrung out ) and keep them on all night. Definitely moisturise a minimum of 4 times a day all over or the skin turns into a seive and lets all the irritantst through. Low irritant wash powder in small amounts and if you can organic clothes and sheets – and all cotton. All these factors helped but the biggest one was keep clean and keep moisturised ALL DAY EVERY DAY – even when it starts to get better.
good luck
Karen B
Yes, the honey is amazing.
Jean
My daughter’s eczema started the day I introduced solids. She was exclusively breastfed until about 5 months, then fed some pureed vegetables and rice/oats, which eventually led to her developing food allergies. Once she developed the food allergies, I was unable to eat them myself, because the allergen would be present in my breastmilk and would trigger her eczema.
My advice would be delay the introduction of solids as long as possible, and then introduce foods that are least allergenic, fully cooked and pureed, through a testing process. This book was a godsend for me: http://www.allergynutrition.com/pages/p45/dealing_with_food_allergies_in_babies_and_children.php
That website has great articles on the allergenicity of foods, how to introduce foods to infants, etc.
On top of being especially careful with the introduction of solids, I would say probiotic supplements really helped, too. Even when I took them myself and they got to my daughter through breastmilk. Every bit helps.
Carol
I sufferede with excema up until my 30’s. All the above info is good. My mother used to give me oatmeal baths. You disoolved this oatmeal powder in the water. Very soothing. The brand we used was aveeno. Good luck.
Helen
The mother needs to clean up her diet by following this plan:
This is information from http://www.knowthecause.com
!. All sugars excluded, nada, net, nothing with sugar
2. Artificial and herbal sweeteners: Only Stevia and Stevia Plus are allowed
3. Fruits: Green apples, berries, avocados, grapefruit, lemons, limes and fresh coconut and the water/juice from coconut. No other fruit is allowed, including fruit juices.
4. Meat: Virtually all meats, including fish, poultry and beef. If you can buy organic grass fed meats. Uncured bacon is okay.
5. Eggs: Yes, all types allowed, organic grass fed/free range is best. Avoid egg substitutes
6. Dairy: Butter and yogurt, ( organic is best) sparingly: cream cheese, organic, sunsweetened whipping cream and organic real sour cream. All other, including margarine and any of the butter substitutes. Whole Foods has an organic greek-style yogurt that is excellent.
7. Vegetables, Most fresh, unblemished vegetables and freshly made vegetable juice. Drink daily 8-10oz of fresh carrot juice with 1/2 teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar. NO, potatoes and no beans or peas.
8. Beverages: Bottled or filtered water, non fruity, herb teas, Stevia-sweetened, fresh lemonage or lime-aide. No coffee and tea including decaf and regular or diet sodas
9. Grains: Zero grains allowed. Pasta, rice, corn, wheat, quinoa, amaranth, millet, buckwheat, oats and barley.
10. Yeast Products: No yeast allowed All are excluded, as are bread, mushrooms, pasteries and alcohol.
11. Vinegars: Unpasteurized apple cider raw vinegar, black olives not aged in vinegar. No pickles, salad dressings, green olives and soy sauce.
12, Oils: Olive, grape or flax seed and virgin coconut. Coldpressed is best and organic. No Partially-hydrogenated (“trans”0 oils, corn and peanut oil
13, Nuts: Raw nuts, including pecans, almonds, walnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds No peanuts and all peanut products and pistachios are excluded.
Also take a good priobotic daily along with a psyllum powder. Remember everything written in red is not allowed !
Extra recipe. Buy some coconut water/juice at Whole Foods, then throw in a couple of handfuls of raw almonds into your blender and grind up. Then pour in the coconut water and blend. Delicious!!!! You can also add either strawberries or blueberries for an extra treat.
Michelle
My daughter had all kinds of skin issues and behavioral issues related to food while breastfeeding and even now, after she has stopped. It has gotten much better as she has gotten older but it was very tough there for awhile. I would check into possible food intolerance again – I kept a strict journal and pretty much eliminated everything from my diet. What it actually ended up being was an intolerance to corn and salicylates which took me a very long time to figure out.
We’ve always used California Baby soap on her but recently switched and her skin got alot better with Hugo Naturals Baby. It’s more expensive but worth it in my opinion! I found it at Whole Foods.
Best of luck to her!
Andrea
I had the exact same problem. It drove me crazy for months. Finally, I took my daughter to a Chinese medicine doctor. He tested her and found out she was allergic to corn, soy, gluten, and peanuts through my milk. I stayed off these foods for months, gave her Lian quao bia diu to help cleanse her, and probiotics, and now I can eat those foods again without her reacting. However, I have recently read that if a baby is reacting to those foods through your milk, then you are allergic to those foods as well. They are getting your antibodies through the milk. So maybe my body just stopped producing antibodies from being off those foods, or maybe her immune system matured – I don’t know. She has a host of other allergies to foods directly consumed, so we have had her on GAPS for the past 8 months, but I have seen no improvements in food sensitivities yet. It’s quite frustrating. At least her eczema is gone. I think the first step would be for your friends baby to be tested – elimination diets are too tricky and frustrating.
Courtney Engle
I’ve treated my own with a glyconutrient supplement. While controversial, I’ve found results. I also avoid food coloring entirely. http://www.mannatechscience.org/home/publications#amb
Kristina
Here’s what worked for my baby: After cool baths, I put Vanicream on his skin. This did most of the work; it’s really terrific stuff – free of the bad stuff in most creams. In fact, it’s used by pharmacists as a base for cream medicines. Use Dove bar soap (the old fashioned kind, without the stripes) for bathing.
We also used over the counter Cortizone 10 for a few weeks to get the eczema under control. You can also make a list of everything the breastfeeding mom eats. Then, one thing at a time, she can stop eating a food to see if it makes a difference. If it seems to make a difference after a couple of days, she should eat it again to see if the baby’s skin worsens. With my first born, dairy was the culprit. As long as I didn’t eat it, she was fine.
You can also use All Free & Clear laundry detergent; it’s the ONLY one our allergy specialist recommends – although that made no difference for us.
Sarah Bearden
Traditional Naturopaths always equated eczema with a “stagnant liver”. Food allergies are a definite possibility as everyone has mentioned. Lately I have been in discussion with a Naturopath regarding all the vaccinations that babies get. Some of these substances are grown on egg albumin (white). We feel this is why we are seeing so many egg allergies or food sensitivities to egg now. (Mothers are dutifully avoiding solid foods with their babies while doctors are injecting egg white components directly into their immature immune systems). Regarding the liver possibility: maybe she could consult with a professional herbalist to do a gentle and safe liver cleanse to clenase her own liver since she is breastfeeding her child.
jennifer
I havent read through all the response but I just wanted to mention that Unrefined Shea Butter is great for eczema. Especially if you’ve gone through possibly links between allergies and such. I make it for our family with added oils for moisture. Like organic apricot and avocado oil along with maybe some coconut or jojoba oil and then essential oils. If you’d like some I could send you some to try. Let me know
Mary
My dd is now almost 8 and had eczema from age 3 mos on. We did food elimination but did not find any difference. We also tried various home made lotions and creams. What worked best for us and still does is reducing baths to only 1 time per week unless absolutely necessary. Even now she still flares up if she bathes very often. We use fragrance free soaps, skin care and fabric detergents. We do used a prescribed steroid if a flare up is particularly bad ie bleeding etc but usually only need about 1 time every 3 months or so. She does have some serious flares when we are on vacation and swimming in pools a lot so we have used steroids then too.
Elizabeth
I had severe ezcema as a child — it was determined that it was due to a number of food allergies. I was also allergic to TIDE and had to use Aveeno oatmeal soap for bathing.
Some of my children have had it as well. I know some of it was caused by food allergies.
I’ve had good success treating it with Miracle Skin Salve from Beeyoutiful.com and I’ve heard that coconut oil is excellent for it.
Alyssa
I know that eczema is a gut issue…and I’m not sure what helps from a food aspect, but people have different reactions to different treatments. I happen to use (and sell) a product line that many of my customers have had great success with treating eczema. I’m not trying to push a product, but if other things don’t work, maybe consider looking at L’Bri Purn N Natural – a skincare line where the NUMBER ONE ingredient is Aloe Vera. It’s such a healing and natural product with no fillers, or other toxic ingredients. My customers find it safe for babies too because if it were to get in their mouth, it’s safe. I recommend the Body Wash and Hand and Body Lotion to cleanse and moisturize the skin. We also have an Intense Moisture Cream that is fantastic. Additionally, we have a mineral rich aloe juice called NutriAloe that cured my own exzema within 3 months without using the external products- I believe it cures from the inside. You can see all these products and order FREE samples at http://www.alyssaziegler.lbri.com. It’s made in the USA and the company is based here in Wisconsin. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
For adults, I also find that my skin does much better when I use Krill Oil regularly and of course topically, coconut oil is great too. Good luck!!
Dawn
In my third pregnancy I tested positive for group B strep, and so was on antibiotics during delivery. My son developed eczema on his cheeks at one month of age — the first of my children to have it. I stumbled upon Wardeh’s post about keratosis pilaris (those bumps on the back of your upper arms) when he was about 9 mos. old. I and one of my daughters have them. She found info that it was a Vit A deficiency and a recommendation to use CLO and Evening Primrose oil externally, and CLO internally. I only had CLO (not fermented), and decided to give it a try on his cheeks. It really seemed to tame down the inflammation. I tried to give it to him orally too, but wasn’t really consistent. At Whole Foods I found Herb Pharm’s extract of calendula in olive oil (for itching) and Wise Way Herbals “All Heal Salve,” and “Eden Salve” from Bulkherbstore.com. I gave him a little homemade milk kefir in every meal, building up to a tablespoon or two by 12 mos., an egg yolk a day, used bone broth often and also tried to intro foods according to the GAPS baby diet (no grains). After about four or five months, the eczema was gone and we have not had a recurrence. Not sure which of these is responsible!
Hilary
I have had eczema for most of my life now. My dad has it. I think there are so many versions, it is hard to tell. Mine is very symmetrical, and concentrated on my hands. Food allergies are not my problem, but sweat and moisture. I avoid hot showers. However, I will tell you this. I spent a week at a friend’s house up in the country and took showers there obviously. She has well water that kinda smelled funny. My eczema was gone after three showers. My skin was so happy there. I returned to normal life and – bam, it is back. Now I shower with a purifier but it still isn’t as good as her well water.
sonya
My first response would be to research and consider probiotics, the ones specifically made for infants/children. I would think that could help give a somewhat fresh start to the digestive system and in the meantime give time to work on food and contact allergies.
Mari
I would definitely give GAPS a try. I know it is horribly difficult to do, we are in the midst of it though and it certainly gets easier after the fist month or two–before that I wanted to tear my hair out, and did have a couple meltdowns =/ However my being on it faithfully, has helped my b.f. daughter tremendously with yeast and with eczema.
Sara
I don’t have time to read all the comments so forgive me if this has been said, but in my experience the first step has been taking my children to an NAET practitioner to eliminate allergies, which is very easy for a baby. The other factor is to give fish oil – vegetarian flax or hemp won’t do because their little bodies can’t convert it yet.
Becki
Two of my boys had horrible eczema from about 4 months on. They were solely breastfed until about 8 months. We had no internet back then, so we did the best we could with some helpful advice from our midwife and our chiropractor. Nightly herbal baths and emu oil (EFAs) helped get us through the misery until I could wean them. After weaning the older one at around 1 yo, we found that he could only tolerate 5 foods (goat milk, applesauce, blueberries, green beans, and carrots). That went on for 6 months. He was very allergic to–of all things–rice (white and brown)! So don’t assume there are ANY “non-allergenic” foods. After those 6 months on those 5 foods he gradually began to tolerate other foods, but was over 6 years old before he could eat garden peas without breaking out. After that experience, I decided to wean my next son at around 9 months onto goat milk exclusively with no other foods. He improved dramatically after weaning. Although he would occasionally have flare-ups throughout toddlerhood, it was nothing like what he’d had as an infant.
The baths were essential in our experience. I can’t remember everything we put in, red clover, lavendar flowers, lemon balm, slippery elm, and some others. You could probably find a good resource to tell you options for soothing baths. I would make up the infusion ahead of time, then add a cup to the sink for the bath. I also ground up oatmeal in the blender, put a half cup into a soft cotton bag, tie it up, and use it to sponge the baby as he soaked in the tea bath. My husband was an angel and took the actual bathing upon himself as his daily, quality time with baby. I was on hand to help with fetching and dressing, etc. I hope this helps. It may not eliminate the problem, but it can make life better while you are trying to get there.
amanda casey
so im wondering if you know of any natural drs in the area that do muscle testing… many of these drs are chiropractors with welness degrees… mine could pin point all allergies tell me what they were allergic to which loations would work best, if it was cleaning products, and what to do to clear it up wether it was due to allergy, enviornmental, internal infection or such. email me if u need help finding one in all areas of our health our dr has helped alot!
Judy
Oolong tea is said to be beneficial for those with eczema…it heals from the inside out. oxo
Vikki Kay
I agree with Helen – the anti-candida diet is essential, and the other suggestions of probiotics for mum. Natren Lifestart is able to be used in small amounts for bub, as well – couple of grains on the tip of your finger into put in bub’s mouth each morning before a breastfeed. My friend’s children were on the diet but still reacted to synthetic fibres in their sheets/mattresses, as well. Only pure cotton kept them from reacting.
amanda
I realize this is not “real foodie” of me, but with my baby I’ve given her Shaklee probiotic pills to add good bacteria to her gut safely.