Jump to content

Bad dose of eczema (I think) in a two year old.. running out of ideas :-(


Recommended Posts

Hi all


Planning a trip to the docs tomorrow, but wondered whether anyone had any ideas about what might be causing my son's recent skin flare up, worst on his face and scalp but also v itchy on his torso and shoulders. Picked him up from nursery tonight and he was really blotchy around his eyes and mouth (he's taken to blowing bubbles in a dribbly sort of way recently, which probably explains the mouth). He looks so sore and uncared for which really breaks my heart and (probably selfishly, is wearing me down a bit).


Only difference diet wise I can think of is that he is suddenly desperate for milk all the time (he has a 6 week old baby sister and our theory is that he wants to be treated as a baby too?!). He's gone right off water and not so fond of food.


He's had sensitive skin for as long as I can remember but has been pretty clear for quite a while, though we have steroid creams suitable for face and body in the house to treat the occasional flare up, which I hate to use but do sparingly if needed. Other things I've used over the last two years which seem to work, but only temporarily - aveeno, double base, diprobase and currently epaderm - using twice a day on his body but skin still dry pretty much all over.


Any miracle creams out there that anyone has found that work - know it could be a lot worse but it's so disheartening when I see no improvement.


Thanks, Mrs Mc

Our eldest son had extreme excema until he was about 4 years old... with that I mean wet wrapping every night using those creams mentioned (we didn't use steroid creams).. he eventually did grow out of it ... it was exhausting.. however, our

younger son had ALLERGY testing.. found he was allergic (NOT 'intolerant') to dairy and nut therefore has absolutely

NONE in his diet.. and skin GREAT. I really think our elder son would have benefitted from having allergy testing.. which wasn't available 14 years ago.. The common food irritants tend to be dairy, maybe wheat and DEFINITELY sugar..


You're doing brilliantly using all the right creams.. I went through all the washing powders etc etc but was none the

wiser.. could therefore only put it down to diet.. Good Luck.. have a go with the allergy testing.. those years were the

most exhausting times so I do wish he gets well soon.

MrsMc I hope you get some help - my duaghter had excema from when she was a baby and is gradually growing out of it. I found trial and error what worked and what didnt. I found a book in the library which helped me understand it more, and also taught me how to apply creams etc.


I did find that as the weatehr changed, her excema got worse.


When she has flare ups I keep her out of the bath - i find the hardness of London water only aggravates her skin further. If you can putting lots of salt in the water can help (I found this out when swimming in salt pools in europe how her skin improved). I use Aveeno in the bath, and that is about all - she ususally only baths in water.


My sympathies to you as it is something that I had no knowledge of before, and I had no idea that it would be so difficult. Ours is finally under control with patches here and there, but from what is what like at 1 and 2, I can deal with that!


Good luck .....

MrsMc, you say it's worse on his face. Could erythrovirus (so-called 'slapped cheek syndrome') have caused his recent outbreak? My friend's LO had this recently, so I guess it's making the rounds. If so, maybe the eczema will subside as his body fights off the virus.

My daughter suffers from skin conditions and have found that Dermol cream from the GP works wonders. Also, watched a programme, Food Hospital and it recommended using turmeric in meals to stop the inflammation and it has really has started to work.


I hope your little one improves.

Hi there


I think allergy tests would really be good.


You could try giving him goats milk instead of cows - this worked for me as a child.


Keep a food diary so you can maybe see a pattern with food & flare ups.


Have a look at the pure potions website - they do a wonderful bath emollient & body lotion that have worked miracles for some babies I know - I love their stuff.


Hope things improve very soon.

Thanks again all for the recommendations/support. Saw a really lovely doctor (Himmons - DMC)on Friday who has prescribed a whole raft of creams and lotions to use. She thinks it maybe a food intolerance and has also referred us to the allergy clinic. As recommended here, she also suggested a food diary to see whether we can isolate what has caused the flare up. Skin already responding well and feel better equipped to deal with the problem. Too soon to tell whethe it's working, but fingers crossed.
all of my girls have eczema. Is controlled in eldest but waiting for allergy testing in other two. I did however stop all dairy 4 wks ago and last week started using vaseline (petroleum jelly) on their skin with amazing/astonishing results! Have no idea if it is simply that the dairy is out of their system or that the vaseline is keeping moisture in and irritants out but it worked for us.

I think dairy is one of the prime causes, and there is something in cows milk that aggravates eczema which is not present in goats milk (which is why my parents kept goats from when I was about 5 years old - but we didn't live in London - not sure you'd be able to keep a goat in E.D.!!). Thankfully the supermarkets have goats milk, think even the milkman can deliver it now.


With my eczema I was initially prescribed a lanolin based cream and that was AWFUL - it made me so itchy. The doctor realised I was sensitive to lanolin so prescribed a new cream that didn't have any in it and it made a huge difference.


I grew out of it by my early 20's and now it only flares up when I'm stressed or big hormone changes, like when pregnant I got a little patch back but not too bad.

My kids have eczema and we were told by the paeds to put them on a hypoallergenic diet which has worked for one but not the other. No eggs, dairy or soya. I believe - and so do the paeds - it's better to use the steroid creams and clear it up than struggle on with something that has questionable efficacy (I was a horrendous eczema sufferer as a kid).


I'd slap on the hydrocortisone/eumovate until it's cleared up then moisturise at least twice a day, cut out all dairy/eggs/soya and if that doesn't work, do a full elimination diet.


Did you know that Kings is one of the world's leading places for paediatric allergy testing?

Really recommend oat milk - my son loves it and as soon as we switched him to that he stopped being constipated and skin almost entirely cleared up. He doesn't have a bath every day and i avoid chlorinated water (no swimming) - also always wash clothes in special washing liquid - seems to really help. Oatmilk is the big thing though - makes a big difference - we still let him have the odd yoghurt but it seemed to be drinking a whole bottle of formula or cows milk that was really problematic...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Does anyone know when the next SNT meeting is? I am fed up with my son being mugged on East Dulwich Grove! 
    • The issue must be everywhere at the moment. I was visiting a friend last week in Bermondsey, think we were walking  down Linton Rd & we dodged 7 dog poos. It was disgusting. 
    • Thanks for your message — I actually took the time to look into what CityHive does before posting my original comment, and I’d encourage anyone with questions to do the same. Yes, the Companies House filings are overdue — but from what I’ve gathered, this seems likely to be an accountant or admin issue, not some sign of ill intent. A lot of small, community-based organisations face challenges keeping up with formalities, especially when they’re focused on immediate needs like food distribution. Let’s not forget CityHive is a not-for-profit, volunteer-powered CIC — not a corporate machine. As for the directors, people stepping down or being replaced is often about capacity or commitment — which is completely normal in the voluntary and community sector. New directors are sometimes appointed when others can no longer give the time. It doesn’t automatically mean bad governance — it just means people’s circumstances change. CityHive’s actual work speaks volumes. They buy most of the food they distribute — fresh produce, essential groceries, and shelf-stable items — and then deliver it to food banks, soup kitchens, and community projects across London. The food doesn’t stay with CityHive — it goes out to local food hubs, and from there, directly to people who need it most. And while yes, there may be a few paid staff handling logistics or admin, there’s a huge volunteer effort behind the scenes that often goes unseen. Regular people giving their time to drive vans, sort donations, load pallets, pack food parcels — that’s what keeps things running. And when people don’t volunteer? Those same tasks still need to be done — which means they have to be paid for. Otherwise, the whole thing grinds to a halt. As the need grows, organisations like CityHive will inevitably need more support — both in people and funding. But the bigger issue here isn’t one small CIC trying to make ends meet. The real issue is the society we live in — and a government that isn’t playing its part in eradicating poverty. If it were, organisations like CityHive, The Felix Project, City Harvest, FareShare, and the Trussell Trust wouldn’t need to exist, let alone be thriving. They thrive because the need is growing. That’s not a reflection on them — it’s a reflection on a broken system that allows people to go hungry in one of the richest cities in the world. If you're in doubt about what they’re doing, go check their Instagram: @cityhivemedia. You’ll see the real organisations and people receiving food, sharing thanks, and showing how far the impact reaches. Even Southwark Foodbank has received food from CityHive — that alone should speak volumes. So again — how does any of this harm you personally? Why spend time trying to discredit a group trying to support those who are falling through the cracks? We need more people lifting others up — not adding weight to those already carrying the load.
    • Well, this is very disappointing. Malabar Feast  has changed its menu again. The delicious fish curry with sea bass no longer exists. There is now a fish dish with raw mango, which doesn't appeal. I had dal and spinach instead, which was bland (which I suppose I could/should have predicted). One of my visitors had a "vegetable Biriani" which contained hardly any vegetables. Along with it came two extremely tiny pieces of poppadom in a large paper bag.   This was embarrassing, as I had been singing Malabar's praises and recommending we ordered from there. The other mains and the parathas were OK, but I doubt we will be ordering from there again. My granddaughters wisely opted for Yard Sale pizzas, which were fine. Has anybody else had a similar recent poor (or indeed good!)  experience at Malabar Feast?
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...