Baby Eczema

Our daughter, now 2.5 years old, developed eczema almost immediately after birth. (Behind her knees, on thighs, ankles, wrists and elbows) It was so bad that she woke up every 20 minutes for the first 6 months of life, and then every 1.5 hours for the next 7 months. 

Went to our doctor and was told "she'll grow out of it."  The doctor gave us a some cortisone cream and suggested Benedryl.  Anyhow, we ended up taking her to an allergist when she was about 1.  He did a basic scratch test on her back.

She turned out to be allergic to dairy, eggs, legumes (which means nuts and beans), oranges, and strawberries.   Once we removed these items from her diet the eczema pretty much went away. (interestingly enough she loves cheese, hummus, eggs -- the very things she is allergic to!) The doctor gave us Zyrtec syrup and Triamcinolone Acetonide cream which we use only sparingly. 

One interesting thing we have found is that her skin is very reactive to contact allergens.  For example, when she was about 1 yrs. old I fed her some Lentil-based baby food. Immediately the skin on her face that had come in contact with the food reacted: bright red with white bumps.  Same thing for oranges. And for nuts...if we handled nuts and then touched her without washing our hands her skin would react. We are lucky that her allergies have not proven life-threatening, though we do carry an Epipen. 

The doctor told us that the best way to help her "grow out" of these allergies is to eliminate them completely from her diet. He also told us the next step in monitoring her allergies would be a blood test. Her eczema is pretty much gone, though occassionally it will flare up which would indicate we haven't identified all of her food sensitivities. 

We are very careful about reading ingredients, for instance many breads contain soy flour, etc.  and making sure we support her with intestinal flora, calcium magnesium citrate, vitamin c and fish oil. We are also careful about the soaps and creams we use on her.  We use Cetaphil moisturizing cream, Dove soap, and Johnson &  Johnson body wash for her hair. 

I have encountered many parents whose children have exactly the same problem; eczema resulting from food allergies.  One thing too, Rose has gotten into the habit of scratching favorite spots (wrists, ankles) when she is very tired even when the eczema is not there. Our doctor told us this was quite common. 

In regards to your baby, i would highly recommend you get her tested by an allergist. I realize she is breast fed, but if she does have food allergies you would just eliminate them from your own diet.  Also be on the lookout for what i call "contact" reactions. Eliminate those things. 

Good luck.