There's just nothing sadder than an unhappy baby!  After dealing with my daughter's eczema for her first 2 years, I've finally found some tips that really work.

I hope these help you so that your baby doesn't have to suffer as long as ours did!

Eczema is very common (and uncomfortable!) among infants.  It's usually caused by allergies.  However, an allergy cream is not the best for young babies.  Apply it to a large area, and to them it's like an allergy shot - it can weaken the immune system.

So what can you do?  There are several things that helped in our family:

1. Change your baby wash/shampoo.  Have you read the ingredients on those "mild" baby washes?  It seems they added just as many chemicals and perfumes, and merely dilluted it more!  We recently switched to an unscented organic wash made with castile soap.  You can buy castile soap plain and make your own soaps and shampoos.  There are good recipes on the web.  I also reccomend Giovanni organic shampoos, they smell great and have much less chemicals!

I cannot reccomend this step enough as this is the one thing that helped us the most! Since switching, my daughter has not had a single outbreak!

2.  Clip those fingernails.  Baby's scratching will aggravate the condition.  If your baby is very young, scratch mits may help (although my daughter hated them!)

3.   Change your laundry soap.  It could be that baby is allergic to it.  A perfume-free, dye-free option is available in most brands, costs the same, and cleans just as well.

4. Breastfeed, if possible.  Studies have shown that breastfed babies have lower rates of eczema, and it is possible that baby's allergy is to something in formula.  If you've already stopped breastfeeding but wish you hadn't, it may be possible to start again by routine pumping.  I wish someone would've told me that!  I thought once your milk dried up, it was gone forever!

5.  Moisturize!  When dealing with eczema, dry skin is your enemy.  Perfumey baby lotions can be counterproductive.  Some people have good results with herbal or oatmeal-based creams.  I personally found them overpriced and useless.  Curel Ultra Healing lotion seemed to work best.

6. Switch to cotton baby clothes.  Synthetic fibers can be irritating.  Cotton is great because it lets more air close to baby's skin, which promotes healing.

7. Cover baby up.  Long sleeved shirts, especially at night, can be helpful because they keep baby from scratching directly on the skin.  In the hot months, we just skipped the blankets.

8.  When all else fails, check baby's diet.  Milk, soy, nuts, and berries can be very allergenic to babies.  If you are breastfeeding, you may want to exclude them from your own diet.

If none of these help, see your pediatrician.  There are many good (and pretty safe) prescription creams that work!