Dry Skin in Infants

Here's what worked for me:
Cradel cap: rub olive oil into her scalp and let it sit about three minutes and then comb over it litely with a plastic comb- it should flake off-- if it doesn't just peel don't push it - you could cause scabs.
Patchy dry skin --especially at joints: Aquaphore
Good Luck!

If the sunscreen softened her screen I would continue to use a lotion on her. I use johnsons everyday on my son after his bath. I would also call the doctor just to be safe. But I think it the sunscreen lotion worked then lotion might be the trick.

Both my boys have eczema. I use a whole lot of aveeno. I use the lotion all day long on both of them and I bathe them 2 or 3 times a week in aveeno body wash which I put in a foam dispenser from pampered chef. I fill up the bottle with the wash about 1/4 of the way and the rest is water. I use all free and clear laundry detergent and only use half the recommended measuring of it. I took them to an allergist to get an allergy test. I've ripped out carpeting, gotten rid of animals and dust regularly. Also, I have allergen covers for my pillowcases and mattresses and a Hepa Filter in their bedroom. Also I don't let anyone smoke around them or carry or hug them unless they change their shirt, wash their hands, and brush their teeth. I know it sounds harsh but my kids are my world and if they are allergic to it, I'm getting rid of it! So I hope you get it under control! Good luck!

C.,
My niece has had extremely bad eczema since she was about 6 weeks old. her mother had to quit breast-feeding and she ate a special hyper allergenic formula. she is about 16 months old now and it is not quite so severe, but she still has it. Her mother has mentioned that it seems to get better when we are camping, we think that it is because of the exposure to the sun and also because of the zinc oxide in the sunscreen. they bath her daily (they swear that it actually helps keep it under control) and they use auquaphor cream after the bath all over her. there is also a plant called comfrey that is good for itchies in general (if it seems to bother her). i am unsure of the safety of using it on a baby so young, but you might keep it in mind for later down the road. you don't feed it to the child, you boil it down and make a "tea" out of it and bath her in it. you can also mix the tincture with baking soda and apply it topically as a paste. if you seem to have trouble with this as she gets older i would recommend trying many natural remedies (with guidance of an herbalist) before getting into the steroid creams that the docs will certainly give you for it. good luck to you
~L.

Try Eucerin lotion- it's what my dermatologist told me to use when I had eczema. They also make a cleanser that you use without water for if she needs it between bath days. Maybe try just washing her hair in-between times in the sink or something. But if you really think it's eczema, you might want to check with your dr as well, as they have many new products out to help with this!

Baby lotion! Daily baby massages with baby lotion should smooth the dry skin. A week of that and your baby should be soft and comfy!
~RachaelB

my son had cradle crap (as I call it)it was even on his forehead and very dry red patches. The doc prescribed some kind of cream one for the forehead and several months later one for the red patches. She also said to use lotions like Eucerin. He started getting very dry patches recently (he's now almost two) and I used lotion on him twice a day and the patches went away. Also for the cradle cap you can put baby oil on it and comb away some of the flakes just make sure to rinse off the oil otherwise it can make it worse.

My children have very dry skin as well. The best for us was to put olive oil in the bath water, this really helps. I would also not wash her every day anyways, unless she is out playing in the mud - babies don't need baths every day. Also we use 100% unrefined organic shea butter, and some cocoa butter, has to be 100% or it really won't make a big difference.
Good Luck!

I used an all natural massage oil on my kids when they had this. I would give them a warm bath, slather it on and it worked wonders. I have also heard that Crisco (I know sounds gross) is great for this as well. (My Grandmother swears by it, uses it as a facial moisturizer at night and her skis is sooooooo soft.)
For the cradle cap, I used the same shampoo and a soft toothbrush. Massage the shampoo in tiny circles with the toothbrush and rinse. It worked on all 4 of my lil ones.
HOPE it helps!
~Jenn

My Dr recommended Eucerine lotion cream for my daughter and it has always worked great! It is thicker, however it is not greasy. It is a little expensive, however a little goes a long way. Hope this helps!

I wonder if it could be eczema? Ask your dr if this could be the case. My daughter had 2 areas on her forehead like that, really dry and scaly and I used Aquaphor, 2x a day for about 2 weeks and it cleared right up and never came back. When I washed her face it would get worse and sometimes crack and bleed. Once I used the Aquaphor, and you have to be consistant, it was gone. Good Luck!!

Hello C.. I've tried many products, the best ones I've used are Aquafor, Eucerin, Burt's Bees, and DHC(DHC.com) all a great products that work very well. My personal favorite that I still use on my 6 yr. old is DHC. I think I like DHC the best because it's a natural olive oil line and my child no longer has dry skin skin, but soft baby skin. You may just want to check with your child's doctor or a dermatologist to see if your daughter has eczema & if she does, you can find out your options for her treatment. I hope this helps. Good luck with your search.

I was going to suggest Arbonne baby products too. Both of my kids had really dry skin and they worked for us.

Sounds like eczema, and in infants this is almost always due to an allergy. From your description of how the eczema is all over her body and doesn't go away, it sounds like there's something your daughter is exposed to everyday - it could be in the environment (a pet, or laundry detergent residue on her cloths, for example) or it could be something she's eating (either via the mom's breastmilk or via formula - cow's milk and soy are the 2 biggest culprits at this age).

If it's environmental, you can ditch fabric softeners all together, switch to a "Free & Clear" detergent and only use 1/2 the recommended amount to wash the clothes, and do an extra 1 or 2 rinse cycles to see if that helps. Since it's summer, you could even let her be naked to see if that helps clear up the eczema (if it's a contact allergy from something like laundry detergent or dryer sheets). If you have pets, it might be a little more challenging to get her into a "pet free" environment for a few weeks to see if her eczema goes away, but it'd be worth it.

However, I'd put my money on a food allergy/sensitivity. Below is a chart of common signs of food allergy:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T041800.asp#T041803

The bottom line is that this eczema is a sign that something's not quite right, that she's having physical irritation/inflammation due to something she's around or eating -- and no cream, whether prescription or drugstore or Arbonne is going to solve that problem. The creams might lessen the *symptoms* of the problem, but the inflammation and irritation your daughter is having will still exist. It's really important to address the problem, to play detective until you figure out what's causing her eczema! If you put in the time to do this now, her health will be better overall (now and in the years to come!). You can do it, it does take a little effort on our parts as parents, but it's very worth it to have a baby who is not chronically irritated/inflamed (because if it's eczema on the outside, you can imagine that her insides are probably suffering a similar inflammation - no fun)!

Some links that are really helpful in starting this process:

1) Even if your baby is past a colicky stage, this short article by a pediatrician talks a lot about food allergy, what that looks like, how it's far more common than most peds know, etc.
http://www.wondertime.go.com/learning/article/interview-c...

2) Helpful for young babies who are still exclusively breast or bottlefed - even though the site is geared towards breastfeeding moms, the information on what a baby is sensitive to still applies (because it doesn't matter how they're getting a food allergen - whether by breastmilk or by formula - it will show up in the same/very similar way) http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.html

3) A wonderful primer on food allergies - easy to read, excellent information, by a renowned pediatrician
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T041800.asp

It'w wonderful that you're being proactive about your sweet little girl's eczema - with some detective work on your end, you will very likely be able to identify the triggers/causes of your daughter's eczema problems, avoid them, and leave the creams behind. My son had an allergy to dairy and soy, and it was amazing how bad his skin got w/ just 1 or 2 exposures. And when his diet (or mine, as I was breastfeeding) was clean and free of dairy & soy, his skin was soft, smooth, creamy, and clear (and he slept a heck of a lot better too). :)

Hope you'll find some good info in the links I provided. Best of luck!

I also suggest Arbonne....I have a letter from a pediatrician who now recommends it to all her patients because of the results she has seen in her practice....check out my website to read her letter and see which babycare products she recommends and how to use them effectively www.healthyandsafe.myarbonne.com if you have any other questions you can email me at ____@____.com

Blessings~
and I hope you find help for your daughter in whatever product you use.
Rene'~

Try using extra virgin coconut oil. It is awesome stuff for skin. I had to go to a health food store to find it.

C.,

Does your 3mos old really NEED a bath several times a week? Is she
sweaty, dirty, and stinks? Most infants are bathed because parents want to, not because it's what their skins needs. Try bathing her one or two times a week. Cradle cap is a commmon, and very normal change in the oil production of the scalp. If you've found a product that helps it, stay with it. You may also want to try a different soap/shampoo (for infants). 2 brands that are very mild are Medela and Burt's Bees. As an example, my son had a bath once a week as an infant. Once he became mobile and got into more stuff, he needed a bath two times a week. He's 3 now, but still two baths, plus an additional when needed. I have used Burt's Bees shampoo bar on him exclusively.
Good Luck!

Hi, C., I have had several friends that had this and they used Arbonne's baby line all of them cleared up. These are amazing products you can email me for info. good luck

____@____.com
M.

I was going to suggest Eucerin. All you need is a little bit and it does a great job.

I'm not sure how others feel about baby oil- I've heard some controversial info about it so I've never used it on my daughter, but I use it on myself. I put it on right after I got out of the shower, while my skin is still wet and it softens/moisturizes really well.

I use Renew lotion, it is an all natural lotion that is price comparable to eucerin. I love it because it is safe and environmentally sensitive. If you would like more information about it. Email me at ____@____.com/mommymorris

My son's pediatrician recommended a fragrance free lotion. Her favorite was the Aveno fragrance free wash and lotion. We used it on his scalp and body. It worked wonders. No more cradle cap and no more dry skin! He appeared to be having a reaction to the fragrances in most of the other washes and lotions. The Aveno worked for us...hopefully this helps you:)

My nephew has the same thing he can only take a bath about every 3 days .but his mom washes him with a wash rag everyother time .then she puts lots of baby lotion on him and it goes away until he gets back in the water. The Doctor told her that it waas something to do with the water.I hope this helps
L.

My 18mth old has eczema. My allergist suggested this. Use Aquaphor at bedtime and Eucerin Cream at every diaper change. It works really well if you're consistent. My son gets flare ups and thats what I do and it goes away pretty fast. You may also want to ask your doctor for a prescription cream called atopiclair. Use that 2 times a day along with the other 2 above and will really help. Atopiclair is for ezcema. Also try using a mild soap. We use Aveeno soothing relief bathing cream. Hope it helps. Any questions let me know.