I’m pretty sure that my 9-month-old daughter has eczema. Her whole back and now her front is covered with a very bad rash that seems to come in waves. I’m afraid to use anything over the counter because she’s so young. Is there any thing that I can do?
Take her to the dermatologist ASAP! Not to a pediatrician, but to a dermatologist!
I had a form of eczema (sp?) a few years back. Often there’s a medicated cream to put on…
IANAD
Be careful of hot baths, soaps & lotions with fragrances and dyes. When you bathe her, pat her dry, don’t rub.
Have you changed detergents? That can set outbreaks off.
And I agree that you should take her to the doc.
Better get to a doctor. It might not be what you think it is. It could be an allergy, perhaps to her food. So a dermatologist shouldn’t be the first step. Let the pediatrician recommend this, not the Teeming Millions who don’t know all the details!
Have it checked by a doctor. Because the rash is not constant, it may be an allergic reaction to something you are feeding her or perhaps, as someone else suggested, to a soap or detergent.
If it IS eczema, they might prescribe a medicated cream to clear it up and/or suggest you use Eucerin cream on it (works wonders). You might also consider bathing her in Cetaphil or some other non-soap cleanser.
Good luck!
Don’t let anyone who lives with you get the smallpox vaccine.
I want to third (fouth?) the suggestion to go to a doctor. A nine month old baby needs to be checked out if she has a rash that bad. It might not be eczema.
Definitely a doctor first–if a dermatologist can’t get you in pronto, call your pediatrician for a referral. When my son needed an appt, the dermatologist got him in the next day, even though the waiting list for new appointments was months long.
Meanwhile, avoid hot baths, soaps, lotions, and anything else that the doctor doesn’t specifically recommend. If you have to bathe her (and I’d avoid it except a couple times/week), use tepid water, and you could try adding a bit of tenderized oatmeal to it. That may help temporarily with the itching and discomfort.
First, though, the doc. And best wishes–let us know, okay?
As others have said, it could be an alergy. A pediatric visit should be the first call. Also, track what you feed her, what she has done, and see if there is a causal effect that you can trace to a food, action, item. My neice used to get a mystery rash that was eventually traced to a stuffed animal.
Good luck.
Do you or your wife have a history of allergies? A predisposition is often genetic. My dad had allergies and I inherited them - terrible reactions to many fabrics. We have a great picture of me as a 2-month-old surrounded with stuffed animals. They all went to Goodwill the next day!
Why?
Negative implications have been shown for eczema sufferers who get the smallpox vaccine. I’m guessing “negative implications” on a vaccine with a known high compication and mortality rate is not a good thing.
See a dermatologist ASAP (does anyone hear an echo in here?) and request an allergy test. My niece is deathly allergic to peanuts and we only found that out thanks to her getting hives breastfeeding when her mom ate some strawberries (allergic to those too). It’s best to be paranoid at first and check everything out to avoid the scares (not to mention the projectile vomit).
Your pediatric specialist is far better equiped for any emergency that may arise, and far more informed to decide if a dermatologist, nuerologist, or plumber should have a peek. Inform them that you would like to see the doctor today. Hopefully that is why we haven’t heard from you. 
A dermatologist might just refer you to an alergist, who might refer you to an internest…etc. The pediatrician is the front line, and he is best suited to make any referals that are needed.
AS others have pointed out over and over again a doctor’s opinion should be sought out. Especially for an infant.
I will say that I once had what I believed to be eczema when I was about 13 or so (at least that’s what my mom said it was…not a doctor but hey…it’s mom and she’s always right ;)). Anyway, I got some 99% Aloe Vera lotion. Basically it was all Aloe except for whatever they need to make it last in a bottle. No perfumes, oils or anything. Put the stuff on and it cleared right up in a matter of a few days.
Maybe I had something else entirely or maybe it would have gone away by itself…I couldn’t say but it got me believing Aloe Vera was magical.
well, went to the docters and he beleaved that it was eczema. he asked if it ran in the family, which it does. my 22 year old sister still has it and my wife had it when she was younger. he gave us a 1% stairoid (sp) cream and told us of a over the counter cream to use 4 times a day. my daughter is a little better today and i hope that from what i’ve learned she’ll keep progressing.
Finally! A subject I know all about. I’ve had dermatitis, eczema, and just plain dry skin all my life. I wish I had all the money back I’ve spent on doctors who looked at me very seriously and said, “Well, you’ve got dry skin. You should use moisturizer. That’ll be 60, or 150, or 250 dollars.”
Be cautious of using steroid based creams on your child. Back in the 60s and 70s, they gave me very strong doses and now I have premature aging (of my skin, particulary my hands), broken capillaries, the beginning of glaucoma, and God knows what else. But back then, the doctors just didn’t know.
I use Elocon cream for flareups (it’s very mild) and have started using the unfortunately named Zim’s Crack Creme on my super dry skin with excellent results. They sell it in the drug store next to the Gold Bond Powder. It’s not a creme, but a brownish liquid that smells rather pleasantly of cloves.
Other than that, drink a lot of water, don’t use perfumed anything, try dust mite covers on your bedding. Good luck!
Steroid creams are alright for a limited time. If you use it clear up an outbreak that’s no problem, but much longer than a few weeks see if something else would work.