We’ve been dealing with L’s eczema since she was just a few months old. It definitely has drastically improved , but we are still battling flare-ups and daily scratching fits. Along the way we have tried many products and homeopathic remedies. We have finally arrived at a skin moisturizing regiment that works for L. Today, I’m sharing with you our trial and errors in the adventures of treating baby eczema.

Lotions and Creams

• Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy and
• BabyGanics Moisturizing Baby Eczema Cream-The prices of these two creams are on the lower end of eczema products and both have decent reviews online. My biggest complaint is both products have an artificial fragrance which can irritate sensitive skin like L’s (BabyGanics now offers a fragrance free eczema cream). The consistency of the Aveeno cream more of a lotion than cream. The BabyGanics is considerably thicker. Both were easily absorbed by the skin, but neither kept L moist for long. We stopped using them after a short while because they seemed to made things worse probably due to the fragrance irritants.
• California Baby Calendula Cream-This brand is expensive, but it is all natural and organic. The consistency is more of a lotion. We noticed an improvement soon after we started the product, but once the cold/dry weather came, the lotion consistency just didn’t keep L’s skin moist enough. We had to constantly reapply which was also costly. California baby also has an eczema cream; we didn’t try this because the ingredients were very similar to the calendula cream.
• Weleda Baby Calendula Cream-This is a slightly cheaper alternative to the California Baby calendula cream. It is also natural and organic. I love the hand cream by this brand, but the eczema cream fell short. It made things worse for L.
• Yoreganics Bye Bye Dry Balm- Grace loves this stuff, and it has worked well for both of her boys. I like the convenience of a stick for easy application but not practical for whole body use considering the quantity and price. I use it to spot treat and on L’s face. The company does send nice samples with purchase.
• Homemade Baby Butter-I followed Grace’s tutorial. This stuff smelled so good, I wanted to eat it! I like knowing exactly what went into the product we are using on L. Unfortunately it didn’t seem to help with her eczema. My husband I are still using it, though.
• CJ’s Butter- This is another all natural and organic option. I like the thick consistency for winter. We didn’t notice any immediate results, but it also didn’t make things worse. I have it in the diaper bag for on the go application. It also works great as a diaper cream. It’s a cheaper alternative to Cheeky Baby Butter (similar ingredients). 
• SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Baby Eczema Therapy-The price is middle of the road. It does have a strong fragrance, maybe it’s the shea butter, but I didn’t like it. The consistency is of a body butter, a bit hard to spread. L had  several flare ups after we started to use this product.
• Aquaphor-We use this religiously on L to seal in the moisture. It’s basically Vaseline for babies. It is greasy and will coat clothes and inside of the washer. It works really well in keeping her skin moist especially during those dry winter months.
• Cheeky Baby Butter- by far the most expensive product we’ve tried. This stuff is thick so a little goes a long way. You do need to warm it up in your hands before applying. The product is all natural and organic. We added it to our daily routine recently for problem spots. It has made L’s skin very soft and smooth. I say it’s worth the money.

Body Wash

• Aveeno Baby Moisturizing Wash
• Cetaphil
• Earth’s Best baby Shampoo and Body Wash-All three products had great reviews online, but they all dried out L’s skin. Maybe because we were bathing her too often (once a day). We now bathe her every other day with a sponge bath on non-bath day.
• Dove White Soap-I read a lot of recommendations for Dove white soap for eczema. It has a strong scent so I knew it wasn’t going to work for L. As predicted it dried her out.
• California Baby Sensitive Skin Body Wash-We are currently using this product. I don’t think it has helped her skin but also hasn’t dried her out. This brand also has a eczema body wash we have not tried.

Oils

• Coconut Oil-I like that it kept things moist for a while but unfortunately it gave her flare ups.
• Lavender Oil-We dilute a few drops with olive oil, and use it when she’s really dry.
• Tea Tree Oil-We put a drop or two in a small amount of water to treat flare ups and inflamed patches. It does burn a little if the scratches have broken skin.The antimicrobial properties of the oil help to kill bacteria and prevent infections.

Other Shenanigans

• Watermelon Rind-Apparently it has a cooling effect when rubbed on skin. L seemed to enjoy being rubbed with the cold rind, but it didn’t really help her skin.
• Potato-Another crazy thing I found on the internet. Something about the starch, not sure if it’s helping, but it hasn’t made things worse. We’re still testing it out.
• Corn Starch-We sprinkled a generous amount in the bath but didn’t see any improvements. We may go back to it for further testing.
• Hazle Wood Necklace-Out of desperation we bought one to try. There are so many reviews saying that child’s eczema cleared within days. I had high hopes, but it didn’t work for L. Cute necklace though.
• Raw Unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar-We pour a cup into her bath water. This stuff doesn’t smell great but it has helped with the itchiness, redness, inflamed patches and flare ups.
• Homemade Scratch Guard-I sewed L scratching guards to wear while she’s sleeping and during scratching fits. It prevents her scratching from causing damage to her skin. She has full arm and hand function with this device.

baby mugshot

Wow that’s a long list! I hope someone will find this helpful. Keep in mind that just because the product didn’t work for L doesn’t mean that it won’t work for your baby. If you have any product or remedy suggestions for eczema please share it with me.