Hey, y’all hey! Welcome back to the blog. Last week we talked about my new recipe for Shea butter for my sons skin care. If you have not read it take a moment and check it out. Today I wanted to talk to y’all about how my son was diagnosed with eczema and the journey that led up to it.

When my son was born I suspected that he may have eczema. Of course with a new born they are going through so many changes. It was something I noticed but I hoped that I was wrong and chucked it up to it being too early to tell.

I was readmitted to the hospital after an already extended stay after having him and his diet of course was changed. I was breastfeeding him and he was switched over to formula for a bit over a week. It was when I returned home that it was obvious that he was suffering from eczema.

His legs were where it manifested the most severely. His legs were dry and significantly darker than the rest of his skin. Because he was an infant I didn’t immediately seek medication or anything too thick. I just as I mentioned in the post prior would use oils like coconut oil, almond oil, and vitamin E. Doubling up on moisture until I saw improvement.

Im going to be honest I have eczema and its even worse in the colder seasons. I have never gotten formally diagnosed by a doctor and I treat mine with home remedies manly butters. With my son what made me ask a doctor about his skin condition was when it started to affect his face.

He begin to have light patches of dry skin on his face. I wasn’t sure what it was. What worried me was that it was affecting his pigment which I thought was not in the realm of possibilities with eczema.

Naturally since I wasn’t familiar with this skin condition I asked my sons doctor at the next visit.  She took a look at him and  diagnosed him right there on the spot just by looking at him and gave recommendations. When it came to the pigment on his face she told me that it was related to eczema and that its common in kids and should clear up over time.

She told me about Eucerin Cream and told me to do away with lotions and stick to thicker moisturizers like butters and creams. Y’all already know what my choice was butters all the way.  She sent me and dad home with some paper work that further explained how to treat eczema for babies/toddlers.

The paper work listed things like useful medicated creams you can try like Eucerin during flair ups. Oh and before I forget some medicated creams for eczema can cause issues with pigment so be aware if that’s the route you choose to take. It also mentioned limiting bath time to no more than ten minutes in warm water 3 to 7 times a week and to moistures with in 3 minutes after bath time .

Also if you’re giving your infant or toddler a bath every night to go ahead and double up on moisturizing them. So if they took a bath last night put their butter on directly after their bath and also when they get up. This just helps them maintain hydrated skin.

When I walked in to the doctors I wasn’t really sure what to expect like I said I never was diagnosed with eczema but it wasn’t invasive. He was already having a bit of a flare up and was able to be done visually. I have yet to look for a dermatologist for my son but I have been doing what I can to ease his discomfort.

With my son being long out of his mittens (to prevent scratching) keeping up with his skin is at the top of my to do list.  Before my son was even born we scouted out soaps lotions, detergent, and wipes for sensitive skin. I knew that my son just like his mom and dad would struggle with having sensitive skin. But honestly nothing prepares you for watching your  baby be uncomfortable.

Our little one use to work himself out of his little mittens just to scratch his face or stomach. If his skin was exposed best believe he wanted to scratch it. Having a little one with sensitive skin and all that entails is a kind of a big deal. You have this little one that you want to protect and comfort and you do what you can. I hope that this was helpful for all the parents out there who are going through a similar struggle. Meet back here next week Im going to be diving right back  into some much needed curl talk. Remember, be happy, be curly, be you and you will never fail!