Eczema in Toddlers

​Dealing with my son's eczema on his wrist has been a hard, frustrating thing. At first it was just random flaky spots on his legs and those went away after I applied Aveeno Eczema Lotion on them. But the most stubborn eczema he has is on his wrist. It's just this big circular patch that started appearing around a month ago when he was 18 months old and just wouldn't go away no matter what I do. He keeps scratching until it bleeds and becomes all red and crusty.

​I hate seeing him suffer. I hate seeing him scratch his wrist so hard because of the intense itch. Sometimes, when he's sleeping I would cry and talk to him and say, son, if only I could take away your pain, I would. If it was possible, I would transfer that pesky patch of eczema on his wrist to mine. I just hate it so much.

I'm sure a lot of moms out there know the feeling. You look at your son and he's so little and innocent and it just breaks your heart to see him suffering. My son gets grumpy and fussy because of the intense itch. It's quite impossible to stop him from scratching, even if I wrap a sock or gauze around his hand, he finds a way to take it off and scratch.

As a mom, I admit I'm not perfect. And it hurts to know that I might have been responsible for his eczema flaring up. Is it the food I'm giving him? Is it the environment we're living in? Is it the laundry detergent I'm using? Who knows? There are so many factors that could contribute to this and there are so many conflicting advice online that I don't even know what to do. And it doesn't help that the medical community doesn't know the exact cause of eczema. I've done a lot of research and all of them are saying it can be a combination of a lot of factors.

I personally do not want to go to a doctor and get steroids because we don't believe in that. All it does is mask the problem, thin out the skin, and after a while keeps you coming back for stronger medication, depending on the severity of your eczema. I know for a fact that medications like this don't work long term because they don't address the underlying issue. I want to get to the bottom of the issue. I want to pinpoint the exact culprit or cause so I can do something about it.

We tried natural treatments like coconut oil, evening primrose oil, turmeric paste, flax seed oil, olive oil, keeping it moisturized throughout the day and night. Sometimes it helps, but it never goes away for good and he still keeps scratching. I've tried oatmeal baths, I switched to a super mild laundry detergent and soap. I also looked up foods that are eczema friendly and tried to feed him that. I tried to avoid foods that "could be" problematic for him.

We are actually thinking of getting a food sensitivity test to rule out possible food irritants and intolerance that's making his eczema flare up. We are actively trying to eliminate possible triggers. We might even have to get rid of our cats or move to a different country in case pet dander and mites and dust are potential triggers. Anything to help my son get rid of his eczema.

We want to do this all naturally without any medications. Wish us luck!
​
I will update this blog once we find a relief/cure that works for us. If you have any suggestions and know of natural treatments that you've tried and worked for you, do share!