Hints & Tips

New emollient
If you are trying a new product, leave it on a patch of eczema-free skin for 24 hours, to check that your skin does not react to it.
Repeat Prescriptions
As most fellow suffers will know, repeat perscriptions for creams, dressings and antibiotics soon add up. Ask your pharmacist about a pre-paid perscription were £32.40 (2002 price) pays for every perscription you'll need for 4 months.
Handy emollient
Spoon the emollient into small pots to carry around with you. Baby food jars can be ideal for this.
Keeping a spare supply of your emollient at your workplace or in the car will help you to moisturise your skin when it is beginning to become dry and itchy, rather than by risking more problems by waiting until you get home.
Cool emollient
No, not a trendy emollient but rather if your skin is particularly hot and itchy, you may find it helpful to cool your emollients in the fridge before putting them on your skin. See also 'handy emollient'.
Body hair
Apply moisturising creams (emollients) downwards so that the hair on the arms and legs is combed. This will stop the hair from being itchy.
After bath
Apply creams as soon as possible after a bath, when the skin is well hydrated. This will help lock in the moisture. Adding an emollient to the bath water will also help lock in moisture - Remember bathing alone [ i.e. and not applying any creams afterwards ] will dry the skin out. Leave one hour between the application of applying emollients and topical corticosteroids.
Hand Held Games
Portable hand held games e.g. game boys are great ways for young kids to keep them amused when their eczema is bothering them. Because it helps to keep them distracted and keeps both their hands occupied so they don't scratch - it gives them something fun to do, and helps alleviate some anxiety during those times when they just want to tear themselves to bits. Save their use for those times and then the child can learn to use it as a positive self help strategy.
Face
If you apply emollients with your ringfinger ( second smallest ) you are less likely to put too much pressure on delicate areas such as your face.
Dab the lotion across the face and gently stroke it into the skin, using your ringfingers to stroke it out from the nose.
Soothing Sprays
In the warmer months keep a bottle of lavender water or rose water in the fridge. A quick spray every so often is wonderfully soothing and helps to prevent heat-related skin problems from gaining a foothold!
Shower Gel? Instead of Soap
Some people seem to find that they don't react to shower gels in the same way that they react to soaps. So you could try a shower gel instead.
Make-Up
Be careful - irritants, irritants, irritants....but not just make-up for the skin but also nail polish!
Sleep
In order to sleep I use to take a sleeping pill because the itching would keep me up for hours, now I put five to six drops of strong lavender on my pillow and read for a while. Usually I fall asleep much quicker and dont feel grumpy in the morning from the sleeping pills.
Housework
If you are about to wash dishes or do anything you know that will trigger your eczema, apply your emollients before and after the job. Some people find it helpful to use lotions underneath gloves, particularly if they are placing their hands in hot water.
Food
If you want to tackle the diet as a cause it is essential that you keep detailed records and seek the help of a dietician. Not all people with eczema find food makes their eczema worse.
Rubber seals
Emollients on clothing can cause problems with washing machines, as the rubber seals may be broken down. Washing emollient-smeared clothing inside old pillow cases can minimise the damage. Occasionally you should do a hot wash without clothes to help clean away the emollient deposits from previous washes. See also Boil Clothes hint below.
Dust Mites and Beds
An effective way to reducing dust mites is to hoover the matress of the bed on each side.
T-shirt Bath
Bath your baby in a long sleeve t-shirt to prevent scratching.
Nappy Changing
Undo the legs of the babygrow and pop each of them over the hands of your baby so that he/she cannot scratch their bare legs and tummys whilst your hands are occupied. It's also good fun!
Boil Clothes
I've been struggling with laundering my sons very greasy sleep suits for a couple of years, experiencing the common problem of trashed washing machine seals etc. But, I've found a solution, I boil them in washing-up liquid, rinse out all the soap suds and then wash them as usual in the washing machine with an extra rinse. The washing-up liquid dissolves the grease, saving a lot of time and effort. I hope this helps someone struggling with the same problem.
Toy warning
Be careful of itchy toys. Also tell your friends and relatives so that they do not waste their money on presents you can¹t use. Also tell them to buy cotton clothing.
Toy care
You can freeze soft toys overnight to kill dust mites.
Mix in Milk
If using sedatives then it is better to mix in with the milk. They can be strong tasting and could cause the baby to be sick which is the last thing you want. Mixing with the milk is a good way of getting it down without upsetting the baby.
File baby's nails at night time
Do the toe- nails as well. It is easier to file than it is to cut. If you have to cut the nails then it means they are too long and it will have already caused some bleeding.
Cover Hands
This is a tip to help those who have babies through to young children in helping them to cover one of the hardest parts of the body - the hands. I have found that using a pair of cotton socks over the hands then placing a piece of tubigrip - with a hole cut out along the side for the thumb to go through it - over the top of the sock is an easy, quick and cheap way of covering the hands. The tubigrip which holds the sock directly against the skin and prevents the sock from being removed -yet still allows kids to have the flexibilty to move their fingers around (even though covered). We came up with this idea when our daughter was in hospital - and all involved found it to be quite effective.
Torch to Distract
No! Don't set the baby alight! A great tip for distraction while dressing or changing a young child. A torch!! Show the child how to shine it on the roof/wall then let them go for it. Added tip.. keep the torch to change time so it doesnt lose its appeal so fast.