AngelaIf you have a kid with eczema, you probably know the feeling: you’re pulling on their pajamas after a bath and suddenly spot that bright red patch behind their knee. Or they wake up scratching at 2 a.m. and you’re standing in the bathroom trying to remember which cream helped last time.
We’ve dealt with eczema with all three of our girls, and for a long time I felt like I was constantly chasing it. We’d finally get one patch under control, the weather would change, and suddenly we were back at square one.
What I’ve learned is that eczema is less about finding one miracle product and much more about paying attention to all the little things that can either help their skin or make it angry. After a lot of trial and error, we’ve landed on a routine that works pretty well for us.
Here’s what I wish I’d known from the beginning.
A quick note before we get into it: This is simply what has worked for our family, with guidance from our pediatrician. Every child’s eczema is different, so talk to your own pediatrician or dermatologist about what’s right for your child.
There really isn’t a “good” season for eczema
I used to think we might get a break from eczema in the summer. Then summer came and we had a sweaty, itchy mess.
Turns out, winter and summer just have different ways of making sensitive skin unhappy.
In the winter, cold air outside and dry heat inside can leave their skin incredibly dry. In the summer, it’s often sweat, heat and all that moisture sitting in the little creases behind their knees and elbows.
So now I don’t really think of eczema as a seasonal problem. I think about what their skin needs right now.
In the winter, that usually means extra moisture. In the summer, it means keeping them cool, changing out of sweaty clothes and paying a little more attention to those areas where sweat collects.
The biggest change we made was actually doing less
One of the biggest changes we made came from our pediatrician, who suggested cutting back on baths.
Bathing advice for kids with eczema can vary, so this is one of those areas where we simply follow what our pediatrician has recommended for our girls. For us, that has meant bathing less often and keeping baths gentle.
Our pediatrician recommended keeping baths to a maximum of twice a week, unless, of course, someone has covered themselves in something that requires an emergency bath.
That change alone made a bigger difference than I expected.
We also stopped using regular body wash and switched to Mustela Stelatopia Cleansing Oil. It has a really nice, milky texture and leaves their skin feeling soft instead of tight when they get out of the tub.
Moisturizer is always part of the routine
I’ve always been pretty good about putting moisturizer on after baths and whenever I noticed their skin looking dry. But over time, I realized that with eczema, waiting until their skin looked dry wasn’t always enough.
Now we tend to add a little moisturizer throughout the day too. I’ll put some on at diaper changes, always do a good layer before bed, and sometimes add it in the morning if I notice one of the girls scratching or looking a little dry.
For their bodies, our everyday staple is Mustela Stelatopia+ Lipid-Replenishing Cream. It’s rich and really hydrating, but absorbs nicely enough that I can get pajamas on without everyone feeling greasy.
I also always keep Tubby Todd All Over Ointment around for the spots that need a little extra attention. If I notice a rough, dry or slightly pink patch starting to show up, I’ll put some on right away.
It’s a small change, but I think adding those extra little applications throughout the day has helped us stay ahead of some of the flares rather than always playing catch-up.
And then there are the real flares
We do have prescription steroid creams from our pediatrician for the bigger flares, and we use them when our doctor recommends them. She has talked us through how much to use, where to use it and for how long. Topical steroids are a common and effective eczema treatment when used appropriately, so rather than trying to avoid them completely, we follow our pediatrician’s instructions and use the right treatment for the flare we’re dealing with.
For milder flares, our pediatrician recommended keeping Aquaphor Children’s Itch Relief Ointment on hand. It contains 1% hydrocortisone, which is an over-the-counter topical steroid used for temporary relief of itching and irritation, including eczema-related symptoms.
The product is labeled for children over age 2, and as with any medicated product, we follow both the label and our pediatrician’s guidance.
We use it on the areas that are actually flaring, following our doctor’s guidance.
For those moments when they’re itchy but we’re not reaching for medication, a cool compress can also help. A clean, cool, damp washcloth on the area for a few minutes is simple, but we’ve found it can make a surprisingly big difference, especially before bed.
Sometimes the least exciting solution is the one you actually need at 9 p.m.
What touches their skin matters, too
We also pay much more attention to what they’re wearing, especially at night.
Soft, breathable pajamas are a must for us. I tend to look for soft cotton and other breathable fabrics and avoid anything that feels scratchy or overly warm. If they’re already itchy, I don’t want them sleeping in something that’s going to make it worse.
And in the winter, we run a humidifier in their rooms at night. Our apartment gets really dry once the heat is on, and I definitely notice their skin gets drier too.
It’s basically become part of our winter routine now: humidifier on, pajamas on, moisturizer before bed.
What has made the biggest difference for us
I used to think I needed to figure out the exact thing causing every eczema flare. With three kids, I’ve finally accepted that it doesn’t always work that way.
Sometimes I can point to something obvious. It’s 90 degrees and one of them has been sweating all day. Or the heat has been running for weeks and everyone’s skin is dry.
Other times, I have absolutely no idea why a patch suddenly showed up.
What I can control is what we do when it happens.
We bathe less because that’s what our pediatrician has recommended for our girls. We moisturize more often. We keep the girls cool. We use gentle products. We deal with the little patches early. And when something turns into a real flare, we have the medications our pediatrician has recommended.
Eczema is still one of those things I wish we didn’t have to think about so much. But I’ve stopped looking for the one product or one answer that will make it disappear. At this point, I’m much more interested in keeping their skin comfortable and knowing what to do when it starts acting up.
And after three kids, that feels like a pretty good place to be.
The eczema products we keep coming back to
Mustela Stelatopia Cleansing Oil
Our bath time cleanser. It’s gentle, fragrance-free and has that milky texture we love.
Mustela Stelatopia+ Lipid-Replenishing Cream
Our everyday body moisturizer. We use it after baths and throughout the day when their skin needs it.
Tubby Todd All Over Ointment
For the extra dry, rough or irritated spots that need more than regular moisturizer.
Aquaphor Children’s Itch Relief Ointment, 1% Hydrocortisone
What we keep on hand for smaller flares and itchy patches**, following our pediatrician’s guidance. This medicated product is labeled for children over age 2.**
This post shares our family’s personal experience and is not intended as medical advice. If your child has eczema—or a rash that is severe, persistent, infected or otherwise concerning—talk to your pediatrician or dermatologist.
