Creative parents have come up with a wide range of home remedies for their babies with eczema. One thing is for sure, and that is that no one remedy works for all babies. Chances are, however, at least one of these remedies will offer some relief for your baby, if not complete healing. Try the below at your own risk.
1. Baking soda baths. Baking soda added to the baby's bath can help to relieve the itching associated with eczema. Simply add one-fourth cup of baking soda to the baby's lukewarm bathwater and bathe as normal.
2. Oatmeal baths. You can do this by tying up oatmeal in a piece of cloth and letting the hot water run over it while filling the tub, sort of like a large tea bag. Or you can soak the bag in warm water and squeeze out the water to use in the tub. Another way to use it is to powder it in the blender and add a little to the bathwater. Oatmeal helps calm down the itching.
3. Turmeric. A teaspoon of turmeric, the spice used in making pickles and in Indian dishes, can be added to a half cup of olive oil to make a healing ointment. It is bright yellow in color and can stain, so use care.
4. Ultra violet light. Some long-time eczema sufferers have had the condition improve after going to a tanning parlor. How would this work for a baby? Perhaps a little old-fashioned sunshine could help heal up an outbreak of eczema.
5. Bleach. More than a few eczema sufferers have found a little bleach in the bathwater to help their symptoms. You probably wouldn't want to try this with a baby, but with a toddler or child it might be worth it to try adding a capful to their tub. If by chance the rash is fungal or bacterial instead of eczema, it makes sense that bleach could clear it up.
6. Epsom salts in the bath. They are "drying in a good way" according to some people. It is essential to follow up the bath with a serious moisturizer, such as petroleum jelly.
7. Honey, or honey with nutmeg. Honey can be used as an ointment. It has healing and antimicrobial properties, so it is good for fighting infection. It might be best to use it only on children over one year old, since little babies should not ingest honey. You might find ointments and other products made with honey as one of the ingredients, which should make it easier to use.
8. Bag Balm. This is a thick ointment used by dairy farmers on cow's udders, but it is healing and many people have found it helps baby eczema. It has a consistency something like petroleum jelly.
