Home Remedies: tackling baby eczema.

We're in month 6 and have yet to see any improvement with Nur's eczema. At first it was on his forehead and his cheeks, but then started to travel down to his neck and his back. Now, we are covered with the most uncomfortable looking rash and dry patches, that I know must be even more uncomfortable for him to deal with. Not only is his skin dry but it is super sensitive. I found the mildest products that typically may work for others did the complete opposite for him.

We tried sooo many products that "specialize in eczema treatment" that legit was a complete fail for us. From Aveeno, Eucerin, Aquaphor, Cetephil, to straight up coconut oil and nothing worked. The only over the counter product that I did see working was the Burt's Bees Multipurpose Ointment and 100% raw Shea Butter.

Like I said, those two things worked, but for some reason still wasn't giving me the results or soothing feeling I thought Nur's skin needed. After weeks of research, I decided to use the most beneficial ingredient that I knew for a fact worked on mostly everything; BREAST MILK!

Being full of vitamins, antibodies, nutrients, minerals, I learned that breastmilk has plenty of benefits for skin. Here is a list of things:

• breast milk contains many antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antiseptic components in its carbohydrates, sugars, white blood cells, and proteins.

• breast milk contains natural moisturizing properties, which explains why its been said to have natural healing agents for many skin conditions.

• due to the presence of lauric acid in breast milk, this is why it is very beneficial in treating eczema, cracked nipples from nursing, dry skin, and cradle cap just to name a few.

In the picture you can see the blotchy, dry patches that are located on his belly. When they are inflamed, they become red in the middle with a dry ring around them kind of reminding you of ring worm. In order to help keep the itching under control, his pediatrician did prescribe him hydrocortisone to use twice a day.

Seeing these patches come to surface, was indication that his skin wasn't getting the proper amount if moisture that it needed. This is when I knew I had to find something that really worked.

When Nur was a newborn, he had cradle cap. It wasn't severe, but the flakes from his scalp cause his face to flare up in a very bad rash. In this picture, as you can see his scalp still has flakes, which caused the rash on the side of his face. I really didn't know that at 6 months, a baby can still have cradle cap. So my remedy was coconut oil; which I later learned that in some babies, the bacteria and fungi that causes cradle cap thrive off of coconut oil, which explained why his face and scalp just didn't seem to be getting better.

Now, the nightly routine includes the breast milk body wash and balm I made. Below I will include the ingredients for each one.

Breast Milk, Oat and Honey Shampoo and Body Wash:

• breast milk (fresh is always better to make sure you are getting all the antibodies, vitamins and minerals possible; but thawed is just as fine.)

• unscented Castile soap ( I preferred Dr. Bronners blue bottle)

• rolled oats blended dry into powder

• Manuka honey (be sure not to allow baby to consume, you can always opt out of this ingredient to be safe)

You can always use this as a bubble bath as well. This way you allow baby's skin to soak and absorb the vitamins and minerals in the breast milk.

Should be stored in the refrigerator to help preserve the milk. Good for 6 months.

Breast Milk Body Balm:

• breast milk (fresh or thawed)

• grape seed oil (coconut oil will give it a thicker consistency, but use only if your baby's skin can handle it)

• vitamin E oil

• beeswax or candelilla wax

after mixing all the ingredients, I had whipped until it thickened, then let sit in refrigerator overnight.

Should be stored in refrigerator to preserve the milk. Good for 6 months.

Both recipes can be altered using the oils of your choice, and if you want to add a scent, throw in a few drops of essential oils.

I use the body balm twice a day, making sure to saturate his skin completely at bedtime. As for the body wash, I use it as a bubble bath every other day and in between just a regular wipe off if we had a fairly clean day (whatever that means. Lol!)

Are you battling with baby eczema or acne? Please let me know if you have any other products that worked for you, that you could recommend. & if you try these home made remedies, let me know what you think.