Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

So as Im sure youve heard me rant about over the last month or so....DS(20 months) had severe allergies (hives, eyes swollen shut, watering, etc) and we had him tested and it was our cat. So we have rehomed the cat and hes on Zyrtec. It has stopped the eye swelling, watering, sneezing. However, he still is covered in hives. Which I am beginning to think have nothing to do with the allergies. The allergist did some sensitive skin test where she ran a piece of paper across his arm and if instantly left this bright red line and she was like "wow, he has really sensitive skin". He had eczema as an infant and a few minor outbreaks here and there since, so thats not really news.

We have been back and forth for months now to the allergist and pedi for the hives bc everyone was telling us it was allergy related. Most recently today bc it spread to his neck, stomach and legs monday/yesterday.

We brought him in today bc of the spreading and then I realized.....Sunday and Monday we put sunblock on him. Then I asked my mom who does his laundry (we live in a co-op with shared washers and the idea of putting his clothes in there grosses her out, so she does his laundry) and she told me she recently stopped using dye free detergent and switched to regular. We also just switched to huggies and he broke out in some serious diaper rash. So all of these things seem to point to the fact that despite what we had been told, the hives are unrelated to his allergy. It would also explain why all the Zyrtec and Benadryl in the world hasnt helped his hives......maybe he just has sensitive skin and its just a coincidence the hives started with the onset of his cat allergy.

My question is.....does this sound like your sensitive skinned DC? If you have a sensitive skinned DC what products (lotions, soaps, detergents, sunblocks, etc) do you recommend and what other steps do you take to prevent irritation? Lastly, what do you do for a break out of hives to help DC?

THANKS for making it this far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Message edited 5/27/2009 3:57:27 PM.

Re: Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

no help but my poor little guy :( He can't catch a break.

Re: Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

I only use pampers sensitive wipes and I use Tushies, Earth's Best, 7th generation, Natural baby diapers. They're all "Earth friendly" and free of chemicals. I recently tried Huggies pure and natural and I like them too. I only use aveeno products on him also. Hope this helps!

Re: Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

I'm so sorry for you DS!

I would suggest looking at this site, it shows the chemical levels in all baby products:

Skin Deep

Many things are impromperly named and marketed! I was using Huggies Natural Care wipes which are anything but natural! And Pampers Sensitive has very harsh chemicals in it!

We use California Baby Sensitive Skin wash and lotion, Tushies Wipes and Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm and diaper rash soap. We also use California Baby Sunscreen.

Re: Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

Posted by SeptemberBride03

I'm so sorry for you DS!

I would suggest looking at this site, it shows the chemical levels in all baby products:

Skin Deep

Many things are impromperly named and marketed! I was using Huggies Natural Care wipes which are anything but natural! And Pampers Sensitive has very harsh chemicals in it!

We use California Baby Sensitive Skin wash and lotion, Tushies Wipes and Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm and diaper rash soap. We also use California Baby Sunscreen.

Re: Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

You're welcome! I love it too! I check everything on it. Another helpful site is this: Safe Mama

Re: Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

Re: Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

My DS has very sensitive skin----I only used California baby sensitive skin products his first year----when he turned 1 I tried Aveeno fragrance free, but had to switch back as he was getting eczema again. I have tried neutrogena baby, aveeno baby & california baby sunscreen and he can only tolerate the california baby, I just wish it wasn't as expensive!! If any thing irritates his skin I use aquafor with good results. HTH!

Re: Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

Re: Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

I never challenged DS's skin with regular detergent or any lotion that isn't super mild....

First off, I think you should go to a dermatologist. Peds and allergists know some stuff about skin, but skin reactions are very difficult to diagnose... so a good dermatologist would likely help.... especially one with expertise in contact dermatitis.

as for things that promote rashes... sure regular detergent isn't good... neither is fabric softener...

make everything (detergents, soaps, lotions) unscented... and put him in cotton clothing.

also, some moms have reported that the "labels" printed on the backs of "no label shirts" can be an irritant... so be careful of that on the back of his neck.

Also, check out www.cosmeticdatabase.com and try to use the least toxic lotions and sunblocks. (California baby is highly rated...DS has no problem with it.)


HTH!

Re: Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

Re: Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

Re: Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

We only bathe him in Cetaphil and use Aquaphor. We use All Free & Clear or Tide Free for both his clothes and our clothes. As for sunblock, the only one that didn't cause DS's skin to break out was Mustela. It was a lot of trial and error to find a sunblock that didn't make his skin break out!

Re: Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

Re: Moms of Sensitive Skin babies....I need some advice(long)

I live in Chicago, so my stores may carry different things, but I can get California Baby at Whole Foods and Target. I find that the best prices are from Diapers.com though.