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Diet for Eczema in Babies

Eczema is a common skin condition that causes red patches of itchy skin. It can be particularly hard on babies because they are unable to effectively communicate their discomfort. While eczema can occur anywhere on the body, the condition typically appears in infants on the forehead, cheeks, forearms, legs, scalp and neck. There are several causes for eczema in babies, but some of the most common are food allergies that can easily be treated by changes in diet.

  1. Finding the Trigger

    • First, find the food allergy or allergies triggering eczema in your baby. If your child is young and bottle fed, dairy is the most likely trigger. Many children have trouble with dairy products as babies and must be on soy formula, although they tend to outgrow this allergy. If your child is already on solid foods or is breastfed, you will have to do an elimination diet. Take one food that you or the baby is eating and omit it for at least a week. Watch your baby's skin to see if there are any additional eczema outbreaks. If the elimination diet does not reveal anything, talk to your doctor about doing allergy tests.

    Education

    • Once you have found the food trigger for the eczema in your baby, talk to your pediatrician and/or a dietitian to see if any related foods should be avoided. For example, a child who is allergic to peanuts will sometimes have to avoid peas because they are in the same food family (legumes). Also, the health professional can teach you how to read food labels and identify any other names for the food trigger.

    Start the Eczema Diet

    • Once you know the trigger and have learned which foods to avoid, take those foods out of your home. Read all the labels on foods that you buy and avoid those triggering ingredients. Tell friends, family members and child-care providers about your child's eczema-related diet and ask them to make sure they do not feed those foods to your baby.

    Other Precautions

    • In some babies, but not all, anyone close to the child will also have to avoid identified eczema triggers. Foods such as peanuts and milk can stay in and around your mouth and hands long after you have ingested them and, if you touch the baby, can cause an eczema breakout. Warn friends and family about this risk and ask anyone handling the baby to wash their hands and brush their teeth after eating those foods.

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