Bathing tips for children with eczema
For children with eczema, bath time can be challenging, particularly if they are experiencing a flare of their condition. In the video below, we spoke to consultant dermatologist Dr Kathy Taghipour, to get her top tips on bathing a child with eczema:
How often to bathe a child with eczema?
There has been some debate over the years as to how often you should bathe a child with eczema, with some suggesting that infrequent bathing is preferable to prevent drying the skin further. However, many health professionals agree that if done correctly, once daily bathing of a child with eczema is beneficial for the following reasons:
1. To cleanse the skin.
2. To remove scaling, which will help further treatments to work effectively.
3. To remove residue from previous treatments.
4. To wash away any irritants that might remain on the skin.
Additionally, a consistent bedtime routine can help to encourage a good night’s sleep, which is often a challenge for a little one with eczema.
Our bath-time top tips:
1. Hot water can have a stripping effect on the skin and can make the skin feel itchy and irritable. Run a bath with warm water, rather than hot, to minimise the stripping of natural oils from your child’s skin.
2. If your child finds that their skin stings as they get into the bath, consider applying their emollient prior to getting in the bath to form a protective barrier. This can then be gently washed off once in the bath.
3. Try to limit your child’s time in the bath to around 10 minutes. This will minimise any drying out of the skin, and weakening of the skin barrier.
4. Standard soaps, bubble baths and shower gels can cause further skin irritation. Instead, wash with an emollient (moisturiser) in place of soap.
5. Gently wash your child, don’t rub or scrub too hard, this can worsen eczema and cause sensitivity or pain.
6. Once out of the bath, gently pat dry (or cuddle dry!) Avoid rubbing dry as again this can cause irritation.
7. Re-apply your child’s emollient, ideally within 3 minutes of getting out of the bathtub, to lock in moisture, otherwise known as the soak and seal method.
8. Remember to rinse the bath thoroughly after bath-time. Built up products can make the bath slippery.
Of course, every child is different, and you may need to go through some trial and error to find a routine that works well for you. Do you have any tips for a successful bath-time routine for a child with eczema? We’d love to hear from you.