There is nothing sweeter or softer than the skin of your newborn baby. However, for many their entrance into the world can introduce skin irritations like baby eczema. Treating their sensitive skin can be tricky as you must try to avoid anything that might be too harsh. My three youngest kids (I have five total) went through a terrible stage of baby eczema. My daughter, who was baby number four, had things twice as bad and also had baby acne. I tried so many products and recommended remedies but nothing seemed to work. Finally, about a month after having my youngest son, someone recommended a product I would have never thought of. I’m not sure which was more surprising, the fact that it worked so well, or that it took me five kids to finally find a solution to treating baby eczema.
The Search for a Treatment
Trying to find a remedy to relieve the baby eczema that three of my babies suffered from was a long road of trial and error. My husband and I remember testing many different creams and lotions, as well as diy natural treatments. We bought inexpensive products and expensive products hoping and praying something would work successfully. It was frustrating and saddening that we couldn’t help our baby. Our daughter’s skin was so sensitive that we had to make sure there was a barrier, like a blanket or towel, between her and anyone who was holding her. She couldn’t rub up on their clothes because her skin would get irritated from their laundry detergent or perfume. It looked painful and made her irritable. Against our preference we eventually had to start applying small amounts of a steroid cream prescribed by our pediatrician.
Finding the Solution for Baby Eczema
When my youngest son was born we again had to go on the hunt for anything that we thought might relieve the dryness and itching. We tried gentle baby washes and all sorts of creams and lotions. We found one bath product from Aveeno Baby Eczema called Soothing Bath Treatment. You can buy it at pretty much any department store or online. While it didn’t get rid of the eczema, it did seem to calm it and take out the redness a bit. It wasn’t until during a Thanksgiving dinner that I discovered the product that would change it all.
Every Thanksgiving we join our good friend’s family for the day (we like to refer to this as our “framily”) because they are gracious people and we don’t live close to our own families. My newborn son looked like an adorable beet whose skin was peeling off. He had developed baby eczema that covered his sweet face, neck, and torso.
My friend’s son’s girlfriend casually asked what we had been using for it. At the time she was in college for something medical and seemed like she had a pretty good head on her shoulders. She also said that her family deals with eczema and have all had success with one product. This of course made I ears perk up and I was immediately on the edge of my seat, desperate to do anything I could to make my baby cute again (oh come on, you know you all have thought the same thing). Of course I didn’t want him to be uncomfortable any more either.
The Product: Bag Balm
The product she said had helped her family’s eczema was Bag Balm. What the heck is Bag Balm you ask? Well, I had the same question. Bag Balm is an ointment originally used by farmers to relieve the skin irritations on the udders of cows. Yep, you read that correctly. COWS! In its shelf form, however, it has been appropriately produced for use by people as well.
Well cows or no cows I was pretty much ready to take a gamble on anything that was deemed safe for my little guy so I asked where I could get this miracle ointment. “Amazon”, she replied. Of course, I though to myself, because Amazon has everything. Before I had even left the dinner table I had a tin canister of the stuff on order through my Prime account. Two days later it was on my doorstep and 2 minutes after that I was slathering it all over my baby boy. I kid you not, within a week the eczema on his face and body had completely disappeared. I think I may have done a happy dance.
The 4-1-1 on Bag Balm
- I was really diligent about applying the Bag Balm ointment on my son’s skin everyday. Twice a day for the first few days, but otherwise just a layer on at night before putting him to bed.
- It doesn’t smell all that great. However, considering the relief it gives I was willing to overlook (or over-smell) this fact. Actually, after a while the smell sort of grew on me. For adults and kids over the age of 2 you can add a drop of lavender essential oil to it, which helps to improve the scent.
- A canister will last you forever. Ok, maybe forever is a stretch, but it will last you a long time because a little goes a long way.
- It’s not just for babies. We’ve since used bag balm for every member of our family for eczema, chapped lips, dry hands, peeling nails, razor burn, and even flaky skin under my husbands goatee. It works great to alleviate many skin irritations.
- It cost less than $10. If you have kids you are on a budget. So the fact that this treatment is inexpensive is another reason why I love it.
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