Our skin is the barrier between our bodies and the outside world. If the skin barrier is compromised by eczema, it is often more sensitive to changes in the temperature, humidity, airborne particles and our clothing. The changing seasons have a huge impact on eczema. Then there are the various holiday traditions that mark the passing of the year. Easter Eggs, summer trips to the seaside, Christmas trees and winter holidays. We look at how all of these can impact your child’s eczema. In the UK, main drivers of seasonal eczema are indoor humidity levels in the winter months and pollen in spring ..read more

Having a child with eczema lays another layer of complexity over parenthood. It can affect everything from whether one parent chooses to go back to work, to starting nursery or school. The vast majority of babies with eczema will grow out of it at some point, but it may well flare up again during puberty or at times of stress. We look at how childhood eczema can affect the milestones of growing up. Eczema challenges changes with age. Some, like teething, are linked to physical age (don’t forget the 5 year molars and wisdom teeth). Others, like starting school, are imposed by society. Changin ..read more

The skin is in direct contact with both clothing and the inevitable detergent residues that it is holding. Making sure both the clothing and laundry residues are well tolerated is key to managing eczema flare-up and maintaining the skin between them. We look at what to look for when buying clothes for your eczema child and how to keep clothes clean and looking good without irritating their skin. Cotton clothing has long been recommended for eczema sufferers. Its soft fibres and breathable structure mean that it’s one of the most comfortable fabrics to wear. Avoid irritating fabrics Some ecze ..read more

There’s no getting away from the fact that having a child with eczema is likely to impact the entire family. From broken nights, to time spent applying eczema creams and attending medical appointments, managing eczema is time consuming, exhausting and stressful. We look at the impacts and how to minimise the impact of childhood eczema and keep the fun of family life. Involve siblings in eczema treatments can to free up your time to be with them. Siblings can also be really helpful in discouraging scratching. Teach them to use distraction tactics rather than just saying ‘don’t scratch’. Impac ..read more

One of the first pieces of advice that any eczema parent hears is that they should identify any triggers for their little one’s eczema. But it doesn’t take long to realise that there are hundreds of possible triggers. How on earth do you go about finding the needle in the haystack? We’ve put together this simple guide to being an eczema detective to help you get started. Detective: a member of the police force or a private investigator whose function is to obtain information and evidence, as of offences against the law. Step One: Obtain information The first step in identifying eczema trigge ..read more

Ask any eczema parent which part of their child’s eczema they find hardest to deal with and the answer will invariably be sleep, or rather lack of it. Childhood eczema and the associated itching and scratching commonly affects the sleep of the whole family. A survey conducted by the National Eczema Association in the US found that 60% of eczema parents are waking up more than twice a night to provide care1. We look at the importance of sleep and how to minimise the eczema itch and inevitable scratching that disturbs it. When you have to settle your eczema child back to sleep it’s important to ..read more

Here at ScratchSleeves we love collaborating to bring you the experience and expertise of professionals and parents. This time we have teamed up with early years professional, sleep consultant and eczema mum, Kirsty Irving. We can’t think of a better person to be sharing top tips on helping an eczema child to sleep. Not only does Kirsty have eczema herself, so do her two children, Emily (7) and William (2). It was Emily’s struggles with itch-disturbed sleep that motivated Kirsty to train as a sleep consultant. In this article we look at how both eczema and sleep issues vary as babies and child ..read more

Here at ScratchSleeves, we love collaborating to bring you the experience and expertise of professionals and parents. This time we have teamed up with early years professional, sleep consultant and eczema mum, Kirsty Irving. We can’t think of a better person to be sharing top tips on helping an eczema child to sleep. Not only does Kirsty have eczema herself, so do her two children, Emily (7) and William (2). It was Emily’s struggles with itch-disturbed sleep that motivated Kirsty to train as a sleep consultant. In this article we look at practical things that you can do to help your child rela ..read more

Here at ScratchSleeves we love collaborating to bring you the experience and expertise of professionals and parents. This time we have teamed up with early years professional, sleep consultant and eczema mum, Kirsty Irving. We can’t think of a better person to be sharing top tips on eczema and sleep. Not only does Kirsty have eczema herself, so do her two children, Emily (7) and William (2). It was Emily’s struggles with itch-disturbed sleep that motivated Kirsty to train as a sleep consultant. In this article we look at one of the most useful tools in helping an itchy, eczema baby or toddler ..read more

Here at ScratchSleeves we love collaborating on blog posts to bring you the experience and expertise of professionals and parents. This time we have teamed up with early years professional, sleep consultant and eczema mum, Kirsty Irving. We can’t think of a better person to be sharing top tips on helping an eczema child to sleep.  Not only does Kirsty have eczema herself, so do her two children, Emily (7) and William (2). It was Emily’s struggles with itch-disturbed sleep that motivated Kirsty to train as a sleep consultant. Here Kirsty’s top sleep tips for helping eczema kids to sleep be ..read more