Eczema and sleep - how do you behave?

[green cyber mummy]

Just interested in how different people treat their children when they wake a lot through the night due to itching and eczema.

Are you able to be sympathetic to your child at any hour in the night?
Do you tend to them straight away or do you leave them a bit?
Do you have any tips to pass on regarding sleeping success?

My DD2 (nearly 4) goes to bed well and tends to sleep the first part of the night til 12 or 1 then can wake every hour from then or can do another chunk and wake 4 ish then 6ish. She is totally suited up but scratches through her clothes and rubs wrists and ankles together or rubs mittens on the side of her face. She crys and moans when she wakes.

When I go in she sometimes asks for more cream which invariably ends up with more shrieking because to put cream on her hands involves getting her partially out of her suit and she then wants to scratch all over. She does tend to go back to sleep pretty quickly as a rule after an episode.

We did get into a bit of a bad habit where I would get into bed with her to get her back to sleep then at some point later I would wake up and go back to my own bed. This keeps the peace and lessens the crying in the early hours which is something which really gets to me and I can not tolerate.

Sometimes she will creep into our bed and then tends to sleep really well (but I don't!). Some nights I loose track of how many times I have yo-yoed between her bed and mine.

We have tried numerous prescribed anti-histamines/sedatives for night but they don't seem to work for my DD.

Part of me thinks some of her waking is now habitual but I don't know how to break it without leaving her to cry and that is really, really hard for me.

Please share your experiences.

[Marcie Mom]

Green Cyber Mummy,

I totally know what you're talking about! I co-sleep and it helps with quickly putting lotion on my baby when she started scratching, or hold her hand and she'd fall back asleep. I can sleep very well, i.e. if she wakes up, I know; once she falls back into sleep, I can asap also zzzz!

If you think it's scratching out of habit, you can employ some techniques recommended at atopicskindiseas.com; The author doctor will answer more questions on my blog next month, otherwise, feel free to check their site.

Do remember not to say 'stop scratching!' too much, it doesn't help.. reinforcing something positive is better.

I bathe my child very close to bedtime, I find that it helps.

Mei

[yorkie2703]

Hi
Are you able to be sympathetic to your child at any hour in the night? Sample Answer NO . My daughter can wake up every hour when her eczema is bad. No matter what I do isn't go enough for her, So I don't have much patience.

Do you tend to them straight away or do you leave them a bit? I decided to leave her but she then comes into our room arhh which doesn't help as me and my husband work full time and I can't function without sleep.

Do you have any tips to pass on regarding sleeping success? This works for us sometimes.. Cool Bath, Alveeno , Steriods if needed, Wetwrap suits, Even if her skin looks good I will put her in her Dermasuit, we have spent a fortune on cotton PJs but she finds them still to hot .Keep her room on the cooller side. Light bedding. 5ml Certizine before bed. Derma Gloves on if needed.

I find when I am stressed it makes her eczema worse so I try and remain calm in front of her (Very Hard) she is at an age now were she wants to be independant which drives me mad. She wants to cream herself and will go mad if I start to cream the places she has missed. The joy of being a parent.
My daughter is 5 now and she still bed hops she has now even started to go into our sons room which is great for me but not for him. I have even started to say to her she will not get something unless she stays in her room. Children sleeping in there parents rooms etc can be becaused of various things like night terrors , warmth, feeling lonely, dreaming of their day and waking up, etc I sometimes have to remind myself that something our not to do with her Eczema its actually her age....

Do you use an all in one suit at bedtime?

[Kiya]

I find night times the hardest. I'm a single mum so night time duty is solely down to me! I don't think I've had more than five full nights sleep for 5 years. Patience is in short supply but I do find the more stressed I get the more stressed she gets and her scratching increases as does the crying. I do feel quite helpless at times as it seems like nothing I do helps and it can get me down

[AnnaB]

Hi Kiya
I too am a single Mum and both my children suffer with eczema, it is so stressful dealing with it day and night on your own, no-one for back up, no-one to help, no-one to let you sleep. About 3 months ago I would of taken my son to A&E as he'd torn his legs appart and they needed special dressings. But I couldn't take 2 children in the middle of the night, without it being life threatening so we waited till morning. I have now bought the special dressings myself and have had over bandages prescribed so I can dress his eczema at home. It is a case of learning how to deal with the challenges we face.

Anna

[Marcie Mom]

Totally understand, when my baby's eczema was bad, slept two hours, woke one hour. Usually I just start the whole routine over - gave her some milk/crackers/ cereal (as I suppose scratching does use up energy) and while she's distracted, would change her diapers, chlorhexidine (anti-septic) her full body, moisturize, wear new PJs, read story again and sleep. Plus re-fill humidifier.

I'm still co-sleeping, but now a quick moisturizer + diaper change will do in the middle of the night. My toddler sleeps very late, at 11.30pm. Too tired to scratch, and though it's not ideal, sleeping too early sometimes lead to more scratching at night. SIGH!

Take care ladies

[yorkie2703]

Hi Kiya
How is your daughter getting on? Have you managed to get any help from the hospital or GP?

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