Finally, the sun is starting to shine. And with it, comes warmer weather. Hot days and nights are not always a good thing for a child with eczema. We are fairly lucky that heat itself doesn’t seem to worsen MIB’s eczema, but he often comes out in a heat rash if he gets too hot and sweaty under clothes.
That’s the trouble really. As I have previously mentioned, it is a tricky choice between heat rash when covered up or sunscreen that will set his eczema off during the day. For the night though? Well, I just get envious of parents who can just send their child off to bed with just a nappy on. This is not something I can easily do. See, at night, after his bath, my child becomes a STICKY child. He is covered from head to toe (yes, literally) in stick. And, sometimes it is two layers of stick, depending on whether he’s needed steroid cream on top of the thick Epaderm ointment.
So, what to do with him then? When it’s not hot, he gets full pyjamas on – long-sleeved and long-legged. That means that any excess stickiness is soaked into them and any extra will go on his bed sheet. In warmer weather though, full pj’s are not really an option. Shorts and t-shirt style pjs are good, except for when he sits on my lap for story time and I get my knees covered in stick. This is the option we usually go for though as putting him in without any nightclothes at all seems impossible. He may get glued to the sheet in the night, for a start. If we let the cream thoroughly sink in before putting him in bed, we’d have twenty minutes or more of him wandering around naked and sticky and not being allowed to sit, lie or basically go near anything for fear of sticky marks left behind everywhere. You can imagine how much fun a child who’s tired can have with that.
*sigh*
I love summer, I really do, but every change in temperature brings a new phase for us. Each season he’s that bit older also means it’s that bit different too.
How do you manage? Please let me know your recommendations.
Beth says
Oh I hear you with this one!!!! Tonight being a prime example – to sleep with little or nothing on would be bliss for our little girl but no can do. Not after the creaming up!!! We have stretchy bandage type suits that are skin tight and go on over all her cream and she wears a fresh pair each night. On prescription from the GPs (you should ask!!) Tonight we are testing out no PJs on the top. Wish us luck!!
MyItchyBoy says
I know! Thankfully he was happy tonight to put full pjs on. Managed to find cotton ones in Sainsbury that have a bit of elastic around the cuffs and ankles. However, have just discovered him getting distressed at getting them stuck. He has clearly had a good scratch 🙁 No need for duvets at least in this weather.