When you’re a new parent…. scrap that. When you’re a parent full stop, it’s so hard to know what’s best for your child. It’s all a learning curve. However, there’s one thing for sure, when you find a hero product that works, you keep hold of it. No matter what. So far, in our 21 months of parenthood, one of our hero products is Epaderm.
When Cameo, our eldest was about 9 months old he started to get dry skin on his elbows and knees. Then, to cut a long story short, he became really poorly and his skin just flared up. It turned out that it was eczema. His skin had flared up tremendously by him being so unwell and it’s pretty much been there ever since. It varies from day to day depending on the weather, what he wears and even if he has a little cold or not. His arms have really improved and the eczema is hardly noticeable most days. His little legs have always been the worst. We ended up going to the doctors about it because he was constantly itching and his legs were turning into two little sore red poles. We even had to stop our swimming lessons because he skin was just becoming so bad.
Cameo had to have steroid cream and after going back to the doctors a few times I was adamant that he couldn’t just keep having steroid cream when it flared up. Being a new mum, all this was new to me! After a few trial and errors, the doctor actually recommended Epaderm and we got a prescription to try some. Honestly, it was and has been the only cream that has helped reduce the redness and soreness of his eczema long term. So much so, that over a year later we’re still using it and buying it ourselves!
It’s really improved our toddler’s skin and generally, it’s still a bit red but not sore. (Unless he plays on grass where it tends to flare up a bit more) But compared to when we first started using it, his skin is so SO much better. I know it makes a difference because when we stop using it for a couple of days, Cameos’ skin starts flaring up again. It’s amazing how it improves and soothes. You just have to keep applying it and don’t give up.
For reference, there is an Epaderm Ointment too which is a bit like petroleum jelly but a little softer. It’s supposed to be the best but personally, the cream worked much better for us. We found it hydrated Cameos legs better and was a little less messy when he wanted to help cream himself. As you’d expect, it’s fragrance-free and isn’t sticky so we get Cameo dressed straight away. The only major difference is that the ointment can go in the bath and can be used as a skin cleanser. We used this when Cameos was really little and had really bad, dry skin. It worked well and now we can get away with just using this when his eczema really flares up. But on a day to day basis we use the cream.
It’s pretty obvious that Epaderm is a winner for us, isn’t it?. We use it every evening after bathtime, It’s become a part of our bedtime routine. It works much better at night time because it has time to work while Cameo sleeps, instead of itching or rubbing etc. We probably use a bit more than we should because Cameo likes to get involved now and we even have a little song. I think by making it part of our routine and by making it fun and letting Cameo cream himself, it’s turned it into a game. Only today I was putting my foundation on and he went running around the house shouting MAMA CREAMING! It was hilarious! He is so used to being creamed now that whenever he sees someone putting something on their skin he’ll shout CREAMING! Bless him.
The things that helped us with controlling Cameo’s eczema are really simple to remember. We originally creamed him after every nappy change to keep the skin moisturised. Over time it has improved greatly. As I said above we just apply a generous amount all over his body at bedtime. If we notice a flare up, or if he has been playing in grass etc (which we know is a trigger for him) we’ll apply more throughout the day. If you’re not sure what makes your or your little one’s eczema or skin condition worse, Epaderm has a great tracker that could help you look a little more thoroughly at what it could be. You can find the tracker here. We did something like this which is why we realised grass and water were our main triggers for making his skin worse.
I’d always recommend Epaderm. We also have a 10 week old and even though he isn’t showing signs of dry skin or eczema just yet, we’re still using Epaderm on him after his bath. As I said, when you trust a brand that’s really helped your little one, you’ll always use it.
You can buy Epaderm from Amazon, Tesco, Boots, Superdrug and other high street chemists. Find out more about other peoples experience with Epaderm by using #OneTwoFreeYourSkin.
*This post is part of an Epaderm competition. Everything I’ve said in this post is our true experience and opinion.
