So my DS was a very VERY itchy baby, diagnosed with exczema at 8 weeks and has never stopped having it to some degree. He spent his first 6 months wearing mittens/socks on his hands cos he would just scratch himself to pieces. At 10 months he was diagnosed with allergies to egg and treenuts (he'd never been given them directly, only exposure was through BM). Once I changed my diet, the itching and the eczema settled BRILLIANTLY. He also drank better and "snuffled" less.

Then last Sep (just before his 3rd B'day) he started repeatedly waking at night, scratching, crying, very distressed. (and this is a kid who was always a cruisy happy sleeper - EVEN as an itchy baby!) We saw the GP, we moved up our annual skin pr ick test, and we ended up having to put him on Zyrtec around the clock. The allergy paed that we said advised us that there were no new allergies (very uncommon to get them apparently) and that sometimes something just sets them off, keep him on Zyrtec 24/7 for 3-6 months until it had settled. We also had been using phenergan AS WELL when needed (bathing a toddler at 1am who is howlingly itchy just really doesn't get my rocks off for some odd reason). He also commented that the eczema was well controlled.

Last month I was STILL having trouble with him waking/crying/scratching - 5 mths down the track. Finally a BIG penny dropped and I realised how many of MY skincare products contained either macadamia oil, almond oil or shea butter (also a treenut). None of his did, but quite a lot of mine did... and they list them with the latin names, so you have to go googling to even find out it out!! so annoying given we'd had NO medico of any sort ever suggest to watch out for it, and I really don't understand how even baby and toddler products can include them but don't have to declare it! (anyway that's a separate rant from me!). So I've removed everything (yes that seems to include my lipstick - boo), and we've definitely had improvement. Yay. No more phenergan required, we just continued the zyrtec.

So this month, I've been trying to drop the zyrtec. But almost every attempt and suddenly I have a boy waking at night, scratching and crying. I made it to 4 days zyrtec-free last week. But then he woke 7 nights in a row. We're at the stage that we can try a food challenge with egg.... but of course I can't do it while he's on the zyrtec.

I went to my GP today who has her own very itchy boy and we're off to see a paediatric dermatologist on Mon (waiting list was till June, but got in on a cancellation WOOT!). This guy is apparently very good with allergies & digestive stuff too. My doc agreed that my normal allergist probably isn't going to have any further insight. As for me, well i think sometimes Dr Mum's solve more than Dr $$$'s do, so I'm trying to put on my thinking cap. Historically, this itching is just like what he had as a baby - which suggests to me the same culprits. It could be a food he's having is contaminated - as we do eat some commercial food and virtually everything says "may contain traces blah blah blah". I do try to cook a lot at home however as we have multiple food restrictions in the household.

Also, DH and I DO actually eat eggs and nuts ourselves (and tbh with my limitations from a nutritional perspective I really shouldn't be avoiding them)... but I've rearranged the pantry, we try to eat them at night when he's in bed, wash face, hands, clean teeth etc afterwards. Surely he couldn't be that sensitive that having them in the house would set him of? Could he be?

The other option is it's a sensitivity and not an allergy per se. So he's just a sensitive flower and I should cut some other common irritants from his diet and see what happens. Meh. Really not keen. Plus he's fed at FDC two days a week which makes it hard to control his diet. (And really I shouldn't get started, but i have restrictions, DH has restrictions and we're currently trialling DH on a diet for his vertigo... I don't think I can handle more diets honestly).

There's another thing, maybe it's the FDC food? So saying I think she's even more paranoid than i am - she won't give him foods that say "may contain traces" whereas I do!

Or i look for other sources of irritation - washing powder, chemical cleaners etc... I could change all that kinda stuff (which I haven't changed recently - and my DH rudely said I don't clean enough for it to be the cleaning solutions bwahahaha cheeky git), but honestly to me it seems more consistent with somethign that's going in him IYKWIM not outside him. I know that sounds silly when he's itching, but he has particularly itchy zones. Around the eyes, and back of the head in particular. Knees and legs cos he often has access (summer shorts).

Oh and my GP thinks in both our boys' case it is the eczema - but we're both told it's mild eczema, but we both have insanely itchy boys.

Anyway, that's my rant & rave. Love to hear any other ideas. Are other kids with "mild" eczema this itchy?
TIA for reading