Scratching all night? Try this tonight.

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What we use at bedtime →

The Eczema Shelf, Issue 02, Sunday Nov 1: Scratching all night? Try this tonight. A calmer bedtime for our kids. Illustration of a child's bed under a night sky with a cool jar beside it.

The cold jar

When our kids were little, they both had rashes. I still remember the late nights and the second-guessing.

Parents still write to us about those hours: 780 of our five-star reviews mention nights, sleep or bedtime. One parent wrote that their baby itches most at night, so the jar lives in the fridge for a cool bedtime balm. 261 of our five-star reviews mention the fridge.

That's this week's idea: a calmer night is a routine your child will actually let you do. (Grown-ups with eczema: this works for you too.)

Tonight's 3 steps

Cream within 3 minutes of the bath, while skin is still damp (AAD).
Try it cool. Cooling the skin can turn down the itch (NEA), and a cold jar turns bedtime into a game.
Wait 5 minutes, then pajamas. A story while it sinks in, then soft cotton.

The cream we make for step 2. Eczema Honey Original Skin-Soothing Cream has the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance, and the jar can go in the fridge. Its active ingredient, colloidal oatmeal 1%, temporarily protects and helps relieve minor skin irritation and itching due to rashes and eczema.

Get the Original →

If they wake up itchy: a cool, damp cloth, then moisturizer, then a gentle pinch near (not on) the itch. Saying “stop scratching” rarely works (AAD), so distract instead.

Save-this card, Tonight's 3 steps: 1, cream within 3 minutes of the bath while skin is still damp. 2, try it cool, a jar from the fridge if the label says it can go there. 3, wait 5 minutes, then soft, loose cotton pajamas. If they wake up itchy: a cool, damp cloth on the spot, then moisturizer; a gentle pinch near, not on, the itch, and older kids can tap; distract with a story without mentioning the itch.

This week: the heat is on

Clocks fell back overnight and furnaces are kicking on. Before running a humidifier all night, get a hygrometer (a humidity meter, about $10). The EPA suggests indoor humidity of 30 to 50 percent and no higher, since damp air feeds dust mites and mold. Refill a humidifier daily with distilled water and clean it every third day (EPA).

Bedroom check card for heating season: a hygrometer reading 30 to 50 percent humidity; a humidifier emptied, dried and refilled daily with distilled water; cleaned every third day and kept at 50 or under; the bed away from the heater vent; layers you can peel off; wool and fragrance out of the bed.

3 things most parents don't know

The anti-itch cream in the drawer may not help. The AAD says many don't work for eczema and some can cause a flare; use one only if your child's dermatologist recommends it. And NEA says antihistamines don't work on the eczema itch itself, though doctors sometimes suggest one for sleep. Your pediatrician's call.
Pricey silk pajamas aren't necessary. In a UK trial of 300 children, silk clothing added no benefit over standard care. Soft, loose cotton is fine.
Count the nights. Jot down how many nights itch woke your child this week. It's a question on POEM, a common eczema check, and the AAD says to tell the doctor about sleep trouble. Lost sleep can even be mistaken for a behavior problem.

On the bedtime shelf

A UK trial of 550 kids found lotions, creams, gels and ointments worked about the same. Their advice: pick the one your child will use. (Ointments stung least.) Five worth a look, A to Z. Affiliate links.

Product photos, listed alphabetically: Aquaphor ointment, Aveeno Eczema Therapy cream, CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, Eczema Honey Original cream (ours), and Vanicream Moisturizing Cream.

Aquaphor ointment: thick, fragrance-free, for the roughest spots. Contains lanolin alcohol.
Aveeno Eczema Therapy Daily Moisturizing Cream: colloidal oatmeal plus ceramide, fragrance-free, NEA Seal of Acceptance.
CeraVe Moisturizing Cream: ceramides, fragrance-free, NEA Seal of Acceptance.
Eczema Honey Original Skin-Soothing Cream (ours): NEA Seal of Acceptance, honey and beeswax, fridge-friendly. Tree-nut household? The Nut-Free version has the Seal too.
Vanicream Moisturizing Cream: free of dyes, fragrance and lanolin; NEA Seal of Acceptance, per Vanicream.

You asked: “The cream ends up on the sheets. When should I put it on?”

A common one from parents in reviews (paraphrased). What helps:

Thin beats thick. It sinks in faster. Save extra for rough spots.
Cream first, pajamas 5 to 10 minutes later. Parents tell us it's absorbed by morning.
Long sleeves and pants keep cream on skin, not sheets.
Cover the pillow. One reader uses a towel on heavy-cream nights.
If texture is the fight, go lighter at bedtime.

When to call the doctor

Call if itch wakes your child most nights, skin looks infected (oozing, crusting, pus or fever), or the plan isn't working. Ask about wet wraps for rough stretches, and whether any prescription cream goes on before or after moisturizer. Keep working with your child's doctor.

Your turn

Hit reply and tell me your child's age and the one spot that flares at night. I read every answer, and they shape what we write.

What should we cover next?

Know a parent who's up at 2 a.m. too? Forward this to them.

Minesh, Editor-in-Chief, The Eczema Shelf

Sources: AAD: sleep · AAD: itch relief · AAD: control checklist · NEA: itchy skin · NEA: wet wraps · EPA: humidity · EPA: humidifiers · CLOTHES trial, 2017 · BEE trial, 2022 · POEM, Univ. of Nottingham

The Eczema Shelf is owned by Soothe Holdings, the company behind Eczema Honey. Eczema Honey products are labeled as ours. Some links are affiliate links, and we may earn from qualifying purchases. Nothing here is medical advice; keep working with your (or your child's) doctor.