Both of my children had little bouts of eczema as babies.  My daughter’s was a small pouch by her mouth; my son got a skin reaction to anything containing sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate.  I have seen babies and children that have suffered miserably from eczema, and some doctors go so far as to recommend bleach baths as a remedy.

Researchers in Finland have found a better, less toxic solution to eczema:  probiotics during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

The Chicago Tribune explains:

Researchers said it’s possible that probiotics – which are thought to help balance bacteria populations in the gut and prevent disease-causing strains from spreading – may influence babies’ health through immune cells that cross the placenta and later are passed in breast milk.

“Prevention regimen with specific probiotics administered to the pregnant and breast-feeding mother, that is, prenatally and postnatally, is safe and effective in reducing the risk of eczema in infants with allergic mothers,” wrote lead author Samuli Rautava of Turku University Central Hospital, in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Probiotics are such a simple and easy solution, and they are good for the mother’s immune system anyways.  I did not take probiotics during my pregnancies and breastfeeding years, as I only discovered their benefits later. I did, however, use acidophilus to treat thrush with my baby girl.

Photo:  Breastfeeding image from Bigstock