Winter is coming…Here are the eczema essentials that got us through last season
We’ve had a pretty fantastic stretch of strangely warm weather in Boston this fall, but over the past few weeks, it’s come to an end, and the days with bitingly brisk winds are outnumbering the calm, sunny afternoons. For people with eczema, this shift in the weather signals a time to change up routines, to get ahead of those winter flare-ups.
Last winter, we got to a pretty bad place. One in which Baby T was constantly bothered by raw, red patches of skin on his face, hands, neck, and even feet that we struggled to manage. The trickiest thing about a flare-up is jumping off the positive feedback loop - you have to wrestle it under control, or it will keep getting worse. For a lot of people, including Baby T, this means steroids - and lots of them.
This year, we’re focused on keeping Baby T out of the vicious cycle, which means a lot of proactive measures, and being vigilant right now - at the beginning of the season, before the usual triggers for his flare-ups (cold wind, dry indoor heat, runny noses) have really taken hold.
Here’s a rundown of what we’re doing to keep Baby T warm and his skin soothed:
Base layer: Honestly, we’re sticking with cotton long-sleeved T-shirts on this one, preferably organic cotton. We’ve found Primary to be a relatively expensive yet easy-on-the-skin option, and they have sales. H&M is better for bulk purchases, but fair warning, they take the greige trend very seriously…
Sweatshirts: In the winter, for some reason, T’s first area of discomfort tends to be right at his wrist cuffs. Already this year, he has scratched them to the point of bleeding. Our best way to address this problem has been tight, non-ribbed wrist cuffs on the second layer of his clothing - zip-up sweatshirts. We like the Hanes organic cotton sweatshirts on Amazon for this.
Outerwear for 50-65°F (10-18°C):
Cotton snap-on scarves: These avoid chafing when we pull over his head and keep his chin and neck insulated from wind and the rough collar of his jacket. It's important to buy at least two (I’ll probably get more), so they are consistently kept clean.
Cotton insulated jacket: We found a really great Burt’s Bees option for a peacoat-like style. It’s mostly cotton lining and exterior fabric, which minimizes contact rashes. The only thing I don’t love is the zipper, which we leave a bit open with the cotton scarf to shield his face and neck.
Wool vest: Okay, I love this thing. Merino wool seems to be pretty gentle on T’s skin, and definitely better than synthetics. It also breathes, so he’s much less likely to overheat, which can be another flare-up trigger. Rather than a usual puffer vest, we opted for this for days that are a bit warmer, or where he needs two outerwear layers.
Outerwear for 32-50°F (0-10°C):
Merino wool balaclava: This super-soft wool balaclava was a great find from Etsy for a number of reasons: T will actually wear it without pulling it off; it covers his ears and neck completely; and the bib-like portion at the bottom shields his whole neck area from his jacket
Parka: I looked far and wide for a parka with no synthetic material, but it doesn’t seem doable at any reasonable price-point for a child who outgrows clothes. So, we opted for a synthetic parka with a very soft lining and no ribbed cuffs that has BUTTONS and no zipper! This way, T is spared the irritation from the zipper at his chin.
Merino wool mittens with cotton lining: So happy with this purchase from Etsy, too bad we’ve lost them. It’s the worst to lose an expensive item after only a few wears. We’re replacing them, despite the heartache over the cost…The hardest thing is to figure out how to help him keep these on when he’s playing outside. Toddler whisperers, comment with your wisdom!
Outerwear for under 32°F (0°C):
Same as above, but swapping out a hand-me-down full-body snowsuit and keeping the layers inside as light as possible, to avoid overheating.
Hopefully this information will be useful for some of you who are making your pre-winter, eczema-friendly gear plans. I think this is mostly generalizable to older kids and adults too - perhaps a bit easier, since you might be more likely to keep hats and gloves on!
Read more on eczema here.