Most pediatricians will tell you to use Aquaphor as a first measure – it’s basically a mix of purified petrolatum, mineral oil and lanolin oil. I have two children with eczema and find that Aquaphor is a good preventative if I know I’m going into dry, cold or windy places. As a daily use type of thing, however, I hate it as it’s just as goopy as vaseline and every piece of lint or pet hair (I have a dog and a cat) sticks to it.

I’ve found that Mustela’s Stelatopia cream works the best as an OTC, non-medicated product. You can get it at Babies R Us. For my kids, when they don’t have it too badly, the cream almost instantaneously takes the redness out and calms the irritation. It is greasy but it absorbs pretty well and lint doesn’t stick like it does to the Aquaphor.

My daughter, however, got it really badly around 3 months old and no home remedy worked. Her doctor ended up prescribing a steroid cream for three days, which cleared it up fast, and then the Stelatopia cream has kept it at bay every since. Aveeno works well for some people, as does Eucerin cream. Just stay away from anything scented. Oh, and Aquaphor makes a really nice baby wash without fragrance that is better for eczema-irritated skin than the typical scented ones.

You should also talk to your son’s doctor before using any medicated creams. Hydrocortisone is an OTC strength steroid cream and they can cause all sorts of problems in the skin if too much is used or it’s needed too frequently, especially on the delicate skin of a baby (thinning, pigment changes, tolerance buildup etc.).