Eczema is a skin condition that shows up as itchy, scaly and thickened skin, and is most likely to occur on the knees, elbows, face and arms. My eldest son was diagnosed with eczema at about 12 weeks old; for many weeks previous he had been unsettled and unhappy. Doctors had put it down to just normal baby behaviour but as he began to get the function in his hands and arms I noticed he would scratch - constantly. It became so bad that we couldn't even bath him without him scratching huge welts in his skin. He had to constantly wear scratch mits that I sewed into his suits at night, socks on his hands during the day and I had to keep almost every inch of him covered to stop him from hurting himself.

Suddenly I didn't just have normal baby problems, but a whole range of different ones to cope with as his eczema progressed.

There are several different types of eczema:

• Atopic eczema - the commonest type of eczema, usually running in families. It is characterised by dry, red, flaky skin that is extremely itchy. If the skin becomes broken through scratching it can become infected.
• Infantile eczema - cradle cap
• Allergic contact dermatitis - usually from things such as latex, nickel or perfume
• Irritant contact dermatitis - normally from contact with chemicals in household products
• Varicose eczema
• Discoid Eczema

The first thing you must do if you think you or your child has eczema is to get it properly diagnosed. Then the normal course of treatment for eczema is skin hydration - normally with emollient creams and steroid treatment - with hydro-cortisone creams. You can also help by thinking about the following:

• What washing powder do you use? Biological powders can be too harsh and may exasperate the problem.
• Is your bedding/clothing cotton or synthetic? Cotton will help keep the skin cool and reduce irritation.
• Do you have hot baths? Heat irritates eczema.
• Reduce your central heating. Central heating dehydrates the skin as it is a dry heat.
• Damp dusting and regular vacuuming helps reduce dust mites.
• Keep a record of your diet and see if there are any 'trigger' foods.

Doctors will advise specific treatment for babies, but if your child has eczema there is some hope; most cases of childhood eczema do disappear with age, with only a few lasting into adulthood.

• Is eczema contagious? No, it just doesn't look very attractive and can lead to ridicule at school.
• Can diet help eczema? Yes, many doctors think that dietary management can help.
• Which foods cause eczema? The most common ones are gluten (from wheat) and casein (from milk).
• Do over the counter treatments work for eczema? Many of the emoillients used do work, but be careful of cheap moisturisers and body washes. Many 'beauty' products contain SLSs' (sodium laureth sulfate) which causes skin dryness and irritation.