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Hello, im new to this website. I have been a single parent for almost 3 years now and i have 2 beautiful children 6 months old and 2 years old.
I dont have very much support, and i actually do everything myself with very little help 24/7 day in, day out, whether poorly, tired etc. Its very rare i get a baby sitter as my friends have slowly got out of touch and my family is very small and not very close.
I woke up one morning recently and i have come to think there must be more out there in this world to help me to keep my sanity and maybe have some kind of hobby away from my children that allows me to remember to be 'me' for a while and maybe lets me socialise with adults and make new friends. I am only 27, still young and i pretty much have nothing that doesnt involve my children.
I wondered if anyone has any advice on things i could possibly do that involve childcare. I have looked into gyms with creche facilities, and also geting back into part-time work but cannot find anything with the hours i need at the moment and its all so confusing i dont know where to start.
Any ideas?
Louisa x
Thankyou for the link and advice. It was an interesting read though I was looking for something a bit different. I have tried playgroups, baby clubs etc. I take my children out almost every day to parks, softplay, swimming etc. My problem is i have nobody to watch my children so i am with them 24 hours a day 7 days a week with no rest or time to myself or interaction with anyone apart from my children or chatting online. My plan was to find something i could do for myself for a few hours a week that incorporates some form of childcare so my children are looked after whilst i have that little bit of space away from them, like some form of hobby.
What i do is not healthy for myself or the children
Louisa
Hi Louisa G,
I know exactly how it feels to never get a break from the children. I was in a similar position when I first separated and mine were very young. I also lost friends and it can be very isolating.
Is there perhaps a college course you might be interested in? Some colleges have creches and it would give you a few hours away and get to talk to other adults.
Hello Louisa_G
If you have already looked at local things with creche facilities then the next step is to find what you want to do (maybe once a week?) and then find a nursery that will take the children for that half day a week.....If things are not provided then make your own arrangements! If you can't afford that, you could make a friend through the suggestions in the article and give each other a break every week by looking after all the children for each other.
When mine were little I used to go to a church group as well (as it had a creche heh heh) and the other thing you could consider is some form of learning, get in touch with your local college and also there may be classes and activities nearby whiich include money for childcare, via voluntary groups, ask at your local Citizens Advice Bureau. Ok the courses might not be earth shattering but it gives you a break!
You could also think about adopt-a-granny....is there someone in your area where you could help each other out? My family lived 70 miles from me when mine were small so I had an older friend who would push the pram round the block from time to time or do a bit of babysitting and I would take her to the supermarket once a week
I also went to college one evening a week, did a Creative Writing course, and paid a babysitter. Another idea is finding some voluntary work once a week, where they pay the childcare expenses. Find your local voluntary bureau here
It is all,about creating the life you want for yourself.......do have a think about what you want
Hi again Louisa G,
There is also a charity called Homestart (hope I am allowed to mention this here) which gives support in various ways to families with very young children. They might be able to help or advise you?
Thankyou for all the advice.
Everything i have looked into seems very expensive to be honest. 
At the moment i am on single parent benefits so i dont have very much money spare each week, esspecially with christmas coming up.
I have been applying to part time jobs last night. Not really picky on what the job is, its the hours i need really that accomodate my children/childcare. I think thats going to be my first aim. If i get a job it will allow me to have time away from the kids, aswell as adult social interaction, and hopefully it will allow me to make some new friends and have the extra money i need to be able to choose a hobby.
I would really love to join a gym, but my local gym is David Lloyd and is £85 a month (including childcare costs). I dont think thats too bad, considering that includes activities for my children also, as there is swimming, softplay and sports activities there for them. I would have the choice to either put them in the creche for a while, or play with them having fun together using the facilities. The negative of course would be if im back in work i may not have the time to get my moneys worth from it.
I havent really thought about a course (educational). I am actually pretty well educated all ready. I have a BTEC National Dimploma in Beauty Therapy and Science, an AVC ICT qualification and also a BSc Honours degee in Internet Computing. Also i have numerous certificates and experience on smaller education courses.
In actual fact i was very successful in life before i met my ex. I fell in love with the wrong man i guess. 
Though i would'nt change a thing. I do love my children very much, and i love spending time with them. It just would be nice to have a bit of space now and then as it can get a bit overwhelming sometimes.
x
Hi Louisa G, blimey you certainly do have some qualifications under your belt! I was thinking that you could probably start your own business, but that wouldn't really help with meeting new people and getting out and about!
If you could find the money for the gym, and you got a job, couldn't you use it in the evenings? It sounds as though you are pretty keen on the idea!
Although finding £85 a month, could be pretty difficult without working.
Before I started working properly after having my daughter, I did some volunteering, although it wasn't paid, it was fantastic for all the reasons you described above, adult interaction and childcare was paid. I was doing admin and when a job came up in the organisation I was volunteering for, I was first in line for an interview, which was great!
Falling in love with the wrong man can put a spanner in the works, but hey, it sounds as though you got lots of good out of it too!
I don't know how much room you have in your home, but for two years, I had a young Slovakian girl stay with me. My daughter was very small and I moved into the front room, luckily my kitchen was big enough to socialise in.
She paid me some rent and was great with my daughter, it meant that she learnt English and got a job, but she also babysat for me too on occasions.
Is that a possibility? A flatmate come babysitter?
hey Anna
i originally wanted to set up my own business from home when i finished university, i had ran one part time whilst at uni quite successfully and wanted to grow it more, but my computer has broken at the moment and my laptop isnt powerfull enough for my needs. Again its the money factor, i cant afford a new computer. Plus its quite time consuming, and my older son gets upset if i go on the computer whilst hes awake and the time and concentration id need to program and build a website isnt really possible, by the evning time when my boys are in bed i actually feel pretty exhausted and brain dead. Also your right, bein at the computer doesnt really give me the social interaction i want.
The gym offer for £85 is only for day time use as evenings are classed as peak hours as they are busy. The evenings would be a lot more expensive. Ive totally gone off the gym idea now though, as i just dont think id have time to get my moneys worth and i can think of so many other things that money could go on. Ive just bought my little boy a Wii for christmas with Mario carts lol. So i bought some fitness games for myself also, which i can do on an evening.
Ive had a big think about it and right now i think i should concentrate on getting back into work part-time. I feel like thats my only option really. If its possible, the availability of jobs for the hours i need right now are none existant! But i think if i was working again id feel a little more in control of my own life and id get what i want. I know its not exactly time to myself :( as ill be busy working, but at least ill have some adult social interaction and time away from the kids ruitine. Its just a none stop rollercoaster being a single parent isnt it.
My house is quite small to be honest, and its council also. I wouldnt feel comfortable letting a stranger come live in my house, esspecially as its in an environment for my kids. I just dont really have much trust for people these days, which is sad, but i think it could go either way. I could have someone lovely come to live with me, but i could also let someone in my house that wasnt so nice and i dont want to risk that.
I really wish my parents would help me out a little more with my boys, but i cant complain really. Its not their responsibility, its mine. My parents enjoy their own time, and still have quite an active social life. They always have done, i barely ever saw my mum whilst growing up as we spent every weekend at my grandmas house up until we were teenagers, and through the week she worked.
I guess this was my last attempt to try get a 'social life' away from my kids, but i dont think its possible to have really without any support. It upsets me, but what can i do really? I just have to keep at what im doing and stay posiitive about it. I do really love spending time with my kids and bringing them up, its just sometimes i think the world is moving and everyone is passing by around me and im just in this little bubble with my kids. It scares me the more time i spend in the bubble, when my kids grow up and move out of the bubble ill be stuck inside it still by myself.
Its fustrating....
Hi Louisa_G
I know what you mean about the bubble. Going to work part time may in itself give you some new horizons and even if the first job you get is not ideal often these things can lead to different opportunities, that has certainly been my experience.
Is it worth asking your parents about the boys? I don't mean a general thing but a specific request eg "Can you babysit for me once a week?" That would give you a night off to do what you want.
hey Louise,
my parents cant commit to anything regular like that as my mum works 2 jobs, and my dad is the full time carer of my 96 year old grandma so the dates differ each week.
When they do get free time, they go out and have their own social lives. Like i said i cant complain really. I do feel guilty asking them to babysit though, because i dont feel like they enjoy having the kids over. I just dont think they are very family orientated people. Like i said we are not close at all! Plus i pretty much have this beleif in my head that its my responsibility, as it was my choices in life that got me where i am now. My kids arnt the easiest, my youngest requires a lot of skin care as he suffers really bad excema, and my eldest is very hyperactive and naughty. He requires constant attention through the days. Also they never sleep through the night.
They do watch my kids sometimes, like if im in hospital, doctors etc. and i usually ask about once every few months for them to have the kids on an evening so i can go for a night out.
I dont want to sound like im complaining at them, because im not. Thats just the situation.
x
Ok Louisa_G I understand.
Eczema can be torture, your poor boy. Is is this that stops him sleeping? What about your other boy? You need to look at ways of getting him to sleep through, to give you a break, the youngest is only a baby and will take a bit longer to get settled, even without the eczema, I guess.
I was wondering about getting you some extra support. Ask your Health Visitor about Sure Start and Home Start in your area, click the blue links and you will see their websites too Do just think about good old-fashioned friends too. You are clearly a very intelligent lady and that can lead to "extra" restlessness (if that makes sense) but maybe you need to lower your expectations a but just for a couple of years while the boys are so small. I always used to have a quiet think to myself "gosh I would never be doing THIS, or be friends with person X in any other situation" but maybe they were thinking that about me too, and it is about getting through the early years the best way you can. If your mum has always been a career woman whizzing here and there then maybe subconsciously you think that you should also be doing this? There is nothing wrong with thinking that, or indeed anything else, it is about being aware of your own internal processes and working with them.
As for babysitters, you could think about employees of local nurseries, they will have a childcare qualification and are often very badly paid and would welcome some evening work. I used the nanny of a lady I knew who was in a high flying job, and this nanny would come round to my house one evening a week so I could go to night class.
yer, hes up itching a lot. Hes absolutely covered in it at the moment, like a big rasberry lol. bless him.
My eldest gets up through the night too though, thats due to a number of things. Ive potty trained him during the night for the last 2 months now, but he persists in showing me hes done a wee lol. I put a potty at the side of his bed because there are times where he just cant go for a wee just before he goes to bed, so he needs to get up through the night to do one, and when he does he likes to come into my room to show me hes done one, haha bless him. Though i guess its better than him wetting the bed. He usually settles straight bk to sleep when i go put him back in bed though.
He also gets up through the night in an attempt to get into my bed. This is my fault because he slept with me on and off from birth up until about 6 months ago when i had my second baby. When he was born he would'nt be put down, whether it was to sleep or just in his pram for a walk etc up until he was over 4 months old. I think this was something to do with the seizures he had. As he suffered sleep seizures, and as they disappeared at around 4 months old he gradually started sleeping alone, and he would start sitting down to play alone etc. Up until then he was just constantly in a baby carrier on me, and he slept on my chest as if he was put down he would scream constatly until he was picked up. I tried everything, including leaving him to cry, but he would just never stop.
Then he slept fine until around 7-8 months old when his teething started, and he suffered with it quite badly, constant screaming, not sleeping etc. I was alone and was working at the time, so i just put him in my bed, because when he woke through the night i could just rock him straight back to sleep and it allowed me to get well needed sleep also.
After the teething he went through a stage where he was settling fine, but then i got pregnant, and i became completely knackered. We moved house when he was 18 months and it unsettled him dramatically, his whole behaviour and everything and again he wouldnt sleep at night. Due to me being pregnant i just put him in my bed as it was the easy option in order to have enough rest that i needed. So i know hes picked up bad habbits. Im just trying to keep putting him back in his own bed now. He sleeps through a lot better now the baby is in his bedroom with him though. Just at my mums as its a new environment and probly because im not there he plays up a lot.
Thankyou for the links, i have saved them and will have a read later this evening when the boys are in bed.
I am defenatly not like my mother in the fact i am career orientated. I am actually very much a family orientated person. I hate working! lol. I would never work full time, id much prefer to be at home with my kids. I do very much enjoy all the time i spend bringing up my kids, i really just want a bit of a life away from my kids from time to time. I mean as a few hours a week doing something i enjoy. Me going back into part time work is what id say is a rest, its not something i will probly enjoy. But im hoping it just gives me that independance to have something away from my kids. Do you know what i mean? I mean being with my kids 24/7 is quite overwhelming and i dont think its good for my kids also. Maybe your right and i should maybe lower my expectations until they are a bit older. For now im going to go with getting a part-time job and see if that makes me feel a bit more happier.
x
Hi Louisa_G
I have just been reading your thread and it reminded me of myself. I was in the same position about ten years ago when my oldest three kids were you young and i felt like i was going nuts (I had postnatal depression), stuck in the house all day with three young kids and no money to do anything, my eldest daughter would not stay with anyone either so i had no sitters to look after them so i could have time to myself.
I thought like you, that the way out of the madness was to get a job so i could have sometime to myself, only it did not work out that way as it was to expensive to put them in childcare whilst i worked.
What worked for me was going to mums and toddler groups and making new friends with the mums there, and inviting them and their children round during the week. It was not easy as although i was not shy, at the time i had very little self esteem, so this was a big step for me.
I eventually like someone else posted on here started to do some voluntary work that offered childcare. This gave me sometime away from the children and built my confidence, so that i was able to then go on to higher education.
What was really frustrating is that when i had pretty much got to a position were i could work (children all at school) i fell pregnant with my fourth.
On the positive side it all worked out best in the end, i had to change my plans which mean't going in a diffferent direction to the one i had planned. It has been alot of hard work and been very lonely alot of the time.
But things are looking up know they are older (teens) which frees up some of my time, i have to pin them down to spend time with them now.
When i look back though it was difficult, i am glad that i had that time with my children, rather than being at work and missing out on spending that time with them, as time has gone so fast.
Now they are nearly young adults and having lives of their own i have that time for myself, but find myself wanting to spend that time with them!!!
There's quite a few suggestions on here already, i hope you eventually find what works for you!! Keeping posting as i will be looking to see how you progress.
hey Sally,
thanx for posting. i have tried the baby and toddler groups. Me and the kids used to go every Friday, but i am very shy. Also i find the women there are not lone parents, they have partners and tend to talk about that a lot which gives us little in common. There was one women i got on with very well, but she stopped going due to work commitments and i was gutted i hadnt realy asked for her number or facebook addy to keep in contact :(
I also had a really bad experience at the surestart playgroup near me, so i havent been to any groups for 4 weeks now. Basically the women that runs it doesnt seem to like me very much, mayb we just clash i dont know. This is probly going to sound pathetic but she gives me dirty looks and is very fake with me. Which doesnt really bother me really because i dont go there to see her, my kids enjoy it. But at the end of the day all the kids get a sticker for being good and they sit down for nursery songs. Ive noticed the last 2 times of me going when my son (eldest) goes over for a sticker she completely ignores him and even though hes at the front of the que going 'sticker please' she ignores him and lets all the other kids have a sticker before him! It gets to the point where he gets confused and comes over to me and asks me for a sticker, and i tell him go ask nicely darling. So again he will say 'sticker please' and she ignores him. The last time i went i was begining to feel a bit of a temper with her coming on because of this, i was just sat watching her totally dismiss my son, i didnt say anything obviously, as i dont want to step out of line when there are children about. (I can have a bad temper if i let myself get worked up) Also the last time i went, at the end of the day she reminded me i hadnt signed the register, so i had my baby in my arms, and my back turned for a second to my eldest son who was playing behind me. There are 3 locked doors to get out of the playgroup room and into the open street. Whilst my back was turned my son was let out of all 3 doors by other parents and whilst i was frantically looking for him inside he ran out onto an open main road where traffic is very fast, and buses shoot around the corner. By the time i realised he was outside, i ran speeding out screaming. Baby in my arms throwing up everywhere because i was trying to run after my son who was out on the road. Parents stood on the corner on the path just looking at him! Nobody grabbed him, everybody saw that he was alone but nobody grabbed him and put him back inside the playgroup or at least took him off the road. Until one man must have seen me running down screaming after my son like a maniac to this road and he ran and got my son for me. I went to complain but this women was very rude to me and basically made out like i should have been watching my son. I honestly went home and cried my eyes out i was so angry. I wont go again!! Which is a shame because my eldest loves it there, and every time we walk past he points and goes 'mummy, play.' I just honestly cant bring myself to go again.
I know there is a community centre near me that organises day trips for a group of single parents. But the times it was on didnt really go with my baby boys ruitine, i think it will benefit me if i join next spring when both my boys are a bit older, it will be easier for me to manage and i think il enjoy it more as the women probly have more in common with me.
x
Thanks Sally, that was really interesting about your own experiences I know we are all different but your experience of little ones is also more recent than mine!
Louisa_G keep on keeping on, it does sound stressful (especially the business of your son on the road) and I know what you mean about people talking about their partners but you could ask them some questions about themselves and and their children and if you are feeling chirpy maybe you could even make a joke about your partner is really George Clooney but he is busy today 
There WILL be other women out there who are more your type of person.
You sound as if you know that you want to change things with the sleeping arrangements and have made some good headway in this already!
I do know what you mean about wanting a break but I also think that this is something that YOU need to make happen yourself..it really is a case of giving everything a try and choosing the best (or even the least worst!) option
Hi Louisa_G
I have not had much of a chance to be on the boards recently, have been doing some 'behind the scenes' stuff 
I was just quickly popping in and saw your post about your son's itching. It reminded me of my daughter when she was small, she used to bleed because of all her scratching, it was horrendous.
Anyhow just recently I read a book 'Skinny Bitch' and it states that (its American), that something like 75% of African Americans are lactose intolerant. This is kept very quiet because the dairy industry needs to make its money.
About 2 years ago, I went vegan (it was excellent, lost 2 stone in a year! but have recently fallen off the wagon!) and I only kept soya milk and cheese in the fridge, my daughter (now coming up to 17) had to eat this too as I wasn't prepared to buy two lots of food! Her eczema completely disappeared! Now it could have been that she grew out of it, but I believe it was the removal of dairy from her diet.
Just wanted to share that with you!
Hope you have a good weekend
Hey Louise, i will do, thats the best thing isnt it. i think being a single parent is always going to be stressfull. No matter the circumstances. But i also think its very rewarding. I think you get a bond and closeness with your children that you dont necesserily get when in a relationship. As the children rely solely on you and nobody else. I would'nt change it. It can get a bit lonely and the tiredness gets too much sometimes, but when i think what it would be like to still have my ex in my life i am completely better off and so are my kids.
Ive also been looking at activities for my eldest, so he gets to interact with other children without me attending my local playgroup and i like the idea of the weekly classes you can take them to. Soccortots and dancetots. Im thinking of signing him up for that after christmas. Also i have found a new playgroup just a bus journey away, so will be trying that one too. I really dont want my kids to miss out really.
Still no luck on finding a job... though i dont expect it to happen over night.
Anna, yer the excema is a pain! Im not sure its lactose intolerance though as my friends child had that and vommited a lot? My baby is not a sicky baby at all, hes rarely sick and has always got his wind up well. But you could be right i guess, i mean im no medical expert so i dont know how the allergies could effect them really.
I wanted to have him an allergy test but Ive just been told that he will start growing out of it when he gets to toddlerhood and in the meantime i just have to cream him loads. I have mountains of different creams, ointments and oils which i completely cover him in morning and night, and also reapply through the day as he dries out. Its become a ruitine though so it doesnt really bother me.
I think hes got athsma also. Ive mentioned it to the doctor, but they cant diagnose it until they are over one. But he is very wheezy a lot of the time, bless him. they do say its linked though, he will probly get hayfever also.
Hi Louisa_G - I just wanted to mention my daughter (5yrs) has bad eczema, I would recommend a website called the National Eczema Society, they are on facebook also. I have found there are some helpful books in the library on the subject too.
My daughter has an allergy to cow's milk protein (casein), this is not the same as lactose intolerance (lactose is milk sugar). My daughter also has an egg allergy and housedustmite allergy. I have also cut out tomatoes and strawberries and anything red as apparently red foods contain high levels of histamines that cause the eczema to flare up. (I was told this by the allergy clinic nurse).
My daughters daily skin care routine is like this:
Daily morning bath with Balneum Plus bath oil (bath temp no higher than 36C) Absolutely NO soap!! I just let her soak in the oily water for no longer than 15 mins.
Dermol 500 Cream for use when handwashing
Four times a day - application of Epaderm emollient (7.30am,12pm,3.30pm,7.30pm)
Once a day one 5ml spoon of antihistamine syrup (30 mins before bed).
Indoor temperature to be no higher than 18C ideally.
Anti allergy bedding e.g.mattress was bought new and covered in dustmite proof covers that are washed monthly - no duvets just a few layers of cotton blankets/cotton sheets that are washed weekly.
Soft toys have to be kept out of the bed (she has one soft toy that is washed weekly at 60C) If she has toys that she wants to cuddle that cannot withstand a 60c wash they are put in freezer for 24 hours then washed at 40c. I try to keep the dusty toys out of sight and bring a few out for a freeze/wash weekly!
Her clothes ideally need to be 100% cotton and soft - no scratchy seams. She cannot wear lambswool/sheepswool it contains lanolin.
I have recently found a clothing company that makes clothes especially designed for eczema sufferers, it is "cotton comfort" - quite expensive but worth a look.
Hope any of this is useful to you, I wish someone had shared their experience with me when my daughter was little it has taken me years to get all this knowledge!!
best of luck
x
Hello englishrose, thankyou for sharing the information on excema. That sounds like quite a ruitine you have. But if it improves the comfort and appearence of your childs skin i can imagine its worth all the extra effort. My sons excema is mainly concentrated on his face, neck and behind ears, with the odd spot on his back. Hes also got a really dry flaky scalp (no rashes) which is a nightmare because he has more hair than me lol. Its really thick and curly.
I use pure coconut oil for his scalp to keep it moisturised, which also help for his hair as hes mixed race its part afro and gets dry more.
I have always used the doublebase gel and pure coconut oil for his body and face to keep it moisturised. When he has a big flareup i just give him a sudacrem facemask because it gives a thick barrier on the skin and stops him ripping all his skin apart. Ive tried other creams and oils for excema skin, but they tend to bring the redness out more. I bath him only once every 3 days (sponge wash him every evening and morning) and i wash him in the aqueous cream.
I find his skin stays at a steady rate of redness/rashyness until he comes down with a cold or gets a bit poorly. Thats when he completely flares up. Ive been told his excema is connected to his immune system, he has an over-active immune system or something.
I was prescribed steriod cream a few weeks back that i had to use over the course of a week. I used that and it was amazing, the excema and all rashes completely went. Though when the course had finished and i stopped using it, his excema came back worse than ive ever seen it. Thats why i said he was like a rasberry at the moment. It effected his whole body and his face was really thick and the skin was breaking and seeping a little. Im not sure if he had an allergy to the steroid cream (or to something else), but i took him straight to the pharmacy and they have introduced me to oilatrium i think its called. Ive got a bath emoilient and oil soak. And also a daily skin cream, which is a bit like my double base gel. Ive been using it for about 5 days now but its worked really well. The rashes have gone completely down, and id say its a lot better than how it originally was before the big flare up. So i think il get this on repeat prescription and keep using it.
Can i ask what washing powder you use? ive been told i have to switch my washing powder but i had a look in the supermarket the other day and i am completely clueless as to which one?
hi - I'm so glad that you found a daily skin cream that is working, it can be really hard to find one that suits your child's skin, (my dd must have tried about 6 different ones before we found one that suited her).
I use Fairy Non-Bio washing powder, and I have stopped using Fabric conditioner. I used to use Surcare Fabric conditioner as it is perfume free then I would do an extra rinse at the end of the wash cycle. I found this was a bit of a nuisance so I just stopped using the fabric conditioner. I try to iron as much of dd's clothes as possible, especially anything that goes next to her skin as the ironing will smooth out the fibres and make them less scratchy. I change all her clothes every day, including pyjamas, so I get through lots of washing powder, I try to buy the big boxes when they are on offer. Last Friday Sainsbury's were selling the 80 washes size on offer if you buy 2 boxes it costs £30 which saves £10.
Was the steroid prescribed by the G.P. or are you seeing a dermatologist at the hospital? If you think it would help your son maybe you could ask for your son to be referred to a dermatologist? Also you might like to ask the G.P. or health visitor if you could have a community children's nurse to pay a home visit, I found they were really helpful in giving me advice for my dd. The nurse advised me to use tubifast garments which she asked the G.P. to prescribe and when I received them she showed me what to do with them. They are easier than actual bandages but do the same thing. I don't use them every day but they are useful when dd is having a bad flare up.
When my dd has been prescribed steroid treatment by the dermatologist it is always a potent one on trunk and limbs for seven to fourteen days (Elocon) and a moderate potency for five days (Eumovate) on face and neck. Then if necessary when the potent course has finished I have to use the moderate potency for seven to fourteen days on the trunk and limbs. I have to apply the steroid 30 minutes after using the emollient otherwise it wouldn't be as effective. At the end of the steroid treatment the eczema rash will sometimes reappear but not as bad or worse than before the treatment.
It sounds like your son may be allergic to something if he is getting such an awful rash immediately after the steroid has stopped as this is what used to happen to my dd before I knew what she was allergic to. Whereas now when I use the steroid on her eczema the skin stays clear for about a week or two after the treatment.
The Dermatologist would be able to arrange for your son to have allergy tests, there are some common allergies for eczema patients so they would probably test him for all the common allergies. He may need a special formula feed?
Good luck
x
Hi englishrose,thanks for sharing all that really useful info. I hope it helps Louisa G.
I remember that steroid cream was great, such a shame it can't be used for longer eh?!
Louisa G, I got sent an email this morning and it made me think of you regarding your earlier posts and work. Have a look at Mum Plus Business, you have a lot of qualifications under your belt and I wonder if trying again at your own business with the support of another local mum might be a different direction for you??
Let me know what you think
Hey, sorry i havent been online for a few days.
Ive still been continuing with the Oilatrum (think thats the spelling) and its worked a treat. He still gets the dry skin and the odd reddy rash but its nothing like the thick red itchy weepy skin he had before. Im going to keep using it for now until i get him back at the doctors. Im hoping its just infant excema and hes starting to grow out of it now. Its no where near as bad as it used to be.
Thanx for that link Anna, ive bookmarked it incase i get back into my own business. I found a job recently that i have applied for. Five days a week from 10am-2pm. It is so perfect for me! Ive got a feeling though if i do get through to the interview stage there is going to be a lot of women kicking and screaming for that job! i know its ideal for me but i can imagine its ideal for a number of women, both lone and coupled parents. Fingers crossed i can shine above them all and get the job. It would set me up perminantly when my children start nursery/school also. I really want it!
Hi LouisaG
That's great news that your son's skin has improved and that will help him sleep better too.
Good luck re the job, as you say those sort of hours are great, you go for it!!!!!!
Good luck from me too.
Hey Louisa G, what is the job and when's the interview??
I have everything crossed for you!
Hi Louisa_G, welcome to One Space!
And also welcome to your whole new world! you are right, there are endless possibilites of different activities you could do.
Whether it is mums and toddlers yoga or joining some sort of group.
Have a look at our article Making New Friends, if you look at the bottom, you will see some great websites and ideas for getting out and about, including thinking about doing some volunteering.
Have a read and let us know what you think. Is there anything there that gets you interested, or have you found anything else that you could share with others?