By Angelika Thew, CEO, Eczema Association Australia & New Zealand
If you’re reading this with one hand while gently rubbing a tiny ankle, cheek or wrist with the other, you’re not alone. Eczema in babies and children is incredibly common, and it can be relentless. It is not just “a bit of dry skin”. It can affect sleep, feeding, childcare, school readiness, family outings, confidence, and the overall wellbeing of the whole household. It can also feel isolating, because when your child is uncomfortable, it often seems like everyone has an opinion, and none of it feels consistent.
The Eczema Association exists to bring calm, credible support into that noise. We support families living with eczema across Australia and New Zealand, and we work to make eczema easier to understand and easier to manage in day-to-day life. We are community-based, practical and focused on the realities families face, not just the textbook description of a skin condition. For many parents, the hardest part is not a lack of effort; it is the lack of clear, trustworthy guidance. Our goal is to help families feel informed, supported and less alone.
Eczema, often called atopic dermatitis, is a long-term, flare-prone condition. It can start early, sometimes within the first few months of life. It can appear suddenly, then settle, then return at the least convenient time. Some children have mild patches that come and go. Others have more persistent inflammation that needs a consistent plan and, at times, medical treatment. Many parents find themselves trying product after product, changing detergents, changing routines, and still feeling like they are missing something. When eczema is active, it can be confronting to see your baby’s cheeks red and raw, or to watch your child scratch until they bleed. It can also be distressing when family members or strangers comment, offer unsolicited advice, or assume the problem is poor hygiene or parenting. It isn’t.
One of the most helpful ways to understand eczema is to think of it as a skin barrier problem. In eczema-prone skin, the protective barrier is weaker and less able to hold onto moisture. This means the skin dries out more easily and reacts more strongly to everyday irritants. Once the skin becomes inflamed, it becomes itchy, and that itch can drive scratching and rubbing. Scratching then damages the barrier further, which increases inflammation, which increases itch. Families can get stuck in that cycle quickly, especially during teething, winter dryness, heat and sweat, viral illnesses or periods of stress and change.
This is why practical eczema care usually has two steady themes. The first is daily barrier support, which means treating moisturising and skin protection as a routine, not a “sometimes” task. The second is calming inflammation early when flares occur, so the skin has a chance to settle before it becomes cracked, painful or infected. When those two things are in place, many families notice fewer flares, less severe flares and better sleep. Progress can be gradual, but it is real.
At the Eczema Association, we provide evidence-informed education in plain language, with a strong emphasis on what parents can do today and what steps to take next. We share practical information that helps families understand what eczema is, why flare-ups happen and what good daily management looks like. We also help families feel more confident about common treatments, because uncertainty often leads to under-treating, inconsistent routines, or trying unproven approaches that can make things worse.
We also build a growing library of resources based on the questions parents ask most often. Many of these questions are surprisingly specific, because eczema is personal. Parents want to know what to do when cheeks are constantly irritated from dribble, how to reduce scratching at night, whether bathing helps or harms, and how to handle everyday challenges like daycare, swimming and sunscreen. Parents are also understandably curious about triggers, including food, dust, pets, detergents and temperature changes. We aim to provide balanced guidance, without extremes, and with the reassurance that you do not need to “sterilise life” to manage eczema well.
Several times a year, we host educational webinars featuring expert guest speakers. These are practical, accessible, and grounded in real experiences and accurate information. Families often tell us that hearing clear explanations from trusted speakers, and realising they are not alone, makes a huge difference.
Just as importantly, we understand the emotional weight eczema can carry. Sleep disruption alone can affect the whole household. Parents can become anxious, exhausted and overwhelmed. Children can become distressed, irritable and self-conscious. Some families feel judged or feel they have to justify their parenting choices. Support is not just about products or routines; it is about helping families feel steady and capable during a time that can otherwise feel chaotic. Community connection matters, and being able to access calm, consistent information matters too.
If you are a new parent and you’re unsure whether what you are seeing is eczema, it can help to know that eczema often changes with age. In babies, it commonly affects the cheeks, scalp, and outer arms and legs. Dribble, frequent wiping and friction against bedding can make facial eczema worse, particularly around the mouth and chin. In older children, eczema often affects the creases of the elbows and knees, wrists, ankles, hands and sometimes the neck. It can look like dry, rough patches, or red inflamed areas, and it can fluctuate from day to day. The pattern is not always predictable, which is why a consistent baseline routine is so valuable.
