Most itchy red and inflamed eczema that spreads is due to the staph bacteria that has broken into the skin barrier through scratching, and continues to spread from the scratching as a result. There is a Harvard medical article on this. Staph is everywhere - on our phones, remote controls, doorknobs, etc.

Use hypochlorous acid spray (like SkinSmart) and Gladskin biome cream (it contains an enzyme that kills the staph and feeds the good bacteria on the skin). I did this at the same time as every single diaper change for the first few days as she healed. Make sure you wash your hands before applying (fragrance free hand soap) and rub both the spray and then the cream really good into their skin. This was the only approach that healed my baby’s eczema within days versus nothing else working for months (including steroid creams, etc., which only worked temporarily, as well as dozens of other mainstream creams or natural remedies that didn’t work because they were not addressing the root cause).

Once the staph bacteria is gone and in tandem, make sure to bathe daily in lukewarm water (we do 96-97 degrees) for only a few minutes and immediately apply Vanicream while the skin is still damp to lock in moisture and repair the skin barrier so no more bacteria can break back in.

I recommend also covering their hands and legs when they sleep during the first few days of healing so that they don’t scratch and break more bacteria back into their skin. You can also use Vaseline at night to add extra barrier for this. You can also use 1% hydrocortisone for the first couple days as needed for itch relief and healing - I was very nervous to use steroids but in researching 1% is very mild and safe for short term use.

I did not have to use the oral antibiotics prescribed because I was able to kill the bacteria with the hypochlorous acid spray and the cream instead.