Eczema Care Online is for people with eczema and families caring for a child or baby with eczema.
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Eczema Care Online
Eczema Care Online is for people with eczema and families caring for a child or baby with eczema.
Many families of children with eczema worry about their child starting early learning or school.
This worry is normal as your child may need special care for their eczema that in the past you have taken care of.
The next few pages will suggest some things you could do to make sure your child’s skin is looked after at early learning and school.
You can also download the comprehensive eczema school kit from Eczema Support Australia to take to the school or early learning centre.
Most families would agree that it is very important to talk to their early learning centre or school staff as soon as possible. They may not know much about eczema. They may not know some of the things needed to keep control of your child’s eczema.
You can find out more about what might help your child’s early learning centre or school care for your child’s skin in the next few pages. At the end of this section there are also some things you can print for your child’s centre or school to help you explain eczema to them.
Some things that can be helpful are to explain:
It is helpful for teachers, educators, school assistants, or centre staff to know how often your child needs moisturising creams and flare control creams during the day.
It would also help to tell them if your child needs moisturising cream on their body, hands, or face before activities like swimming, eating, painting, or going outside in cold/hot weather.
For younger children, the educators or staff will also need to know whether your child can put the moisturising cream on themselves, or if they need help.
If your child’s eczema needs a lot of care in school then you could ask if you can speak to the school nurse. They may not be based at your school but in many areas they are available by phone. They may also visit your school to help draw up a treatment plan with you and your child’s teacher.
It can be helpful explaining how eczema might affect your child. Click on the boxes to find out more.
Containers:
Care plan:
Early learning centres and schools will not take treatments that have not been prescribed to your child. Make sure you keep the prescribed label on the container or give them a letter from your health professional.
When your child is old enough, you may want to teach them the basics for looking after their own skin.
You can find out more about this in the ‘teaching your child how to care for their eczema’ section, which you will be able to get to from the ‘help your child manage eczema’ menu above.
Since he started looking after his own eczema it’s been a lot easier at school as he can put the creams on when he needs to. So after washing his hands he just goes to the school office and gets his cream. One of the Teaching Assistants had to remind him at first, but he can do it on his own now.
LukeSome parents worry about their child fitting in at school, particularly if their eczema is visible. Other children might be curious and ask your child questions about their eczema, so it might help to discuss this with your child’s teacher so that they are prepared to answer such questions.
It is very helpful if the teacher explains that eczema is not contagious and explain to the other children that they can’t ‘catch’ eczema. It can also help to talk to the other children about what living with eczema is like. It’s very important that the other children understand that a child with eczema is a normal child who has sensitive, itchy skin.
It may also help to talk to your child about other people’s reaction to their eczema from a young age.
It might help them to understand that other children usually don’t know what eczema is and help them find ways of explaining it.
Sometimes other children will ask my little boy, “What’s that on your face?” He’s used to it now and it doesn’t seem to bother him. He just says, “It’s eczema,” and then they start talking about something else altogether. It doesn’t seem to bother him.
EmilyEczema Support Australia has developed an Eczema School Kit for parents, caregivers and educators. The School Kit has been designed to be informative and promote productive conversations for the health, well-being and education of children with eczema.
The main purpose of the “Kit” is to assist the parent/caregiver to delegate care responsibility of their child with eczema to their educator in an early learning centre or school environment.
Eczema Support Australia has developed an Eczema School Kit for parents, caregivers and educators. The School Kit has been designed to be informative and promote productive conversations for the health, well-being and education of children with eczema.
The main purpose of the “Kit” is to assist the parent/caregiver to delegate care responsibility of their child with eczema to their educator in an early learning centre or school environment.
