A guide for parents
What clothes are best for a baby with eczema?
The label that isn't what it sounds like, why overheating matters as much as texture, and the cheapest thing you can do tonight.
What's in here
- The "cotton rich" trap
- What to look for
- The wool question, which isn't simple
- Heat is a trigger too
- Things you can do tonight, for nothing
- The washing
This is about clothes only. For the eczema itself, your GP or health visitor is the person, and emollients and treatment are their ground rather than ours.
But what your baby wears makes a genuine difference to how comfortable they are, and there's one thing on a label that catches almost everybody.
The "cotton rich" trap
Which is the sort of thing you only find out after buying six of something.
"Cotton rich" is a marketing phrase, not a percentage. It sounds like it means mostly cotton and it can mean sixty per cent cotton and forty per cent polyester. For a baby whose skin reacts to synthetics, that forty per cent is the whole problem.
So the thing to look for is 100% cotton, in actual numbers, on the composition label rather than the front of the packet. It's usually printed on the same tag as the washing instructions.
What to look for
| Best | Avoid as a base layer |
|---|---|
| 100% cotton | Polyester, nylon, acrylic |
| Silk, if you can stretch to it | "Cotton rich" and unspecified blends |
| Bamboo, soft weaves | Standard wool |
| Loose rather than close-fitting | Anything tight at the neck, cuffs or waist |
| Flat seams, printed labels | Raised seams, sewn-in tags, heavy plastisol prints |
Eczema UK's position is that cotton is the most commonly recommended textile, because it's soft, cool, absorbs sweat, washes easily and lets skin breathe. Wool and synthetics like polyester and nylon are the ones people most often find cause overheating, sweating and irritation, which sets off the itch.
On silk. There's a small trial published in the British Journal of Dermatology where 46 children were randomised into silk clothing or cotton, with moisturiser as the only medication. After a week the silk group had improved significantly and the cotton group hadn't. It's one small study rather than settled science, and silk is expensive, but it's worth knowing the evidence exists if cotton alone isn't helping.
The wool question, which isn't simple
You'll read "avoid wool" everywhere, and it's mostly right and slightly too blunt.
Ordinary wool is genuinely itchy, because the fibre ends push against the skin and set off exactly the response you're trying to avoid. Jumpers, hats, scarves, coat linings. For most eczema-prone children it's a no.
Superfine merino is a different fibre. It's much finer than standard wool, and there's research suggesting fine-diameter merino may actually benefit adults and children with eczema rather than irritate it.
So it's worth reading the label rather than avoiding the word. Though given the price of superfine merino, cotton remains the sensible default.
Heat is a trigger too
This one gets missed because everyone concentrates on texture.
Overheating and sweating set off the itch, which is why synthetics are a problem even when they feel soft. They trap heat, the baby sweats, and the sweat does the rest.
So thin layers beat one thick one, every time. You can take a layer off. You can't take half a fleece off. Loose collars and cuffs let heat out, and a cotton layer next to the skin under anything warmer gives you the warmth without the contact.
The same rule as dressing for winter, for a different reason.
Things you can do tonight, for nothing
Cut every label out
Right out, close to the seam so there's no stub left. Sewn-in tags at the back of the neck are one of the most common complaints there is, and this costs nothing.
Turn base layers inside out
Puts the seams on the outside where they're not against skin. It looks slightly odd under a jumper and nobody can see it.
Wash new things two or three extra times
New fabric is stiff and full of finishing chemicals. A few extra washes softens it and strips most of that out, and it's the same advice occupational therapists give for children who find clothes uncomfortable generally.
The washing
Detergent is a common trigger, and the useful detail is which part of it.
It's usually the optical brighteners and the fragrance rather than the detergent itself. Which means fragrance-free and dye-free matters more than bio versus non-bio does.
Worth knowing that the NHS says there's no evidence bio powders irritate a baby's skin as a general rule. That's for babies without eczema. Where there is eczema, detergents are listed among the common triggers and a fragrance-free, non-bio detergent is the sensible choice.
And rinse properly. Detergent left in fabric is more irritating than the detergent ever was, so don't cram the machine, and an extra rinse is worth the twenty minutes.
One at a time
If you change the detergent, the softener and half the wardrobe in the same week, you won't know which one helped. Change one thing, give it a fortnight, and write down what happened.
Your health visitor will find that far more useful than "we tried everything".
I bought a whole load of "cotton rich" babygros thinking that was the good stuff. Turned out they were about half polyester and it took me weeks to work out why nothing was helping.
🌱 While you're here
Clothes that have been washed forty times by somebody else are softer than new ones, which is the opposite of what most people assume about secondhand.
Swapaboo is a clothes swap. What they've grown out of pays for their next size, so the clothes themselves cost you nothing. You just pay to have them moved.
Everything's checked and graded before it lists, and the listing shows what each piece is made of, so you're not guessing at a composition label.
We're opening a few families at a time. Pop your email in and we'll let you know when there's a place.
Common questions
What fabric is best for a baby with eczema?
Cotton, and preferably 100% cotton rather than a blend. Eczema UK describes it as the most commonly recommended textile, because it is soft, cool, absorbs sweat and allows skin to breathe. Silk and soft bamboo weaves are also used. Polyester, nylon and acrylic are the ones most often reported to cause overheating and irritation.
Is "cotton rich" clothing suitable for eczema?
Often not. Eczema UK warns that cotton rich blends can contain a significant proportion of polyester, and advises checking the composition label for the actual percentage before buying. The phrase describes marketing rather than a defined amount of cotton.
Should a baby with eczema avoid wool?
Standard wool is generally best avoided, since the fibre ends push against skin and cause itching. Superfine merino is a different case: research suggests fine-diameter merino may benefit adults and children with eczema rather than irritate it. Checking the type of wool is more useful than avoiding the word entirely.
Does overheating make eczema worse?
Yes. Overheating and sweating are common triggers, which is part of why synthetic fabrics cause problems even when they feel soft. Thin layers that can be removed are better than a single thick garment, and loose collars and cuffs allow heat to escape.
What detergent should I use for a baby with eczema?
A fragrance-free, dye-free detergent. Reactions are usually attributed to optical brighteners and fragrances rather than the detergent base, so those are the things to avoid. Rinsing thoroughly matters as much as the product, since detergent left in fabric is itself an irritant.
Can secondhand clothes help with eczema?
They can be more comfortable than new ones. Fabric softens with repeated washing, and clothes that have already been washed many times have lost the stiffness and much of the finishing chemistry that new garments carry. Washing new clothes several extra times before wear achieves the same thing.