Teresa
Hi, both of my younger children also suffer with eczema and at times it is very bad for them. I have tried steroids, oral and topical, and after I read about the effects of long term use I stopped. What I have found that works the best when the eczema is bad, is to give them a short warm bath every night before bed and slather on A&D ointment and cover with long sleeve pants and shirts. This ointment holds water in the skin and softens also. After doing this for a few days it gets alot better. Also, making sure they drink alot of water helps, too. For the itching, which is especially bad at night, I give them Benadryl (only at night since it makes them too sleepy during the day). If they don't stop itching it doesn't get better, it just makes it much worse. Good luck, try it, it may work for you, it works for us!