11 best baby eczema creams, lotions and washes for soothing sore skin

The go-to brand for many parents, Aveeno is a pro at calming inflamed and delicate skin for babies and adults.

This emollient cream has been specially formulated for babies with very dry, itchy skin who are more prone to regular irritation and itchiness. It’s enriched with ceramides – an essential component of the skin structure – which helps to strengthen the skin barrier function. We found the fragrance-free cream incredibly hydrating on our baby’s skin and was easily absorbed.

Team up this product with the Aveeno baby soothing oat bath soak (£9.99, Boots.com) or emollient wash (£7.49, Lookfantastic.com), for all-round gentle skincare.

The entire Nala’s Baby range is very impressive. The Black-owned, British-made baby skincare line created by rapper Krept, of Krept & Konan, following the birth of his daughter, Nala, was made to be inclusive of all skin types.

All the products contain 99 per cent naturally derived ingredients and are suitable for newborns upwards, sensitive skin and skin prone to eczema.

With a subtle coconut-oil scent, we took the body wash and shampoo with us when travelling, for a gently scented, clean baby from top to toe.

Another one for babies and their parents, we found this 100 per cent natural, hypoallergenic, dermatologist-approved and pH-balanced magic salve not only remedied our baby’s nappy and dribble rash but also calmed dry skin and lips on adults, making it a go-to for the whole family.

One of the ingredients is marshmallow oil, which is used to treat inflammatory skin conditions, such as eczema and contact dermatitis. Perfect to throw into the changing bag to treat any minor skin irritation on the go.

You might think, with a name like “white mallow”, this product would have an overly sweet fragrance but that’s not the case – the range has the subtle but delicious scent of coconut oil. It’s also free from artificial additives and mineral oils.

A hastily applied sun lotion irritated our baby’s skin, resulting in a slight rash but, after applying this onto slightly damp skin after bath time for a couple of days, the rash soon cleared up. We continued to use the lotion as an after-bath treatment, as we found it wasn’t at all oily, it absorbed easily and it left our baby’s skin super soft.

The oatderma range from Child’s Farm​​ features sustainably sourced colloidal oatmeal and oat oil, which are both clinically proven to gently soothe and reduce redness, even for the most irritated skin. We’ve always been impressed with the whole range but we are particularly big fans of this moisturiser’s consistency and how well it absorbed into our baby’s skin.

The oatderma range is fragrance-free but we think it smells like marzipan (which is no bad thing). We used it as a daytime lotion for moisture top-ups and teamed it at night with one of the brand’s hair and body wash bars for a gentle cleansing experience that we felt kept our baby’s skin safe. We liked using it on our own skin, too.

Highly moisturising for the face and body, this SOS serum soothes all types of dry, sensitive and uncomfortable skin (including eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, cuts, bites, stings and minor burns). It also restores hydration to wind-chapped and sun-damaged skin, and is suitable for all ages.

The lightweight serum felt almost gel-like and cooling on our baby’s skin. We also used it to treat some nappy rash, and found it provided a great barrier against a rubbing nappy (it’s also just the right size for popping in the nappy bag). We even tried the serum as a make-up primer, which worked extremely well, so perhaps another use to add to the list.

We think this is a brilliant idea. A twist-up stick to gently swipe across your child’s face and neck, it’s ideal for when you’re out and about – especially as it’s the perfect size for popping in the changing bag.

The face the day stick consists of 99 per cent naturally derived ingredients, is dermatologically tested, and is also clinically proven to be suitable for eczema-prone skin. Made from sunflower and coconut oils, beeswax and shea butter, it forms a barrier to protect delicate areas from the elements and soothe dry and sensitive skin. An all-weather must-have, we found this really helped to protect our baby’s face from dribble rash, wind and drizzle.

We’ve found that many bath products for babies with eczema-prone and sensitive skin are bubble-free, which may be good for skin but isn’t much fun come bath time. This bubbly wash from MooGoo is a natural, gentle cleansing wash that also makes bubbles for bath time, which our baby really enjoyed.

We used around five to six squirts of this generously portioned bubble bath (500ml), which created a pleasing amount of fragrance-fee bubbles that didn’t dry out our baby’s skin and were easily rinsed away. We took this bubble wash away with us, as it can also be used directly on skin as a soap and as a natural shampoo, too.

It’s great to be as preventative as possible when your baby has eczema-prone or sensitive skin but sometimes the damage is already done and healing needs to happen.

Suitable for the whole family, this thick cream is formulated to nourish, protect, soothe and repair dry and irritated skin. We had previously used the Avène line on some adult sensitive skin, and saw good results, so, we were confident about using this product on our baby’s nappy rash – and we weren’t disappointed. The cream was a perfect match for our little one’s sensitive skin. The formula is not too thick nor too runny, and it helped to calm the rash. We also used this cream to ease some adult sunburn.

Often found as part of an adult’s cleansing routine, this well-known cleanser is actually suitable for all ages, including babies. If you’re in a pinch, this cleanser can work as a baby soap and to clean hair, as it gently yet effectively cleanses, without causing dryness.

We used this non-foaming cleanser on our baby’s skin in the bath to help sooth some raised heat rash. It washed away leaving no residue and we felt that our baby’s skin was cleansed gently and didn’t irritate the rash further. The bottle is a generous size (1l), so there’s plenty enough to go around the whole family.

This multi-purpose repairing balm is said to soothe, restore and protect a baby’s delicate skin. The formula contains no fragrance or parabens and is 100 per cent hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic (won’t block pores). It also contains antibacterial agents, so we were confident using it on our baby’s sensitive areas.

We used this easy-to-squeeze tube of balm as an everyday nappy change balm, as we enjoyed the smooth consistency and found it absorbed extremely well into the skin, while leaving a pleasant, non-greasy barrier for protection.

Our baby had developed some sore skin on her elbows and knees from crawling about, so, we used this cream as a barrier on those areas, and found it worked well to moisturise and repair the damaged skin.