I struggled with my 3 month old baby’s eczema… until I discovered the hidden trigger no one talks about.

Nov 02, 2025

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My name is Elizabeth Watts, and I’m a mum who was absolutely desperate to help my 3-month-old baby boy who was covered head to toe in eczema. I was running on empty, guilty, exhausted, and heartbroken. We tried everything under the sun, from creams, diets, detergents, you name it. Nothing helped.

Then, by pure chance, I stumbled onto the real cause behind it all… and it wasn’t what anyone had ever told me.

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Tribute:
Along the way, I found comfort in the stories of other mums walking this same painful path, their words made me feel less alone in the endless nights of scratching, crying, and guilt. No one should have to go through that… but if you are, you’re not alone.

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Elliot just turned 4 months old

It all started almost a year ago, when Elliot was just 4 months old. Tiny red spots began appearing on his face and neck. I brushed it off at first thinking it was just a little baby rash that would go away on its own. But within days, those spots turned angry and weepy, crusting over with yellow flakes that made his soft skin look sore and raw.

 

Then came the scratching. My baby boy would claw at his cheeks until they bled, screaming and crying. Nights were the hardest. He couldn’t sleep, and neither could I. Watching him suffer like that, I felt completely helpless.

That’s when my husband and I really started to panic. We took him to the Pediatrician, hoping for answers. The doctor looked over his skin and calmly said it was a moderate case of atopic dermatitis (eczema) and that he'd “grow out of it soon.” He prescribed a mild steroid cream and antibiotics for the infection, reassuring us it was nothing to worry about.

 

For a moment, I felt relief. We followed the instructions carefully, applying the cream every day. Within a week, Elliot's skin cleared up completely. It was the happiest I’d been in months, but it didn’t last. Just five days later, the red spots were back. Worse this time.
 

I felt shattered. Why was this happening? Why him? Was it something I ate? Something I did? The guilt hit hard, keeping me awake at night, staring at my baby and wishing I could trade places.

Flare up after 1 week of steroid cream

I went back to the doctor, desperate, only to be told to “increase the dosage.” But my gut twisted. I’d read about the side effects, the thinning skin, the long-term damage. And when I remembered that newborn skin is already 30% thinner than an adult’s, I couldn’t do it. There had to be another way.

 

At that point, I asked to see a specialist. We were referred to a dermatologist, and though the wait was only a week, it felt like forever. But when the day came, it was the same story all over again. More creams. More prescriptions. No one was trying to find why this was happening. I wanted to scream. How could they not understand that this was my baby, not just another rash to medicate and send home?

 

Still, I didn’t have much of a choice. It was either do as the doctor said or watch Elliot suffer hour after hour. So, we tried another steroid cream. And yes, it worked… for a few days. Then the spots came back, this time spreading down his arms and across his tiny torso.

Started to spread to his body

By then, I was barely sleeping. I felt broken. Every morning when I heard Elliot's cry, I’d rush to the crib, terrified to see how much damage he'd done overnight. His clothes were often speckled with blood from scratching in his sleep. Some mornings his cheeks were raw and weeping, other days, new rashes had bloomed on his arms, legs, or back. It was an endless… cruel cycle.

 

I spent hours online reading that eczema flare-ups are triggered by allergens, but which one? What was I missing? Was it the detergent? The baby clothes? My breast milk? I second-guessed everything, every meal, every outfit, every product I touched.

I became obsessed, every spare minute was spent reading online forums, scrolling through blogs, watching YouTube videos from other desperate parents. At this point, I was willing to try anything.

 

I switched to unscented detergents and double-rinsed every load. I gave him oatmeal baths, bleach baths, anything people said might help. I tried wet wrapping his tiny body, layering thick emollients like Epaderm, Aveeno, and Doublebase over and over until his skin was slick and shiny. I swapped every piece of fabric for pure cotton, clothes, sheets, even my pyjamas.

 

We bought air purifiers, and lowered the heater so he wouldn’t get too warm at night. I even cut out dairy, eggs, soy, and gluten from my own diet while breastfeeding, convinced it might be something I was eating.

 

But nothing worked. Every trick, every change, it might help for a few days, then we’d be right back where we started. Watching him suffer, feeling helpless all over again.

Then one night, half-asleep and scrolling through Reddit on my phone, I found myself reading the replies to a post I’d made in a mum forum. Buried between dozens of “try this cream” and “change your detergent” comments was one message that completely stopped me in my tracks.

 

A mum wrote:
“Have you ever dehumidified your wardrobe?”

I blinked at the screen. Dehumidified my wardrobe? I replied, “Not really… what for?”

 

She explained, “Your baby might be reacting to mould spores. Even if you can’t see mould, humidity inside wardrobes can cause it to grow. Try dehumidifying the space where her clothes are stored.”
 

I remember just staring at that comment. Mould? In my house? I’d never seen a single patch! My home was spotless. But then she went on to explain that no matter how clean a home looks, wardrobes are often the dampest places in the house, especially in cold, rainy climates like the UK.

Elliot's wardrobe

When wardrobe doors stay closed and clothes are packed tightly together, any leftover moisture from washing gets trapped inside. That trapped humidity creates the perfect breeding ground for mould spores and mildew, even if you can’t see or smell it. And it spreads fast. 

 

She was right, I searched it up: Under the right damp conditions, a single invisible spore can grow into a full colony within 24 to 48 hours.

 

She told me that these invisible spores can cling to fabrics and when delicate baby skin touches those clothes, it can trigger eczema flare-ups. It’s not widely talked about, but apparently, mould spores on clothes are one of the most overlooked causes of eczema reactions.

 

I was stunned. I’d scrubbed, disinfected, and aired out every corner of my home, but never once thought about the air inside the wardrobe.

 

And in the UK, it made perfect sense. The constant rain, the chill in the air, the endless condensation on windows every winter morning, all of it creates the perfect storm for hidden dampness. We keep our windows closed to trap the warmth in, run the radiators, dry clothes indoors and unknowingly trap moisture everywhere, especially in wardrobes and cupboards.

 

It’s such a typical British home problem that most of us never even think about. We assume, “I don’t see mould, so it must be fine.” But in reality, the air itself can be too humid, especially in older houses.

 

That’s when it hit me: Elliot's freshly washed clothes, the ones I thought were safe could actually be triggering his eczema.

 

Suddenly, everything started to click. 

 

The mum explained that wiping or airing out a wardrobe wasn’t enough. Mould spores are microscopic and they cling deep into fabrics itself. And using sprays or leaving the doors open for a few hours? That can actually make it worse by adding more moisture.

 

For the first time, I realised the problem wasn’t Elliot's skin…. No wonder creams, baths, or even changing everything to cotton didn't help.

That’s when she mentioned a small device called Airly, a compact, wireless dehumidifier designed by health experts to quietly remove trapped moisture from tight spaces like wardrobes. It keeps humidity below 55%, which means mould and mildew simply can’t grow in the first place.

What amazed me was how different it was from those bulky plug-in dehumidifiers I’d seen before. Airly was small enough to hide in the corner of Elliot's wardrobe, completely silent, and cordless. She told me it worked fast and that I’d see results within hours.

 

That same night, I ordered one for Elliot's wardrobe, one for mine. The moment it arrived, I plugged it into its little charging dock for two hours. While it charged, I took everything out of Elliot's wardrobe, every tiny onesie and blanket and tossed them into the wash. Then I wiped down the wardrobe from top to bottom, left it open to dry, and finally placed Airly inside.

I had a little humidity meter in the kitchen, so I decided to test it out. At first, it read 65% humidity inside his wardrobe. Within an hour, it dropped to 54%. I couldn’t believe it. After I folded his clean clothes and tucked them neatly back inside, I felt something I hadn’t felt in months, a tiny spark of hope.

 

Over the next week, checking that humidity meter became part of my morning routine. When the numbers crept up again, I’d take Airly out for a quick two-hour recharge and pop it back in. One recharge lasted an entire week, and the humidity stayed perfectly balanced the whole time.

2 weeks after using Airly

1 month after using Airly

That’s when I started noticing something incredible. Elliot's skin began to calm. The angry red patches softened, his cheeks looked smoother, and for the first time in months he slept through the night without scratching.

 

I remember standing by his cot one night, watching his, realising how long it had been since he'd looked so comfortable in his own skin.

 

Our mornings changed too. No more tears. No more frantic scratching. He'd wake up smiling, eyes wide open, giggling, ready to play. Over the following weeks, his flare-ups grew fewer, then milder… and by the end of the month, they stopped altogether.

 

2 months later, Elliot looked like a completely different baby. His skin was clear, soft, and healthy. He could finally crawl, laugh, and explore the world without that constant discomfort.

Other mums started asking me, “What cream did you use? What finally worked?”


I’d just smile and say, “It wasn’t a cream at all, it was our little wardrobe dehumidifier.”

 

And for me… the relief was indescribable. The guilt that had weighed on me for so long, that crushing feeling that I was failing him finally lifted. I could just be his mum again, without the endless worry.

 

We started going out again, without the stares or the questions. I felt proud of him, proud of us, proud that he was finally happy and healthy. But the best part? Knowing that I was giving him the chance to grow up feeling comfortable, confident, and free in his own skin. That’s the greatest gift any mother could ever give.

 

Airly didn’t just help his skin, it changed our entire life. And honestly, I believe it could change yours too.
 

If you want to check them out, I’ve left a link to their official website down below. Click the button below.

Check Out Airly!

Comments (6)

Thanks for commenting

Jennifer H. 2 days ago . 3 likes

Oh my goodness, I could’ve written this myself. Reading your story brought back so many memories of those sleepless nights, the blood on the sheets, the endless creams that didn’t work. Thank you for sharing this, it makes me feel less alone in this constant fight. Sending love to you and your little one ❤️

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Megan L. 7 days ago . 2 likes

This hit so close to home. We’ve been battling my daughter’s eczema since she was 3 months old, every doctor visit, every new cream, same story. I’ve never thought about humidity though! Just ordered a mini dehumidifier after reading this, fingers crossed 🤞

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Sophie C. 5 days ago . 1 likes

Crying as I read this. We’ve been in the same boat for months now, trying everything from oatmeal baths to cutting out foods. It’s so comforting (and heartbreaking) to know we’re not alone. Thank you for being brave enough to share what most of us are too exhausted to say.

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Rebecca W. 5 days ago . 3 likes

Wow… I’ve never even considered mould or humidity as a trigger! Our GP just keeps giving us creams and telling us it’s “normal.” I’m going to check our wardrobes right now. Thank you so much for this insight — genuinely life-changing.

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Lucy T. 4 days ago . 2 likes

I feel this in my soul. My little boy’s skin looks exactly how you described Emma’s. The guilt is the worst — you feel like it’s your fault even when you know it’s not. I’m so happy to hear she’s doing better now 💕 gives me hope.

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Elena M. 7 days ago . 1 likes

We’re trying silk sheets and cotton-only clothing right now but hadn’t even thought about the wardrobe itself. It makes so much sense. Thank you for taking the time to explain it in such detail I feel like you might have just saved my sanity.
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