Hot summer nights? Help your eczema child to sleep with our top tips…

Summer has arrived and we’re not complaining! However, the long hours of sunlight and the hot summer nights can make sleeping difficult, especially for itchy little ones. Here at ScratchSleeves HQ, we have been struggling to get our own little ones to fall asleep and decided to share the best tips we’ve found on the subject.

Children with eczema often find sleeping difficult at the best of times. The eczema itch comes to fore when there is nothing to distract from it. A hot summer night makes things doubly difficult. Even small amounts of sweating can aggravate the eczema itch and falling asleep in the heat is difficult for everyone…

How to help your itchy child sleep during hot summer nights?

• Body temperature baths and showers are better than cold or cool ones. Make them too cold and they will actually raise body temperature over time rather than lower it. This is because our bodies naturally compensate for the shock of the cold.
• Try air drying (rather than towel drying). After their bath, let your child lie on a towel to air dry over storytime. Once they are largely dry, pat them down to catch any remaining damp patches. Then slip on cool cotton sleepwear. Our kids found the microfibre travel towels best for this.
• Keep emollients in the fridge. This will make them nice and cool, and extra soothing. Be prepared for some ‘that’s really cold’ reactions! This works best for lotions and creams. Cold ointments are stiffer and can drag the skin uncomfortably when applied.
• Switch emollient. If your child’s emollients are particularly oily or greasy they can feel heavier and uncomfortable on the skin in the summer heat. Ask your GP for a lighter formulation for night times whilst it’s hot.
• Plait long hair. If your child has long hair, putting it in loose plaits will help keep their neck cool.
• Chill cuddly toys. If your child has a favourite soft toy or blanket which they cuddle at night, try popping it in the freezer for an hour before bedtime. Putting it in a resealable plastic bag will keep it dry. Not only will it make for a cooling snuggle, but it will also kill off house dust mites at the same time!
• Keep hydrated. Being thirsty makes it harder to sleep and can even wake some children up. Make sure there is a drink of cold water to hand at all times. Baby and toddler drinking cups are ideal as they won’t spill if knocked over. Drinking little and often is the best solution. In extreme heat, give my five-year-old a drink when I lift him to go to the loo. 
• Keep feet cool. Cool feet make a huge difference to overall body temperature. If your little one is still sleeping in a sleep suit consider cutting the feet off. That said, we do find that some children use their feet as weapons for scratching. If you are tempted to try this we recommend making sure their toenails are well trimmed first!
• Make a cold compress. Try keeping a sock filled with uncooked rice in the freezer (pudding rice is better than long grained rice as the grains are less likely to poke through the sock). This can be used on wrists, feet and the back of the neck to provide instant cool relief. The microwavable heat pad toys work really well for this too.
• Keep bedrooms cool. Consider investing in a black out blind and kept it closed throughout the day. Not only do these stop the room from getting hot, they block out that late evening sunshine that keeps little ones up. This doesn’t have to be a big DIY project. The ‘go anywhere blinds’, which stick onto the glass with magnets or velcro, are just as effective. With a bit of adjustment, they can also work on open windows.
• Create a breeze. Opening windows seems obvious but if you can open windows all over the house you will generate more of a thorough draft. If pollen is a trigger for your child’s eczema this may not work so well for you. Instead, we love a rechargeable clip fan. These can be as good as silent and the battery on ours lasts for 2 nights on a single charge. The great advangate of rechargeable fans is that you can clip them to a shelf or curtain rail, well away from little fingers.
• Supercharge your fan. Finally, our favourite tip is to put 2-litre bottles of water in the freezer during the day. As you go to bed, place them in front of a fan. This creates a makeshift air-conditioning unit which blows cold air instead of just circulating the warm air. If you don’t have a fan just putting them in the room will lower the air temperature. Remember to put them on plastic plates or a towel to catch the drips!

Want more information? Our blog also has more top tips on sleep and scratching.

Wishing you all some peaceful nights!