Protocol in the EC group
skin irritants, infantile eczema
INFANTILE ECZEMA
The mothers in the EC group only received the instruction of routine care from one investigator for about half an hour in a small group of 3–5 mothers according to their convenience after the baseline observation. The tips of routine care for infantile eczema included the avoidance of skin irritants and allergens, avoidance of allergenic food in maternal and infantile diet, breast-feeding as much as possible and the application of emollient. For avoiding the confounder caused by using different emollients in this study, Pigeon skin lotion (Pigeon, Shanghai, CNH) was recommended in this study since it is popularly used on infants in China. It was advised to apply the skin lotion on the whole body of the infant except for the scalp at least twice daily, once during day time and once either after bathing or before sleep (if no bathing that day) in the evening. The used amount of the skin lotion was not fixed but determined by the body surface area and dry condition of skin in individual infant, which aimed to achieve the lubricant effect. In addition, let the infant lie on his/her stomach safely and comfortably for 10 min after the application of skin lotion before bedtime, for controlling the massaging position and time in EM group. The mothers in the EC group were instructed about infant massage by investigators after this study observation ended based on the voluntary rule.