5 Simple Steps to Heal Your Child’s Eczema Naturally—From the Inside Out
If your child struggles with eczema, food sensitivities, or chronic skin issues, you’ve likely tried creams, lotions, and even prescription treatments—but the real root cause of eczema isn’t just skin deep. Eczema starts in the gut and is a sign of inflammation, leaky gut, and immune dysregulation.
Instead of just treating the symptoms, we need to focus on healing from within—supporting the gut, immune system, and microbiome to build strong, resilient skin naturally.
Why is Eczema & Food Sensitivities So Common in Babies & Toddlers?
Most babies are born with leaky gut. This is a natural part of development and is meant to allow the passage of immune-boosting antibodies from breastmilk. However, modern factors—C-section birth, antibiotics, formula feeding, and environmental toxins—can prevent the gut from sealing properly, leading to food sensitivities, allergies, and eczema.
The gut and skin are deeply connected, and when the gut barrier is compromised (aka "leaky gut"), proteins, toxins, and food particles can enter the bloodstream and trigger immune responses—causing inflammation that shows up as eczema, rashes, and sensitivities.
So, how do we help heal eczema from the inside out?
Step 1: Daily Sunshine for Vitamin D & Immune Support
Why?
Vitamin D is critical for immune regulation, reducing inflammation, and helping repair the skin barrier. Many kids today are deficient in vitamin D, which can lead to poor gut health, increased allergies, and chronic skin conditions.
How to Do It:
Aim for 15-20 minutes of daily sunshine (without sunscreen initially and then apply after that timeframe) to allow for natural vitamin D production.
Expose large areas of skin (legs, arms, back) to get the most benefit.
If living in a low-sunlight area, supplement with high-quality cod liver oil (more below!).
Best Sources of Vitamin D:
Sunshine ☀️ (best source!)
Cod liver oil 🐟 (contains vitamin D + vitamin A for skin repair)
Pasture-raised eggs & fatty fish 🥚🐠
💡 Sunlight also boosts serotonin levels, which improves mood and sleep—both critical for skin healing!
Step 2: Cod Liver Oil—Nature’s Anti-Inflammatory Skin Food
Why?
Cod liver oil is one of the most powerful foods for healing eczema because it contains:
✔ Vitamin D – Helps regulate the immune system & reduce skin inflammation.
✔ Vitamin A – Essential for skin regeneration, gut lining repair, and reducing dryness & irritation.
✔ Omega-3s – Fights inflammation & nourishes the skin from within.
How to Use It:
Babies (6+ months): ¼ tsp daily
Toddlers (1-3 years): ½ tsp daily
Older kids (4+ years): 1 tsp daily
💡 The Weston A. Price Foundation recommends cod liver oil as one of the top superfoods for kids!
🔗 Best Brand for Cod Liver Oil:
Rosita Extra Virgin Cod Liver Oil is the best because it’s raw, unprocessed, and naturally rich in vitamins A & D, which are essential for gut healing, immune support, and skin repair—especially for eczema-prone kids. Unlike heat-processed oils, Rosita is cold-extracted, preserving its omega-3s, DHA, EPA, and anti-inflammatory benefits without synthetic additives or fillers. Plus, it’s sustainably sourced from wild Atlantic cod, making it the purest and most bioavailable option for growing kids and nursing mamas.
Step 3: Meat Stock & Fermented Foods to Heal the Gut
Why?
Eczema is almost always linked to gut dysbiosis (imbalance of gut bacteria) and leaky gut. Healing the gut seals the gut lining, reduces inflammation, and helps eliminate food sensitivities.
✔ Meat Stock (not Bone Broth!) – Rich in gelatin & glycine to help repair the gut lining and reduce inflammation.
✔ Fermented Foods – Provide beneficial probiotics to restore gut balance and prevent yeast overgrowth (a common trigger for eczema).
How to Use It:
Serve meat stock daily (start with small amounts and work up).
Ferments for toddlers: Add a spoonful of sauerkraut brine, kefir, or yogurt to meals.
For babies: Mix tiny amounts of fermented veggie brine into purees or serve diluted in water.
💡 Many parents see huge improvements in eczema just by adding daily meat stock & ferments!
🔗 Learn how to make homemade meat stock here!.
🔗 Learn about fermented foods here.
Step 4: Let Them Play in the Dirt & Build Their Microbiome
Why?
Kids need exposure to diverse microbes to build a strong immune system and prevent allergies. Research shows that children who play outside and get dirty have healthier guts, fewer allergies, and better immune function.
How to Do It:
✔ Encourage outdoor play – Let them play in dirt, grass, and sand (no over-sanitizing!).
✔ Let them go barefoot – Grounding supports immune health.
✔ Start a garden – Eating homegrown food increases microbiome diversity.
💡 Dirt exposure trains the immune system and reduces inflammation—key for eczema healing!
Step 5: Exposure to Farm Animals & Raw Microbes
Why?
Studies show that children who grow up around farm animals have fewer allergies, eczema, and autoimmune issues because they are exposed to beneficial bacteria that strengthen the immune system.
How to Do It:
✔ Visit farms, pet animals, and let your child breathe in diverse microbes.
✔ If tolerated, introduce raw milk (a powerful gut-healing food) or raw milk yogurt or kefir.
✔ Take them to local farmers' markets and introduce fresh, unprocessed foods.
💡 This is why kids raised in rural environments tend to have stronger immune systems!
Healing Eczema Naturally Starts From Within
✔ Eczema isn’t just a skin issue—it’s a gut & immune system imbalance.
✔ Focus on nutrient-dense, ancestral foods like meat stock, cod liver oil, and fermented foods.
✔ Daily sunshine, dirt exposure, and farm microbes help strengthen the immune system.
✔ Healing takes time! Be patient and trust the process.