Login / Register 
Contact / wholesale enquiries
Eczema in babies is often treated as a standalone skin condition. UK clinical guidance shows it can be the first step in the atopic march towards food allergy, asthma and hay fever. Here is what parents need to know.
If your baby has eczema, you have probably been told to moisturise, watch for flare ups and carry on. But what many families are not told is that eczema is more than a skin condition. In allergy medicine, it is often seen as the first chapter in a bigger story called the “atopic march.”
This pattern is well documented and recognised by the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI), yet most parents have never heard the term. We believe families deserve to know the full picture, not just the medical headlines. Our goal is to close that gap and empower you with the knowledge to make confident decisions for your child.
What is the atopic march?
The atopic march (sometimes called the allergic march) describes how allergic conditions often appear in a predictable sequence during childhood, each one linked to the next. Eczema is often the first sign, followed by food allergy, hay fever and asthma. This does not mean every child with eczema will develop allergies, or that every case is caused by an underlying allergy. But the connection is strong enough, and common enough, that it is worth paying attention to both together, rather than treating them as separate issues.
How eczema opens the door
The explanation is not just correlation. It comes down to the skin itself.
For many babies with eczema, the skin barrier is not working as it should. This means the skin does not hold in moisture or keep out irritants and allergens as effectively. That broken barrier does more than cause dryness and itching. It can let food proteins from the environment—on hands, surfaces, even in dust—reach the immune system through the skin before a child has ever eaten that food. This early exposure through the skin is now understood as one way that food allergies can develop, even before any reaction to eating the food.
The typical sequence looks like this:
- Eczema in infancy, often the very first sign, appearing before a baby’s first birthday
- Food allergy in early childhood, most commonly to cow’s milk, hen’s eggs and nuts
- Asthma, developing later in childhood
- Allergic rhinitis (hay fever), often the last condition to appear, sometimes not until later childhood or adolescence
Not every child will follow this order, and not every child with eczema will develop all or any of the later conditions. But the pattern is strong enough that UK clinical guidance treats it as a real signal, not just a coincidence. This is why awareness and understanding matter so much.
What this means if your child currently has eczema
If your baby or toddler has been diagnosed with eczema and nothing else, here is what is genuinely helpful to know. This is not about adding worry, but about giving you the tools to feel confident and informed.
Watch for these signs of a possible food allergy alongside eczema:
- Eczema that is moderate or severe and not responding to optimal skincare and treatment
- Symptoms appearing shortly after a specific food, such as hives, swelling, vomiting or immediate worsening of skin symptoms
- Gut symptoms alongside skin symptoms, such as colic, reflux, altered bowel habits or poor weight gain
When to raise it with a GP, rather than waiting: NICE guidance on atopic eczema in children under 12 is specific on this point. Children with moderate or severe atopic eczema and a suspected food allergy should be referred for specialist investigation, particularly where the eczema has not responded to good management, or where it is linked with symptoms like colic, vomiting, altered bowel habits or failure to thrive. You do not need to wait for a routine review to raise this. If your instinct says something food related is making the skin worse, that is a valid reason to ask for a referral.
Reframing eczema management as allergy prevention
The most powerful shift for any parent of a child with eczema is this: caring for the skin is not just about comfort. It is a meaningful way to help manage allergy risk and protect your child’s future health.
Keeping eczema well controlled, with regular use of emollients and the right treatment, helps protect the skin barrier and may reduce the chance of early sensitisation. While no approach can remove the risk entirely, this reframes daily eczema care as a genuinely protective step, not just a cosmetic one.
If your family is already managing a food allergy, whether it followed eczema or appeared on its own, our range of top 14 allergen free baking mixes and snacks is here to help make mealtimes and treats safe, joyful and inclusive. And if you are still at the start of your journey, watching and wondering, we hope this piece has given you a clearer, evidence-based place to begin. You are not alone, and together we can create a safer, more inclusive world for every child.
Sources: National Eczema Society, BSACI Atopic Eczema (Dermatitis) guide, NICE Guideline CG57: Atopic eczema in under 12s, NICE Quality Standard QS44: Specialist allergy investigation.
