A mum who shared the secret to how she treats her baby’s agonising battle with eczema has become an internet sensation.
Lottie Darwen, had tried everything to help reduce the impact of the condition on her daughter Arabella.
After finding the answer, Lottie, from Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, took to social media to share her solution.
She posted a video of Arabella, who has suffered from the condition from two-months-old, showing the remarkable impact ScratchSleeves had made to her daughter’s discomfort.
Lottie’s video has now been viewed a staggering nine million times on Tik Tok.
“I never expected the video to go viral,” Lottie said. “It’s been incredible to see the video resonate with so many people. If it means even one more baby gets some relief, and one more parent gets some rest, then I couldn’t be more grateful.”
ScratchSleeves are a cardigan-style wrap that features built-in mitts to prevent baby scratching. Used by thousands of parents, the product has become a go-to solution for managing eczema-related itching, offering a gentle yet effective way to protect delicate skin and support healing.
Beautician Lottie said juggling work and finding an answer was a constant challenge.
“Being a mum and running a business is a challenge at the best of times. When your child is unwell and you’re not sleeping, the stress becomes overwhelming. Finding something that worked for Arabella didn’t just help her – it really helped me feel like I could cope again.”
“We’d tried everything, and I was exhausted, worried, and feeling helpless. Within minutes of putting ScratchSleeves on Arabella, she stopped scratching.
Lottie, the founder of Lota Beauty who works from No.9 Boutique in Egham, added: “Finding the answer was such a relief, both for her and for me.”
As well as touching thousands of parents who have experienced similar problems, the video touched ScratchSleeves creator Jae Rance, who reached out to Lottie after the video went viral.
“We created ScratchSleeves because we lived through that same nightmare with our son, Max. To see another family find the same relief we once needed so badly – it’s just incredibly moving. I’m so proud that our solution could make such a difference for Arabella.”
“We also started the ScratchSleeves blog to share our experience of bringing up a child with eczema. We write about day-to-day practicalities which the medical professionals typically don’t know about, like what prescribed eczema creams can do to the innards of your washing machine, as well as providing well researched evaluations of the many myths about the condition. This blog has now been published by Souvenir Press as ‘The Calm Skin Guide’.”
“Everything we do is designed around making life easier for parents during what can be a really rough time, Lottie’s story is exactly why we started ScratchSleeves in the first place.”
While Lottie’s video has received overwhelming support, not all the online attention has been positive. Hurtful comments have been left under the video – including false claims from some individuals who have unfairly suggested that her diet during pregnancy may have contributed to Arabella’s eczema.
Eczema is caused by a mix of factors, such as genetics and the environment, and blaming parents only adds unnecessary guilt and emotional stress to mums who are already doing their best.
“We’re really sorry that Lottie’s very sweet video of Arabella attracted such unhelpful and ill-informed comments” said Jae.
“They may have been well meant but eczema is such a variable condition that what works for one person, can have the opposite effect for another. As my grandmother was fond of saying: ‘If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all’.”
