16 Month Old with Reoccuring Hives HELP!!!

Hives are an allergic reaction. That's why the benedryl helps. She has probably developed an allergy to something over time. Doesn't have to be anything new. The allergy could be environmental or food.

I suggest a visit to a pediatric allergist.

I have food allergies. I can eat a certain amount of the food before I get an actual allergic reaction. I suggest you start by giving her just a few specific foods that are easily digested and see if that helps. If it doesn't remove one food at a time over several days.

Common allergens are soy, tree nuts, peanuts, milk protein, eggs. I would also eliminate raw foods. Cooking changes the protein in foods so that they are often tolerated when raw foods aren't.

You could use a hypoallergenic detergent to see if that helps.

However, if the hives continue I'd take her to see a pediatric allergist. It may take a week or two to get in; so I'd call to make an appointment when the office opens on Tuesday.

Don't rule anything out just because she never reacted to it before. Allergies can develop at any time.

Not saying that this is what has happened to your daughter, however, the last time my daughter got sick with a virus(which was kind of croupy), she also had hives. According to her Pediatrician, it was her bodies way of fighting the virus. They lasted nearly two weeks and is quite a normal response to a virus. Although, I had never seen this happen before, after talking to other friends, I found out it was really common.

A person can react to anything at all at any time in their life. Even if they have been around it every day.

I had an allergic reaction to almonds a year ago, had eaten them all my life. I have a lot of allergies too so I know how scary this can be. I have recently started having itching and runny eyes when I put on different clothes. I figure I am reacting to my fabric softener. I have used Green Cap Downy for years but now I have a red itchy body if I put it in the rinse with my clothes.

I would make an appointment with an allergist if all possible. They are the professionals in their area. They will have tests they can do to see if it is something that is blooming or in the environment. Maybe even be able to test her for specific allergies.

What kind of Christmas Tree did you have and how much contact did your daughter have with it? I have a friend from church who is actually allergic to certain varieties of live Christmas trees. Douglas fir is one... she can't be around them much or she breaks out. Obviously, this is just one of a zillion things it could be, but thought I'd throw it out there as a possibility. Maybe she didn't have much contact with your tree until she opened gifts from underneath it? Or it could be anything. Even adults can develop an allergy to something that they have never been allergic to before. And usually, allergies don't happen the first time a person is exposed to something--it is subsequent exposures that bring on symptoms.

I am starting to wonder if something is in the air. Granted none of the posts live anywhere near each other but I had never heard of unexplained hives until I posted about my daughter a few months ago. She is 10, had them off and on for 4 weeks. Never did figure out what caused them. Not sure what you can give a baby beyond Benadryl but we gave Genna Zyrtec. The nice thing about Zyrtec was it was 24 hours so she never got the hives until we stopped giving it to her for a couple days.

This was a few months ago.

Viruses can cause hives. My son had them so badly once he couldn't sleep and he had to take prednisone in addition to an anithistamine. The only cause the doctor could determine was viral. I think he was about 5 at the time. He is now 12 and it hasn't happened since. I would keep a close eye on it and they might have to prescribe a stronger antihistamine and/or a steroid. Good luck.

it could be environmental. my daughter randomly breaks out with hives and we wont know what causes it. we just give her benadryl and oatmeal baths. my daughter is also chemical sensitive.

Several members of my family get hives and we have never been able to find out the cause.

Hives can bacome serious if they start to swell in the throat. Then it's anaphylactic shock and cut off breathing. Keep an eye on her for that. Other than that you are following the course we have always followed. Benedryl and let them sleep it off. Ice helps--so does baking soda baths. But Benedryl works best.

I am allergic to real christmas trees, especially when I get the sap on my skin.

16 months is a hard time...

I would ask my doctor to run an allergy test on her to find out what she is allergic to.

I would quit using any detergent and go to baking soda or some other organic/natural product. If it's recurring - I would assume that she is having a problem with something she is touching.

Anytime one gets hives you would worry about it. They can also be internal and cause the throat to swell therefore not being able to breathe. I'm SOOOO glad to hear that you took her to the Dr...I would see if they ran any tests to figure out why she has hives as well.

Go back to the basics in food - unprocessed foods, add one thing at a time - over a week - not just a day - and see how she reacts to it as well...keep a food journal or even a daily journal for yourself - wetting, bowel movements, food intake, water/juice/milk intake, note her reactions. If you have changed detergent - make sure you wash all of her bedding - sheets, mattress pad, etc. so that it all starts out on the same page..

GOOD LUCK!!

have you taken her to the dr. or an allergist yet? Take pictures if you can't get her in right away and bring them to your appointment. Allergies can develop over time. It doesn't have to be something new to cause a reaction. We just found out last week that my almost 7 year old is allergic to egg whites. She had been breaking out in hives for over a month and the allergist did some skin testing which came back negative, but then also did a blood test and it came up positive. We found out my son is deathly allergic to pennicilin after his 4th time having it, with no bad reactions before that one. Also we learned that hives can also be autoimmune, which me and my daughter both have hashimoto's. I think that is more rare though and I kind of don't think your daughters hives are from that, (although I'm not a dr, so I can't really say). Best thing I would tell you to do, is get her to a dr asap! Good luck and I hope she feels better soon!

I finally figured out that my hives came from strawberries and red dyes in foods, but only if I take in a lot. Is there a food she has had a lot more or lately than usual? If it keeps happening I would ask her doc about doing an allergy test to find what may be the cause.

This sounds like a pretty classic, if extreme, allergic reaction. Unfortunately, anybody can become sensitive at any time to just about anything, including foods, toiletries, soaps, or other materials that never bothered them before. And some people gradually outgrow allergies, too, for no apparent reason.

I'd start by switching to products made for sensitive people, and eliminating all products that are not absolutely necessary. I crashed with sensitivities to just about everything in my 30's, and have found life much more doable since learning that baking soda, vinegar, and a few other simple ingredients will clean just about everything. (Cheaper, too.)

Cat allergy is definitely a possibility – it's one of the commonest allergies for people everywhere. I hope you'll persist until you find solutions. Hives can itch and sting like crazy.

I should mention that homeopathy can be very effective for about 80% of people who try it – I experimented with a couple of remedies for allergic itching, and found one that's pretty fool-proof for me, with absolutely no side effects.

Hi,

It's an allergic reaction. She should be tested for allergies. Also, the book, "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" by Natasha McBride should help.

Please be careful about the cat. It brings so many unknowns to your daughter's reaction equation... food, chemicals, pollens, etc. I had no problem with my indoor cat but always reacted to a friend's indoor/outdoor cat. If anyone has spraying for pest control, weeds, or fertilizer the cat will be bringing those nasties right into your daughter's environment. Don't think it's safe just because the cat doesn't come in direct contact with her... it's on the floor, furniture and your clothing if you handle it... sorry :(

I went through this exact same thing when my son was the same age (he's now 20). We were days away from major testing when he was sitting with my sister at a baseball game and she gave him a snow cone. Well, you should of seen the hives come out! She's a nurse and took one look at him and said "nothing there but sugar and food coloring" - sure enough, he was allergic to red dye. And, benadryl had coloring in it. He outgrew it by five, but for years I read labels looking for red and blue dye!

My second broke out in recurring hives for a few days at about that age for what the dr guessed was dry skin. The dr made a conjecture but said if nothing noteworthy has changed then we probably will never know. We treated him with 3 ml of Benadryl and slathered him with Aquaphor. I'd call your ped and ask if they want her to be seen or to just continue the Benadryl - I always feel better when not just A dr but a dr I trust has seen my kids for something like this.

My daughter (18yo) has extremely sensitive skin. This time of year she frequently gets a rash, usually on her legs (but this year over more of her body). When we spoke with her doctor, we learned it's her skin's reaction to the dryness and artificial heat in the house. Once the weather changes in the spring, it stops; once it gets colder in the fall, it starts again. It can be quite itchy but is non-threatening. Sorry -- I forget the name. Benadryl as needed and a really good moisturizer helps.