22 answers

Concerns About Jaundice in 11 Month Old

My son's complexion seems rather yellow lately. He is nearly a year old & suffered from jaundice as a newborn...received light therapy & made a full recovery. He seems normal otherwise...very active & playful...not lethargic, which I've read is another symptom of jaundice. Does anyone know if older babies can get jaundice? Should I be alarmed & call the pediatrician or just wait until his check-up in a few weeks. He doesn't have a fever or loss of appetite or trouble with BM's or wet diapers either. His main problem has been fussiness & refusing to go to sleep, but that's been his norm since birth & now going through teething certainly isn't helping. Any ideas?

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So What Happened?™

Thank you to everyone for your responses! I did check his eyes & they were not yellow...I suspect that it could actually be a combination of his diet & not getting enough natural sunlight. Yes, he does eat carrots, sweet potato, squash, & tomato-based foods often enough that it might effect his coloring, but he also eats green beans, peas, & other green vegies, too! I'll keep an eye on his diet to see if there's a correlation. As I mentioned before, we are wrapping up a home renovation which has banished us to the lower level of the house, where we don't get a lot of natural light & we've been so busy with it that we don't get to go out as often as we'd like...hope to get our schedules back on track as we finish up with the house! Thanks again for all your advice! JUST AN UPDATE...I did call the pediatrician's office & my gut feeling (which was that it really was nothing) was confirmed...not to worry...yellow complexion likely caused by the beta-carotene in his diet. As long as the whites of his eyes were not "yellow", then it is probably not jaundice or anything else serious...okay to wait until his check-up in a few weeks. BTW, he doesn't look as yellow anymore...staggering his yellow-orange foods more. THANKS!

Featured Answers

I would absolutely take him to the doctor regarding this. Anyone can suffer from jaundice regardless of age, and it can be a sign of an improperly or malfunctioning organ. Personally, I would rather be safe then sorry.

1 mom found this helpful

Is he eating vegetables? If so, yellow & orange vegetables can cause their skin to yellow (if they eat too many in a row)!!!

1 mom found this helpful

More Answers

Jaundice at a later age can come from breastfeeding. Check with your pediatrician!

1 mom found this helpful

I think you should immediately go to your doctor.Request bloodwork be done. K.

1 mom found this helpful

Check his eyes. If the whites of his eyes look "yellow" he needs to be seen by a Dr ASAP. Otherwise, Im not sure. I would probably call the dr just to be sure there is no need to be alarmed. It could possibly be your lighting. Have you tried to look at him in more direct sunlight? Its not normal for jaundice to show up again unless there is a more serious issue. It doesnt sound like he is "sick" so I am thinking it might possibly be the lighting -- but Dr's are there to be asked questions, so if you seem concerned, ASK:)
Good Luck and let us know how it turns out

1 mom found this helpful

If your son is eating a lot of yellow and orange vegetables and friut, it can cause his skin to look yellow or even orange. Don't be afraid to contact your pediatrician; that's what he/she went to school for;helping children AND their parents. You aren't expected to know everything! Good luck,

1 mom found this helpful

I would call the doctor, just to be sure. but when my daughter was young, she was a very picky eater (ok, she still is, LOL.) She went through a jag where she ate sweet potatoes and carrots a lot. She did start looking a little jaundiced so I became concerned and took her to the doctor. Yep, it was the carotene that was causing her skin to change color. We had a good laugh.

Having said that and not being a doctor myself, I would reiterate - a call to your pediatrician would save you several weeks of fretting.

1 mom found this helpful

Does he eat a lot of orange and yellow baby food? My two little ones both look kinda yellow/orange like jaundice when they eat too many carrots, sweet pots, tomato based foods. At this age, if it is jaundice he most likely has something going on with his liver, but it's probably the food. Just check his eyes like someone else mentioned. If it does worry you then take him to the doctor.

1 mom found this helpful

I would definitely call your pediatrician because jaundice can indicate several other problems that may not show other symptoms right away. My 5 year old looked jaundiced to me and within 2 days had an extremely enlarged liver. She was ultimately diagnosed with mono, but had exhibited none of the other traditional symptoms.

1 mom found this helpful

As my mom always said, "when in doubt, check it out". Jaundice can occur at an age. If your child's acting differently than normal and his skin really seems yellowish, I would go sooner than later. Jaundice might not be the issue at all, but something else(hepatitis has similar symptoms) could be going on.

That's just my $0.02.

1 mom found this helpful

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