How to tell a breastfed infant have heat rash or allergy?

Hi M.,

When my son was a few weeks old he got a rash all over his face and neck, and it sometimes was on his chest and back as well. After 6 weeks or so, our naturopathic doctor suggested that it may be from dairy in my diet. So I stopped eating all dairy and his rash went completely away! It's worth a shot ;)

-A.

Your baby may not be getting heat rash - it could be baby acne which is very common and not caused by anything you're doing. Check with your doctor.

hi M.,
my infant had the same thing--is it hot where you are? does the heat rash go away at night, when it's cooler? My newborn had a rash whenever she got hot--which would mean, whenever she cried, sometimes when she breastfed (because she gets hot with the close contact), and of course, when it was just hot in general. i was worried, but it always went away whenever she cooled down.

when it got really hot, i'd step up the number of her baths--give her one in the middle of the day when the weather was super hot and a bath at night. i asked my dr. and he said lots of babies get heat rash--so you can give more baths, and/or dress the little one in less clothes. as long as the little ones don't seem bothered by it, you should be in an okay place.

however, if your son has other symptoms that accompany the rash, i.e. if you think the rash affects his ability to feed and make doo doo, or, especially if you detect a fever, then i'd definitely go to the dr. about it!!

are you using lotion on his face by any chance? i started putting johnson's baby lotion on my daughter's face when she was about 3 months old and she broke out in a rash right where i put it. but it took a couple days for it to show. anyway, after i stopped using the lotion the rash went away immediately. as far as breastfeeding goes, the best thing to do is eliminate one thing at a time and see if you can pin-point it that way. good luck!

When I was breastfeeding If I ate anything with Tomato even ketchup my son would get a rash. My friends son was the same way when she would feed. Does he have a fever? extra fussy? if he has any of those i would call the dr.

My son is five months and still gets that rash. Usually on his face and arms, but when it's really warm he gets it all over. In my case it's heat rash, not acne. One way I've noticed to keep it minimal is to not bath him more than two or three times a week. The water and soaps can further irritate his skin. If it doesn't seem to accompany fussiness or crying I wouldn't worry.

it could be infant acne...I do believe that's what they call it...anyhow, contact your Dr. and eliminate any allergies, but I don't believe there is any cause for concern

Hi M. -
I just found out my daughter has a milk allergy and have been doing a ton of research on it. You may want to cut out all dairy from your diet and see how he responds to that. It is very common for kids to be allergic to dairy and yes even the little amount that passes through breast milk. My daughter was milk soy protein intollerant and cried all the time until I finally cut all dairy out of my diet and then we had many more happy times. I actually ran across a story on line similar to your situation whre this gals child broke out in a rash due to milk as well so it might be work a shot. But if you decide to do this be sure and read your labels and do some research on line yourself as well. Dairy is in much more than just the obvious. It is in whey, milk protein and etc. Try that and see what happens - you could also have him allergy tested. If that does not clear things up he may be allergic to soy and/or wheat. It is a lot of work and trial and error - but there is a ton of information online.

take care and good luck.

You're probably right. My youngest son gets heat rash and got it while I was nursing him as well. It's probably just caused by the close skin-to-skin contact from nursing. If your son is a month old, he's due for a 6 week check up soon, right? Mention it at his appointment, but until then, just be sure to wipe down his face and the folds of his neck with a warm washcloth with a bit of mild baby soap and let air dry after each feeding.
Congratulations on your new bundle of joy! Treasure the littleness... my bundle of joy just started kindergarten and it seems like just yesterday he was that little.
G.

My son kept getting a rash too when he was that age and I was breastfeeding. So I started using baby wash, baby lotion and no perfume on me (basically I used the same products on me that I used on him) and it cleared up. I'm not sure if it was my soap or lotion or just what.... but that solved the problem for us. If it is just on his face and neck (basically the parts he is rubbing against you), chances are it is a contact rash. You might also want to wash your clothing and bedding in a "free and clear" detergent. I have really sensitive skin so I wasn't too surprised my son does too.

T.

I would say you may have mastitis (inflammation of the milk sacs) which is causing him to have thrush. Good luck.

This is something you really need to discuss with your pediatrician. He may even have eczema. Keep his face and neck clean, but do not scrub. Try not to use baby wipes to clean him up. Take him to the doctor immediately and get him checked out.

is it a rash or baby acne? Baby acne is totally normal during that age.

The most common allergens that mom's can eat that can react in kiddos is dairy. but generally, something that mom ingests bothering baby present itself in more than just skin... it's generally accompanied by diaper rash or intestinal distress.

If you think it might be an allergy, you can start by cutting dairy, but it takes 2 weeks to get a true result. www.kellymom.com has tons of information about breastfeeding and elimination diets.

My 2 month old has the same thing on the back of her neck. I was but am not breast feeing. She has never gotten it on her face. Does it seem to bother him? My 2 year old gets heat rash often, but I find it goes away quickly.

hey M.,
we experienced something similar and it turned out that we were overheating our (now 2) DD and she developed something called a prickly heat rash. it only was on her face and neck and would come and go. since the weather has cooled off, i don't know if that could be your problem, but it happened to us in a similar climate at this time of year. we were putting her in too many clothes and blankets. when we only put her in a onesie, the rash disappeared. i hope it clears up soon. good luck.

hi M. it sounds like baby acne, but if it dissapears at the end of the day it could mean you have the baby to warm. they will break out from that as well. my daughter went through that it would come and go i thought it was weird so i took her to her pedi.and he said i have her to bundled up. so i quit putting on thick p.j.'s and blankets he said to dress her like i was dressed. if you keep your house cool in the evening then p.j's are fine but they dont need big blankets. if its hot t-shirt socks diaper are fine. but i would take the baby to the pedi just to rule anything out. good luck

Hi,
This is H.. My son who is now 23months old had the similar problem. He had it when he was about 4 months old and started Oatmeal cereal. It was around his nech and in the folds of arms and legs. according to his Doc. it might be due to food allergy. It can be fungal infection, this infection usually appears on moist areas, like around the neck. Or may be u r keeping him to warm according to doc there is no need to bundle him up,u can use normal PJs as he is in home. Or your babay's skin is too dry. U should keep him moisturize with good lotion or cream(fragnant free creams r better) U should consult his doctor. As in case of my son, doc prescribed him some steroid ointments(it has very little amount of active ingradient which is not harmful). U can ask your doc about it. I used UCREAM(as his doc advice to use) for my son as a moisturizer. It is fragnant free and good cream. U can try this too and try to use fragnant free products for your son. Always consult his doctor first. I hope your son will be fine
Take care
H.

HI M.,

Chances are that it is not something that he is allergic to so keep breastfeeding! When you are breastfeeding you tend to be very warm and moist between the two of you. It could be that if you applied a touch a cornstarch on his face the problem would resolve itself. It could also be millea. I would check with your pedatrician.