Rash on Arms and Legs from Grass?

We have this same problem with our oldest son. He is now 9 but his whole life has suffered from allergies to anything with hair or feathers to grass and pollen. With the grass thing, we have not stopped him from playing in it as we found it was basically impossible. We also did not like the idea of constantly drugging him up either, although Benedryl does help. What I discovered was the best solution for us was to give him a bath immediately after outdoor play and it seems to lessen the reaction. He gets irritated that he has to wash off so often in the spring and summer but finally gave into the fact that it is WAY easier than the rash. Good luck.

Is the rash mostly in the folds of his skin? --behind his knees and on the inside of his arms by his elbows and wrists?

I've heard that kids with eczema are especially prone to have grass allergies in the Springtime.

Try rubbing pure coconut oil into the rash. Keep him off the grass. OR atleast put him in long sleeved shirt + pants as he plays on it.

keep his nails clipped and use Cetaphil instead of soap.

I do actually personally, not my kids, but if I sit in grass with shorts on, I get an itchy rash all over my legs...not much help but it does happen to me. It goes away after a day if I am not on it again, just need to avoid it...when he gets older, there are some sublingual drops that Allergist can do.

If I were you I would talk to your pediatrician about getting allergy testing done. Keep his arms and leg covered when he plays in the grass. If the Benadryl does not seem to work get some hydrocortisone cream and try Zyrtec I have found that works best with my children.

I also get an itchy rash if I'm in the grass. I either have to cover my arms and legs or wash with soap and water right after I'm in the grass in order to soothe it. Hydrocortisone cream works pretty well too, and helps soothe the itch as well.

I get the same reaction to grass. For the longest time I thought that it was perfectly normal - that everyone got it and that it's just what happens when you play in the grass. :) I learned to avoid putting my bare skin on the grass - wearing pants and closed shoes, and putting a blanket down (picnic-style) when sitting on the grass.

I get contact dermatitis from sitting in the grass too - but only if it's been treated with non-organic chemicals for fertilizing or weed control. Try washing the area with mild soap and water after he gets it and see if helps to clear it up.

We use Zamzow's lawn care program (which is all-natural and earth friendly) on our lawn and don't have any problems with it at all.

Yes, my son totally had the same thing. In his case it was allergies, or more specifically, contact dermatitis. He got it from playing in grass, from tomato juice dripping on his skin -although he could eat the tomatoes, his skin was just sensitive- and even if his clothing got wet, the fabric softener in the clothing would cause it. The good news is, he outgrew it. It kind of alarmed me initially, but after talking to the Dr. about it and realizing it was just a skin reaction and not more serious, I just covered his skin a little more when he went outside, and gave him benadryl when needed. Good luck!

Hi D.,
Yes, my daughter is our little allergy nightmare. She was first diagnosed with allergies at 4 1/2 months and is now almost 5 yrs. old. She had severe food allergies as a baby that caused eczema and all sorts of rashes. She was basically a vegan until age 2 when she grew out of it. However, she now has severe environmental allergies such as dust, dogs, cats, trees and grasses. We have found that the benadryl will help, but we also coat her in hydrocortizone cream during a reaction (2.5%, which is a Rx dose) and she is now on daily allergy meds to slow the reactions, but I don't know if that is an option for you which your child's age. Also, the rashes and eczema never totally go away, so we use vanicream when she is not in a breakout. It is a great lotion that you can find behind the pharmacy counter but it is not a Rx. Some pharmacies don't stock it but they will order it for you. I hope it helps.

When I was 5 I got hives, apparently from playing in the grass-like weeds that commonly grow in any uncultivated dirt in our climate. I was given an anti-itch lotion and told to avoid the weeds. Eventually I grew out of it but I still try to avoid the weeds.

Can you give him calamine lotion? It could help releive the itchiness.

I actually get a rash when I lay around in the grass. It's kind of stinging and itchy. I just avoid grass. But, he is so young, it would be great if you were able to find something to help him enjoy his outdoor fun! Good luck!

Our son got eczema from grass (and still does). As a younger baby, we just made him wear pants and long sleeves (very light) and bathed him when he came inside to wash any pollen, etc. off. Now he chooses to wear shorts and short sleeves, but we still do the bath. It seems to help a lot.

Hi D., when I would mow the lawn in HS, after I dumped the clippings into the trash my arms would get all red (little bumps at my pores) and itchy until I would take a shower and it would go away. Same with my legs if I had recently shaved and then sat right in the grass. It doesn't seem to affect me with pants on/ not really letting my skin touch the grass. That's my experience! Good luck.

check your sunscreen!!!! make sure that it has not expired. My daughter came home with the same type of rash and was not around grass, I figured out that the sunscreen we were using was too strong for her skin, we switch to the aveno brand and the rash has not returned. Also, keep a meal diary for your son. Some mild food allergies can show up just on the arms and legs...an oatmeal water bath worked for us, it took the radh away quickly.
Good Luck!

I have heard that you can treat a lot of rashes with grapeseed extract, if you are interested in doing it naturally. ;)