Skin Rash

Hi E.~
My baby boy recently broke out into a rash all over his face and head. I was worried he had an allergic reaction to a food or a plant from when gramma took him for a walk around the neighborhood. The doctor said that it is a "contact-rash" from something like a new blanket or someone's lotion or something. I can't think what may have touched him to cause this but we are using hydrocortisone 1% to clear it up and baby benadryl for when it seems real itchy for him. You can also use "aquaphor" lotion which is great for sensitive skin. It will make a barrier so the baby won't scratch at it. Check out Dr. Sears' website for different rashes and treatments. If you aren't familair with him, he is a wonderfully successful pediatrician who believes in loving approaches to caring for your baby and he always promotes natural treatments before others. He also has a great "Baby Book" (that's the title) with lots of healthcare tips. Hope this helps! :)

Hi E.!

You said you just moved - perhaps your carpets were recently cleaned (before you moved in) those chemicals sometimes cause reactions in crawling babies! If it is an allergic type reaction, Benadryl works wonders! There is also an oatmeal cream by Aveeno that helps soothe the itchies.

Hope that helps!

K.
http://momof6malloyboys.blogspot.com/

Mary Kay Independant Beauty Consultant
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Hello E.,

Have you ever heard of Arbonne? It's a skin care line, they have baby products that are natural. I have some before and after pictures. I don't want you to think I only want to sell you something, I have seen it help so many babys with skin problems. If you are intrested email me and I can get you more info. I hope you find something that works. Have a blessed day. R.

My Second Daughter, now 2, had this happen to her. I took her to her Pediatrician & she prescribed Hydroxyzine. With my Daughter, it showed up all of a sudden, also. So, of course, I freaked out. Her Doctor said not to worry about it. It happens sometimes. Maybe she got into something that didn't agree with her Body. It actually started going away right away. Then it happened to our Youngest. I didn't panic the second time & I just monitored her & it eventually went away, too. It never lasted more than 4 days. So, relax. Go see the Pediatrician for the medication. Take care.

Baking soda in the bath water does wonders for skin.

It could also be eczema. That's what it sounds like to me. My son has had since about that age and he's 5 years old now. He still gets it on his legs, left elbow. Take your son to a skin doctor. They would be aable to tell you what it is and how to treat it. Good Luck...

E.,

To me, this really screams food allergy. My 5 month old son is intolerant to dairy, soy, eggs, caffeine and chocolate. Before I eliminated dairy and soy from my diet, he constantly had a skin rash. Most babies who are sensitive to dairy are also sensitive to soy because the proteins are really similar. Rather than a pediatric skin allergist, I'd see a pediatric GI doctor first. Of course, if you've changed anything lately like your body wash, lotion, laundry detergent, you want to keep that in mind. If you've recently had your carpets cleaned, you may want to clean them again with just water (there is usually lots of soap residue left in the carpet that is why they get so dirty looking so fast after you have them cleaned). I wouldn't be worried too much about lead unless your place is older than 1978. Since my son has such bad food intolerances (and intolerances are different from allergies but can cause a lot of the same symptoms), we have to introduce foods one at a time for 2 weeks instead of 3 days....

Mold can be a huge health problem so if you think you have mold, I'd call the city offices to see if you can get an inspection. If your place was built before 1978, you can ask them about testing for lead also. If you use a lot of air fresheners, candles and that type of thing, quit. Most of them are full of petroleum chemicals and many candles contain lead. There is no regulation of air fresheners and candles but they can seriously increase the toxic load in your house, along with many cleaning chemicals. You may want to consider using lemon juice, vinegar and baking soda (I'm a big fan on Mr Clean Magic Erasers and try to avoid most chemical cleansers because they burn my skin) for all but your dirtiest messes until you figure out what is bugging you and your son so badly.

I'd definitely quit using dreft. It has a lot of perfume in it. Switch the a "free and clear" detergent. All makes a good one that isn't too expensive. I have sensitive skin too but even mine has improved dramatically since I eliminated dairy, soy and eggs (I'm a breastfeeder too!)

The "big" food allergy suspects are dairy, soy, eggs, chocolate, caffeine, nuts, citrus and tomatoes.

Hopefully you can find some relief soon. It is really miserable when you are miserable and you don't even know where to start to find relief.

T.

E.,
I would love to chat with you over the phone (or if you live in So Cal we could meet up). I want to refer you to a great company that has wonderfufl prducts -lotions that are even wonderful for exzcema and phyrosis and cleaners such as laundry detergent that are non costic and non toxic! maybe this could help. Please call me or send me your number to call you. I promise I will not sell you anything. that is not my goal, my goal is to help you and other moms who have different issues going on.

I am looking forward to talking with you and hopefully getting some brochures out in the mail to you soon!

Sincerely,
B.
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When you bath him you can try baking soda in the water or ground up oatmeal (put it in the blender). It's a whole lot cheaper than aveano and it works the same. Both of my kids have very sensitive skin. I used to use Dreft on my sons clothes and I switched to a fragrance and dye free detergent and it got rid of a lot of problems. Good Luck!

L.

my 11 month old son has had the same thing for 6months now. his pediatritian also prescribed the hydrocortisone cream, which by the way i researched to find its a steroid cream which in turn thins the skin. I use it sparingly, but the Aveeno oatmeal lotion & products seem to help, i recently have been using those and can see a difference. I also did the change in diet, but not much results. This rash is called eczema. if an infant has this, sometimes it may go away before/by age 5, but if not they continuously have this for life. There is no "cure" and doctors in U.S. have been prescribing the same freakin hydrocortisone cream for 50 years now not knowing what else to do. Im also searching for some "natural" or homeopathic remedy for this. Let me know whats up.

I have sensitive skin too, and my daughter was born with eczema. This skin condition can look like little patches of red, dry skin on their bodies that feels like goose bumps. It can also show up on their cheeks and in some severe cases, can get very red and spread all over. I'm not sure if this is what your son has or if it is an alergie, but what my daughter's doctor told us to do is to put cortizone 10 on the patches and then put a very mild, no purfume lotion like Aveno (the best) all over her body. Aply the lotion as often as he needs it throughout the day. Also, try a humidifier at night for some extra moisture and don't use those baby washes on his skin like Johnson's unless it is specific for extremely sensitive skin. We have used Dove soap on her since she was a baby, and so far, it is the only soap that doesn't make her itchy. Her doctor also said to try not to bathe her every day unless she really needs it. The water can really dry out their skin. I hope this helps if it does turn out to be a skin condition and not an alerrgie. But it couldn't hurt to try.

my kids would get these horrible rashes, too. I tried all those baby-safe detergents and everything to try to minimize whatever it was that was irritating their skin. I got medicines from the doctors - restricted their diets (practically to bread and water) -- it wasn't until I found a compnay called melaleuca where I could catalog order cleaning products that the problems went almost completely away. it's been a couple of years now, too.

Hi E.,
I have sensitive skin too and so does my baby. I wouldn't recommend too much hydrocortezone. We went to an allergy specialist. This is great because then you know for sure if it is a food allergy or something. They test for everything in one go. She then assessed excema which is a red and patchy dry skin condition (usually triggered in babies when baby switches to regular milk). In any case, the one and only cream she strongly recommended was Cetaphil moisturizing cream in the turquoise tub or tube. (Can buy at any pharmacy) It's awesome. We use it every day after bath. You can even put it on their face around the eyes. She also said only NON-Perfumed soaps like Dove for sensitive skin. In addition, put your baby in 100% cotton clothing. Don't let the bath water get too hot. Keep it warm. She suggested two baths a day (contrary to my instinct) because she said excema actually causes increased bacteria in the skin and when baby scratches it spreads the bacteria. So, you need to keep baby really clean especially behind the ears, at the back of the neck. I would recommend going to an allergist. It will put your mind at ease.
Good luck.
Tam

Take your child to the doctor...Has he had a fever too?! Be careful because roseola is going around right now too! Make sure it's an allergy before you assume. Here's some info to see if it looks like that.
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_vir...

you should try the aveeno bath. my 5 month old is allergic to wheat that gets to him through my milk. so it could be something that you are eating. good luck!

Take the baby to the Dr. today. Make sure its nothing serious!

My son had the same thing happen, a bunch of reddish blotches all over. For him, it wound up being a reaction to a virus he had. I too thought it was an allergic reaction because I had given him a new cold medicine, but nope, it was from the virus. You should check with your pediatrician.... It went completely away after about 3 days....

Is it possible that he may have eczema? I went through a similar situation and found that my daughter has eczema. I thought it was something in my diet while I was nursing her. I eliminated dairy and that didn't work. Her doctor suggested I use Dove for baths and Aquaphlor (made by Eucerin) to moisturize her skin. I noticed an improvement in days. Hope this helps.

My son had a terrible rash as a baby and his pediatrician prescribed some sort of cream, but the real problem was that he was allergic to cow's milk. I took him to an allergy doctor to find this out. When I stopped eating dairy products, the rash got better. Since you are breast feeding, it could very well be something you are eating that is causing the rash. A lot of babies are allergic to cow's milk, but out grow it by the time they are 2 years old, my son did.

My grandson and kids and I have the same sensitive skin . For the rash maybe Aquphor it comes in a big tub that is always good we only use CHeer free on the clothes and only Oil of Olay body wash for adults and Buddies bady wash for grandson. I do not think that dreft is that great for sensitive skin.

I might have some insight for you... I had cronic eczema throughout my childhood. And I have a 14 month old son, who thankfully does not have any skin problems (knock on wood). I was VERY cautious, however, in fear that he may have the rash since it is hereditary. So I breast fed for as long as I could (we had some difficulties and I was only able to do it for 5 months) as that seems to be the best for them. And I didn't introduce him to solid foods until he was over 6 months old, maybe close to 7 months. His pediatrician and several books I had read said that introducing foods too soon, especially in babies who are prone to allergies (family history) isn't a good idea. They're digestive system isn't always ready or strong enough to process solids when they're that young, and it can cause food allergies that may last a life time. In fact there are many doctors who believe that babies don't even NEED solid food for the first year if they are breast fed. I don't know how I feel about that, but I do agree with the theory about not starting them too soon. I would lay off the food at this point, he's going to get all he needs nutritionally from your milk. As for relieving his discomfort... I swear by Aveno products. I've been using them my whole life and we went through many products when I was young, tried EVERYTHING, until we found Aveno. The bath powder is great and they even make baby lotion and body wash/shampoo (which I use on my son). I also know that bathing TOO frequently used to irritate my eczema, so its probably not a good idea to bathe him every day. Keep him "lubed up" with the lotion, though, so he doesn't get dry and itchy. And when you do bathe him make sure its just luke warm, as heat will cause irritation. Its also a good idea to keep him clothed in cotton or all natural products. Synthetics tend to make them sweat and that can cause irritation as well. Cotton is soft and breathable and the best option. You may want to consider acupunture, too. They don't always use needles on children (and if they did they are so small they really do NOT hurt at all) they can use acuPRESSURE, stimulating the points without the needle. They also usually incorporate herbs with the treatments. I understand your apprehension with the use of the cortisone cream. It is a steroid and pretty strong stuff. As a child we used everything from western medicine, to eastern, to non-traditional healers, you name it... and it was hard to control. I do think that diet can play a big part of it, though, so maybe give it some thought... holding off on the solid foods until his system is stronger and more capable of processing the solids. I hope some of this helped. I'm sure its hard to deal with... I remember my mom feeling so helpless. But hang in there! Good luck to you : )