Toddler Gets Bright Red Cheeks at Night

In my family we call it "roasty toasty cheeks" and nothing is wrong with them! In fact, they are best used in gratuitous kissing. They are so soft and mushable, how can you resist!
-S.

1 mom found this helpful

I don't know what it is...I would hesitate to give it a name. I have had the most wonderful "luck" with naturpathics. I would find a good one and see what he thinks.

this happens to one of my daughters and to my nephew at night when they are tired and ready for bed.

Hello A.,
Do you think it's skin? My kids get red cheeks because their skin gets really dry by the end of the day. Our Dr. has us put Cetaphil Cream (not lotion) on their bodies and face daily. But this is only if you think it might be skin. I have sensitive skin and so do my kiddos.

CJL

Hi - my son would get that way when he was younger at night and I just think it is just being over tired. I have never heard of "fifth disease" so maybe that is what it is? I would talk to your pediatrician about it and see what they say. You want to find out sooner rather than later if it is something to be concerned about. My son is 4 now, and it has seemed to not happen as much as it used to when he is tired. Maybe they just grow out of it eventually.
Take care!

My 20 mo old does the same thing, at night too. I have noticed as she gets tired she tends to get more and more flushed, not sure why though. If you are really worried about it I would take her to the pediatrician but if she does not seem sick I would not fret. It took me a couple months to notice my daughter got it mostly when she started getting tired, near her bed time. Hope all as well.

A.-

My 18 month-old son also has this. I haven't ever thought anything about it because it seems to happen when he's tired, so usually right before bed and occassionally at naptime. Possibly talking to the pediatrician the next time your in is a good idea. I should take my own advice!

Hi A.,

If she is happy and healthy, I wouldn't worry about it. Our 14 year old son still gets rosy cheeks and he is 6 feet tall and 135 lbs!
C.

I know with one of my children, her ears get really red when she is ready for bed. That might just be your tell tale sign that she is ready for bed and tired. My daughter recently had Fifth disease and the slapped cheek thing was followed by a web like rash all over her body so it doens sound like thats the problem.

I think you answered your own question in the first sentence: she flushes easily. Seems to be a family trait, so my guess is that you or dad did or does the same. I might also guess that the cheek that is more flushed is the side she favors when sleeping. Definately not 5th disease. No worries about flushed cheeks.

Sasha, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Mt son has always gotten bright red cheeks when he is hot or tired. He is extremely active too. It probably just means her body is ready for sleep.

Hi A.,
If you give her a pacifier at night, make sure it is non-latex. If you are using latex nipples of bottles, try changing them. Also try changing her pillow and or sheets to hypo-allergenic material. If this is happening mostly at night, it may be a sensitivity to a material touching her cheeks. Many people are allergic to what is put inside of pillows. Also, do not use Tide laundry detergent. It has lots of harsh chemicals and again lots of people are sensitive or allergic to Tide. It also leaves a residue on clothing/strong smell.... Try using a laundry detergent that is a little more gentle. If you want to pick up detergent from the grocery store, Arm and Hammer is the least expensive and works great. I use Melalueca products and love them as well as the convenience of delivery to my home. There are environmentally safe products at healthfood stores and I saw that Coscto was carrying a brand now too. Good Luck, T.

A dairy allergy is the first thing I think of.....because all of my children suffered from this....with one son it was bright red ears...another had the big black eyes just like his momma. If she really has no other symptoms this is probably what it is, your doctor can tell you how to work with it....milk allergies sound like a hugh thing but with all the soy products out there its not as hard to tackle as most people think.

actually, about a month ago I was at my mother-in-laws house. She noticed my daughters cheek was very red she said that my husbands cheeks use to get red when he was tired and maybe that was what it was. I was convinced other wise. I thought she got scratched or something by her cat. Over the past month i have noticed that her cheeks do get red when she is tired. I thought that was so interesting! So possibly it would be the same thing! Hope this helps

my son gets that every night, its when he starts to get tired. especially if he is being active. dont worry about it.

Hi A.,
My 20 month old gets this too although not every night. I have noticed that she has a red cheek on her left more often than her right. What I have deduced is that she has a slight food allergy. She loves fish sticks, but shortly after giving her a few she gets the red cheek. Perhaps it is a reaction to a food or a type of juice?
L.

Hey, A.,

I used to get bright red, hot cheeks myself, and it turns out that for me it was a symptom of food allergy. Is your daughter having milk at bedtime? Or Soy formula, or something else she doesn't normally have during the day? You don't have to go through a whole bunch of tests to find out- you can just try skipping the milk, or whatever else might be a problem, and watch to see her reaction.

Hope this helps,

C.

Hi A.,
My son gets one bright red cheek and pulls on his ear when he's tired. His dad's ears get bright red when he is tired. I think of it as an "early warning sytem" where I can tell who's tired before they get super cranky :)
I don't know anything about Fifth's Disease, but since your daighter is getting red only at night, it may be her body's way of signaling a need for sleep. It could also be a reaction to something she's eaten, so I would check with your pediatrician just in case. But it sounds to me like a "sleepy signal."
Best wishes,
J.

My husband is a doctor who deals a lot with chemical sensitivities, and when I have told him about our son getting red cheeks, he said it is a sign of being exposed to some kind of chemical and reacting to it. Are you giving your child something at night that they don't get during the day? Food, bottles, bath (some soaps be the culprit)? Good luck!

have you thought about/considered a dairy respone? even if you're breast feeding it comes through. My son had problems w/both wheat and dairy and I had to give them up while nursing. Now he has had a blood test that proved a gluten intolerance. I will soon be doing another test to discover what else he may have a problem with.
My son had a red spot on his cheeck that would go away when I took away dairy for a day or 2.