My two sons ages 1 and 2 both have bright red rosy cheeks. No fever and I don't think they're teething. What could it be?
Did you have them outside? It's super cold (as I know you know), and they might just be a little chapped from the cold/wind. If so, nothing to worry about, and not a reason to keep them in. Just put a little vaseline on their cheeks if you are going to take them out in the cold again.
What does their doctor say?
Welcome to mamapedia!
This is a medical situation - please talk to the pediatrician right away, and keep your kids home from daycare or play dates until you rule out infectious conditions such as Fifth's Disease.
This is not something that can be dealt with on the internet - the kids needs to be seen by a medical professional.
My dd had this as well (her cheeks were so red that people thought I was putting make-up on her!)
I was told that this could be a dairy allergy or some other allergy. I think that's true because as my child has gotten older, we have found that she's allergic to many things including eggs. She probably also has dairy sensitivity, but we havn't had it tested.
Did they run a low grade fever a few days ago? It could be Fifth's Disease also known as Slap Cheek Disease.
Tends to be a minor childhood disease unless contracted an expectant mother; like Rubella it can cause harm to an unborn child.
Looks like I am lumped in with the rest, but I also feel it could be Fifths Disease. As a preschool teacher I have seen it and that is exactly how it looks, like slapped cheeks! Talk to your pediatrician about it.
It very well might just be because they're babies.
I never heard of Fifths disease, like others mention, so definitely check for that. My son had (still has age 8) cheeks that will get really red at times. Like perfect bright red clown circles. Now it's only when he's overheating and/or running, but when he was younger it was super frequent. In our case it's nothing to worry about, my doctor said its just normal for some kids. My daughters don't have them.
Just to let you know, if it is Fifth's Disease, if they are around a pregnant woman, she could have a miscarriage being exposed to it. Tell the doctor's office that you suspect it so that when you bring them in, they take you right back with the children so that they aren't in the waiting room with someone who could be pregnant.
Google Fifth's disease (or slapped cheeks disease) and see if the images are similar to what your sons are experiencing. Easier than describing it all here - you can compare for yourself.
My children get eczema in the winter months. That can also just appear like rosy cheeks. However, they've had that since birth (the ones who have it). However, one of them - that's his telltale sign. No rash, no dry skin, not raised - just red skin on his face.
In that case, it's quite painful. So I doubt it's that. Just thought I'd mention it in case your kids have ever had it elsewhere.
Best to call :) good luck.
If it looks like a slap or kind of lacy it could be Fifths disease. If they have spent a lot of time outside it could be wind burn or chapped skin. It wouldn't hurt to call the nurse line or your doctor's office and just ask.
My son always got bright rosy cheeks when he was teething. His skin would look paler and his cheeks were like little apples. For him it's just his skin type...just like his grandma. So, it might not be Fifth's disease, but it's best to get checked by the pediatrician.
Like others have mentioned the first thing I thought of was fifths disease. My twins had it when they were a couple months old (thanks to one of their older sisters who brought everything home from school). It was before internet so you couldn't google to check symptoms. When I called the ped they diagnosed it over the phone and didn't want me to bring them in due to possible exposure to preggo moms in the waiting room
