4.5 Month Old Has Bumpy Rash- Dr Doesn't Know What's Wrong...

A good friend of mine has an adopted daughter who arrived with a very similar rash - even the same areas on her body. My friend's husband is a family physician who focuses on pediatrics. It finally came down to eczema without a known allergen. So their solution is to slather Eucerin or Aquaphor on their daughter a couple of times daily and it keeps the skin problems at bay and the baby (now 18 months) has healthy, glowing skin. Originally they wanted to avoid using too many medicated ointments, etc., because they didn't know their baby's genetic history or possible allergies. The simplest response ended up being the best for the long-haul. Just a thought.

My daughter AND my niece and nephews had bumps on them too. It seemed to start out like a small red bump but then grew to a white head on it. Our doctor was unsure. If you pop them, like a white head, they get worse. If you leave them alone, they eventually go away. It took about a year to completely go away.
I am not sure if this is exactly what your son has but if it isnt that I would agree with some of the other responders about exzema.

could be a food allergy. If you are breastfeeding try eliminating dairy from your diet. If formula, switch to soy

it could just be a bacterial infection and should go away in a few days. if you think its heat rash give him a luke warm bath and it should go away or decrease. exzema wise this could be a possibility and theres not much you can do about that. what i would do if its exzema is lotion him after baths and before bed. exzema with flare up and go away. you may notice it more in the creases of his arms and legs. if it gets bad the dr may give you a steroid cream to use which will help a lot if used correctly. just watch for him itching because if they itch when they have exzema they will do it till they bleed and thats bad. well i hope i have been helpful to you and i hope you and your babies dr is able to figure out what is going on!

J.,
I think it may be eczema. My son is 10 months old and he's had little bumps starting on his elbow and then started itching around his chin and back of his neck. My husband has slight eczema and so it makes sense that my son has it. It took me a while to figure out what it was and how to help get rid of the bumps because my pediatrician wasn't so helpful either. I went back and forth between heat rash and eczema which if it's too warm/hot for your baby his/her skin could get irritated and cause itching which causes the eczema to flare up. What finally worked for me because my little one even had little red bumps above his bottom where his diaper would rub and probably dry out his skin, I started using Cetaphil. This was lotion that my husband and I were already using from Costco and started using it on him and it has worked great. It keeps him hydrated. I put it on in the morn. sometimes afternoon and evening after his bath. Sorry so long! :)

J.,

If your insuance allows it take your son to the dermatologist. They specialize in knowing about the skin. I just took my 4 month old and he has ezcema. The poor guy used to cry like he was hurting and uncomfortable and now he is finally getting better.

It sounds like eczema to me. My daughter had this when she was 6 or 7 months but it didn't look like anything I saw in books or pamphlets. I went to another pediatrician (at the time I had a PPO insurance so I had that luxury) but they showed me a picture of exactly what she had and it was eczema. I would put the hydrocortisone cream and then another natural homeopathic cream I picked up at a natural store that is specifically for eczema and kids. She still gets eczema and she is 3 1/2 and it usually takes 2-3 weeks for it to go away.

Have you been eating peanut butter or peanut products? I went to high school with a girl that suffered from excema like you described until she was in her 20s. It was a peanut allergy!

I recommend going to a natural doctor, not a western medicine allergist that will want to poke and skin test. I have a great "natural" doctor in South Orange County if you are local.

It does sound like Eczema. A great thing for skin conditions is Fish Oils / DHA and the brand that I use is Carlson for Kids Chewable DHA. You can get it at Henry's Market or order it directly at www.carlsonlabs.com Fish oils are great for so many other things too, brain development, eye development, etc.

The directions say 4 years and older, that is for choking hazards. You can break it open and put it in a bottle or cup when your child drinks from one. Be careful of the Hydro-Cortisone lotions, they can scar the skin.

Good luck!!

My daughter is 6 years old and has exzema. It's pretty severe. She has it on her knees, elbows, back of her calves and forearms. I have tried everything possible cortizone cream, all different kinds of lotions. I just resently changed doctors and when she went in for a check-up the doctor told me to buy Aquaphore. It is a very thick ointment and it has worked wonders. You can buy it at any store,but I found it the cheapest at Wal-Mart. I hope this will help!!! W. E.

It could be exzema, but strange for the doctor not to diagnoze it. If possible, I would get a second opinion if the hydrocortosone lotion doesn't work. My baby's skin was crusty and bumpy too with a bit of cradle cap, after every bath I always lotioned him up, even though the doctor said not too. Be careful to use gentle products for sensitive skin on your baby too.

Hi J.,

It sounds like eczema. My son has had this since he was about 8 months (now he's 5 yo). The description of the bumps is similar to what my son started with. He could be allergic to certain foods or other things. Have you changed your laundry detergent? What have you been eating? See if the foods you're eating is causing it. We found out later my son was allergic to eggs and wheat. Also, I would stay away from having to use hydrocortisone creams or lotions. It thins the skin and prolonged use of it isn't good for babies. Try using oatmeal (Aveeno brand) to relieve his bumps.

Hope you'll be able to figure out what's causing him to break out!

Do a search or ask about keratosis pilaris. It's very common in kids. I have it as an adult. As I understand it, it's genetic. It shows itself most often in kids and may or may not occur in adulthood. Adult onset can be triggered by hormonal changes. In my case it was pregnancy. My son has this too on the back of his arms and legs. Dermatologist recommeded lotions that have high amounts of lactic acid in them. Am-Lactin is available at Costco for a very good price, but it stinks and is sticky. I haven't found an alternative and don't use anything but regular lotion. The condition is not curable, only manageable. I didn't notice much of a difference with the lotion.

Some basic info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratosis_pilaris

My son had the same thing when he was around that age, and he eventually got it on his face also - the outcome was exzema and they game me cream for his "rash" eventually it did go away without applying to much of the cream.