Baby's Skin Is Yellow and Nose Is Orange

Updated on May 29, 2008
W.K. asks from Montgomery, AL
52 answers

My youngest son is 7 months old and I have recently noticed that his skin is sort of yellowish and his nose is very noticeably orange. He was jaundice when he was born and had to wear a bilirubin blanket. He also eats alot of orange veggies. Anybody know what it could be and if I should take it seriously?

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S.L.

answers from Fort Smith on

My son did that when he was a baby. there's more than likely nothing wrong at all. just stop feeding him orange veggies and it will go away. no worries! I tell you this as a mother and a health care prof.

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S.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

This is likely from the orange veggies he eats. Any time my kids ate a lot of orange veggies--carrots, squash, etc. their skin was yellow/orangish. This is very common and will go away as you decrease the amount of orange veggies and increase the green.

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H.A.

answers from Decatur on

If he eats a lot of carrots the caratine in it will tutn him orange. It is what makes Flamingos pink.

H.

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J.T.

answers from Montgomery on

My baby had an orange nose from eating carrot baby food. It went away after she stopped eating the baby food and started eating solid foods. I'm not sure about the yellow skin. You may want to check with your Dr. Good luck.

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K.G.

answers from Baton Rouge on

it's probably just from him eating a lot of yellow/orange foods. It happens to a lot of babies when they start eating baby food. My son had it happen since a lot the baby foods are orange and yellow and my doctor told be to cut back on the orange and yellow foods and push more green vegggies and fruit. If you are worried you can always call your pediatrician. Hope this helps.

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S.G.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Don't worry about it. If he eats lots of orange or yellow veggies, he will turn orange. Also, is he breast fed? Breast fed babies get lots of beta carotene & can turn orange. My little guy was breast fed for 1 year & was almost 18 months before his little nose wasn't orange any more.

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R.K.

answers from Tulsa on

It is more than likely the orange veggies, my daughter did the same thing. You just need to give him more of a variety in colors. This would happen to adults also but they would have to eat more for this to happen, but it is more than likely the cause of the yellowish skin and orange nose, it won't hurt him so don't worry.

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K.C.

answers from New Orleans on

Heeheehee...it's called carotenitis...it really is just the carrots and sweet potatoes. I have always found this amusing since it happened to my first daughter (after the Dr. visit, of course!).

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R.W.

answers from Little Rock on

I have a 14y/o girl, who, when she was right at the same age as your son, did exactly the same thing. She looked like a little pumpkin! It turned out to be just the sweet potatoes and carrots she was eating. It's the carotene(sp?) in those foods. Unless he starts to show some other health problem, like the whites of his eyes turn yellow, then you really have nothing to worry about, just try introducing more green veggies into his diet to balance out.

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C.M.

answers from Oklahoma City on

most likely it is from a lot of orange and yellow veggies. both of mine had a yellow tint to them, you can tell if they are jaundiced by the whites of their eyes. if they are yellowed, then it is jaundice. the color stores in the cartlidge in their nose which is why it is more orange. every time i would have a check up with my son the doctor would ask the resident tagging along if they thought he was jaundiced or not...answer was always no and would explain. hope that helps..

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M.B.

answers from Fayetteville on

My son did this until he was about 12 months when he started to eat more solid foods. It is from the orange veggies. He would leave orange rings in his crib where he would sleep and sweat (he sweats a lot when he sleeps) and I would have to change his sheets daily. Just keep an eye on the white parts of his eyes, if they start to yellow then you should be concerned.

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J.H.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Have him seen by a doctor. It could be nothing serious, it could be a sign of liver problems, a professional needs to be able to rule that out.

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T.K.

answers from Little Rock on

Are the orange veggies from a jar or fresh? If they are from the jar they have added food dies to make them eye pleasings and there for can change the color of the skin if eating to much. The frist thing I would do is give him a different color veggie and cut back on the orange and yellow frist and see if that changes the nose.

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J.H.

answers from Tulsa on

Get relief. Call and ask your doctor. They are used to such calls, and you won't worry, or else they will tell you what to do.

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K.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

It is most likely caused by the Beta Carotene (Vitamin A) in the orange and yellow vegetables that he eats. My cousin would only eat the orange veggies and even the palms of her hands turned slightly orange. My son ate all colors of vegetables and did not have this problem. Try backing off the orange and yellow veggies a bit in exchange for some green ones perhaps and your baby should return to his usual color.

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M.W.

answers from Huntsville on

Its the veggies...not to worry. Decrease yeallow/orange increase green plus good fluid intake and he should be in the pink in no time.

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M.J.

answers from Huntsville on

I took my daughter to the doctor when she was about the same age as your baby for the yellow skin. Turns out it was caused by eating too many orange veggies! My doctor recommended feeding other things more often, and color quickly returned to normal.

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S.L.

answers from Lake Charles on

If he is on too much jarred baby food, most common, carrots, they will take on an orangy color. Let up on baby food like veg. and bacon, veg. and turkey. These have a lot of orange in them.

good luck

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B.L.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I bet his favorite vegetable is carrots! Lots of carrots can give the skin a yellow/orangish glow. You'll see if often in babies his age. As he gets more variety in his diet is will go away. and if it continues for awhile you are not doing him any harm.

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J.M.

answers from Shreveport on

I went through the same thing with my little girl. It seems like all of her fave baby foods are orange and are loaded with vitamins c and a which is what her dr said was the problem. We scaled back on those foods and the discoloration faded. Her dr also told me some moms do this to their kids on purpose cause they think it is cute and unique! Anyways, don't worry yourself too much. Your son will soon be on more and more table foods and the days of the orange nose will be gone forever!

Good luck to you and your son! I have pics if you want to see what happened with my daughter.

J.

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K.L.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I would take him to the doctor. Sounds like he may be jaundice again. It would be worth the trip to see.

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B.P.

answers from Hattiesburg on

stop the orange and yellow baby foods, do lots of green beans and peas, for about a week that is what i did with my daughter

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M.L.

answers from Tulsa on

Yellow and orange vegetables will most definately give your skin a yellow or orange glow. It is not dangerous and I think its a sign of good health. If it becomes unattractive, then have him lay off for a couple of weeks.

M

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K.P.

answers from Huntsville on

If his eyes look yellow, call your Dr immediately. If his eyes aren't yellow, it's probably due to the food, but if you're concerned, call the Dr. That's why they make the big bucks. :) It's always better to be safe than sorry.

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A.C.

answers from Anniston on

It sounds to me like he is just eating too much orange foods. This can happen, my son did the same thing. He can also get a green tint to his skin if he eats too much green foods. I would slack off on the orange veggies and feed him other colors for a few days to see if it gets better. If not you may want to see a doctor to make sure its not jaundice. Hope this helps. All the best!

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K.L.

answers from Oklahoma City on

My daughter loved sweet potatoes, and yes, she turned orange. If your child is not acting sick/different, not running fever, the white of the eyes are still white, stools ar normal, just start by changing the diet. If that helps, you have found your cause. If it doesnt, get to the doctor.

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L.H.

answers from Baton Rouge on

I have heard of babies turning yellow and orange when they first start on veggies because you give them so much of one color veggie at a time. I would let your pediatrician know about it and see what they say just to be safe but I think it is probably because of the orange veggies. Try giving him some green beans instead and see if his color returns to normal.

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G.C.

answers from Lawton on

Is this normal? no!! get him to the doctor asap. This could be a serious problem and needs attention now. Let the Dr. tell you it is the vegetables, if this is the case. Having raised 3 children, vegetables were ne3ver a problem.

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S.D.

answers from Little Rock on

My children did this as well. Their noses were orange. I cut back on the orange veggies (sweet potatoes, carrots, squash), and it went away.

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P.W.

answers from Fort Smith on

Have you had him to the doctor?? Sounds like he is jaundiced again...could be hepetitus C but the veggies could cause it, too. Are the whites of his eyes discolored, too??

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C.M.

answers from Fayetteville on

My son LOVED carrots when he was a baby. And sweet potatoes, all those orange veggies. His NOSE turned orange. We used to call him "Garrett the Carrot" because of it. Nothing to worry about, you just know he is getting his veggies!

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N.L.

answers from Gadsden on

If he eats alot of carrots they will turn your skin yellow to orange. I knew a lady in Florida who ate 3 bags of the little carrots a day the doctor made her cut down because it turned her skin
yellow - orange. ( actualy he wanted her to stop eating them ) but she could not she loved them. Now if the whites of his eyes are yellow then he is jaundice

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S.W.

answers from Baton Rouge on

Definately the veggies. Try to get the baby to eat more green, I know its hard. Everyone told me my daughter was orange & I chose to believe she was aquiring a nice tan! Not so! The doc said lay off the sweet potatoes! I dont think its anything to worry about though. Good luck!

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M.H.

answers from Birmingham on

It is definitely the food. My oldest son's favorites were sweet potatoes and squash and he turned orange. Being a 1st time mom I panicked and rushed him to the Dr but as soon as I eased up on the orange veggies it went away.

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B.H.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Carrots will do that to him. But if you are freaked out, have his ped check his blood counts.

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C.P.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Yep, it's due to the beta carotene in the veggies that your son is eating--if he eats lots of carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash, it will make his skin that color. This happened with my daughter, too, when she was a baby, because she would much rather have eaten carrots than peas--and sweet potatoes were her favorite. You can cut back on those veggies for a while and his skin will turn back to the regular shade without that orange tint. I never even noticed it until my mom said something and told me why it was happening.<g>
C.

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D.J.

answers from New Orleans on

It could definitely be the orange veggies. Try cutting back on that some and see if it makes a difference. Good luck.

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A.B.

answers from Tulsa on

If he eats alot of orange veggies then yes that will turn his skin a orange yellow color, try making him eat more greens. ANd then you should see a difference.

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J.M.

answers from Little Rock on

I'm not a doctor, but sound like to much carotene (that's the stuff that makes orange veggies orange). If that's the case you might limit to one serving per day or less for a week and see if that helps. My kids were only eating 1-2 jars of baby food/day at this point and I would just make sure I was rotating colors and giving 1/2 jar servings of any food. That way they got 2 colors per meal. I was also still mixing lots of oatmeal or rice in with the food. They got a lot more food and calories with iron. If you don't see some improvement with some plan of action in the next week I'd consult a Dr.
Have a great day.
J.

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T.S.

answers from Little Rock on

It sounds like it's a case of orange veggies to me. My kids would get very orange in the early stages of baby food. Because of the history with jaundice, I'd try letting him get some more sun (watch for burns, though). If the extra sun decreases the orange, I'd schedule an appointment with his doctor.

Good luck.

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C.I.

answers from Fort Smith on

Our oldest daughter LOVED orange vegetables as a baby. She got the same orange palor to her skin. We called her our little "Oompa Loompa." Don't worry, it will go away as he expands his food preferences.

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D.B.

answers from Shreveport on

i also went thru my son's skin turning yellow/orange. scared me out of my mind. never thought about it being what he ate. he was also eating alot of orange veggies. cut back on the number of times that he ate the orange veggies a week. skin went back to normal. good luck.

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C.L.

answers from Alexandria on

The orange nose is very normal. My daughter's nose stayed that way from her 1st bite of carrots & sweet potatoes until just after her 1st birthday. I could even see it in her palms, feet, ears, and behind! My doctor said it was totally fine, but if you think that his overall skin looks yellowish I would ask the doctor.

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A.H.

answers from Fayetteville on

He's probably fine, if he really eats A LOT of carrots and sweet potatoes that's probably what it is. I know it made me turn orange when I was little. Feed him some more variety and you will see it diminish.

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R.E.

answers from Oklahoma City on

It's only jaundice if the whites of his eyes turn yellow. Many babies get a tinge of orange to their noses and skin when they start eating solid foods. If you think about it, there are only about five veggies babies can eat: green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash, and the last three are all high in beta carotene. Have you ever looked at the nutrition information on the jar? One 4 oz. jar of carrots provides 650% the daily recommended allowance of vitamin A! I only feed my 10 mo. old an orange veggie every other day (because too much Vit. A can be harmful), and he STILL has an orange-tinted nose. I'm sure it will go away once his teeth are in and he can eat more veggies. :) Good luck!

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D.R.

answers from Fayetteville on

Stop feeding the him so many carrots and it will go away. My mom took my sister to the ER once because she was turning orange...turns out all she ate was carrots. The doc laughed at her.

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C.S.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I had the same problem with my little one. He wasn't jaundice at birth but his skin and nose turned yellow and orange. It is more than likely the food he is eating. Especially carrots. But one way to know is to watch his eyes. If the whites in his eyes start to discolor then you should call a doctor.

Hope you have good luck with it!

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T.S.

answers from Tulsa on

You may be feeding your baby too many carrots. The betta carotene will cause your baby's skin to turn colors.

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H.A.

answers from Little Rock on

Hello. My daughter did the same thing. The doctor told me to think about what she was eating at that age. Squash, carrots, peaches and so on and they are are all yellowish and orangeish. These foods will give your baby that tint of skin. You will have to ask your doctor, but I think if they are jaundice at this age the white in their eyes will be more yellow. Hope this helps.

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K.S.

answers from Fayetteville on

This is common at this age when carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes are a staple in the baby food diet. If you are overly concerned, you can call your pediatrician's office; but, if he is happy/playing, etc., they will more than likely tell you that he is fine. Sometimes a call can put a mom's mind at ease though, as well as rule out anything else.

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B.J.

answers from Tulsa on

Yes, yellow veggies can turn your babies skin orange. Not bad but maybe branch out a bit to some green veggies and some fruits. If you are concerned about other possibilities a doctor can rule out any other problems with a blood test. Generally babies that have Jaundice as an infant do not have ANY further problems. (I am a nurse who used the biliblanket for years)

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