Baby Rash - Langhorne,PA

My son developed a similar rash within the first week after he was born. I too, breatfed. It went on for a long time. I spoke to his pediatrician many times about it and they weren't too concerned about it. We finally took him to an allergist, Dr. Wodell, he has offices in KOP and I believe Ardmore. We then learned he had food allergies, Dairy, Eggs, & Peanuts. I eliminated all of those foods from my diet, and the rash went away. It might be worth talking to an allergist. Good luck.

It's called baby acne. It usually appears around 4-6 weeks of age, and can last for a month in some babies. The best thing to use on his skin right now is a bar of Dove "unscented" soap. It will help to clear the acne up. Scented baby soaps will just irritate it more, and it will take longer for it to clear up. Try the Dove, and within about 3 days you should see some improvement.

My daughter who is almost 5 months old has had a rash on her face and neck for the past 2 months. I took her to the doctor and he said the rash on the face and around the ears is cradle cap and the rash on her neck is a yeast type rash. I thought it was the same thing on her face and neck.......glad I asked! It is always best to call the doctor and make an appointment.

Hi T.,
I have 2 boys and remember this same feeling when my first was a baby. In fact, I waited on taking him in for a cold figuring it would run its course and it turned into a sinus infection and the croup. How badly I felt for not taking him in when he wasn't better in a couple of days.
I just saw my neighbors baby girl yesterday who is actually just about the same age as your son. She has exactly what you described. Her doctor diagnosed her with ecsema. She got a prescription cream for it.
Don't ever hesitate to call your doctor. The nurses there can usually determine what it might be based on your description and tell you if it is necessary to come in or do a wait/see approach. But at this young age, they would probably recommend coming in.

Hi T. -
That sounds a lot like the baby acne that my daughter got at 5-6 weeks, although hers was only on her face/neck/ears, not on the rest of her body. I just washed gently with water each day and was careful to keep her nails trimmed so she didn't accidentally scratch off the tops of the bumps. It went away on its own after about two or three weeks. The crusty appearance on the ears and neck definitely looked bad, but it cleared up along with the rest of it with no ill effects. Hope that helps - good luck, and congratulations on your little one!
-S.

T.,

You need to see your doctor. The crusty, "weeping" rash has to be seen by your doctor - especially in a child so young.

Hi T.. My youngest is the queen of weird rashes for no apparent reason. Sometimes when a baby is really young (like yours) they get a rash becasue of hormones and it goes away rather quickly. I went through that with my oldest...it was almost like pimples. Other times you just never know. Try this old wives remedy...my doctor recommened it to us a few years ago and I always try this first before I take my kids to the doctor for a rash. Make up a bath of brewed tea. Two iced tea sized tea bags makes a regular sized tub of tea. If you use a baby tub, use a coule of regular sized tea bags. In luke warm water let the tea bags seep then just let your baby play in it. NO SOAP. Pat him dry and that's it. There is something in tea that dries up and helps rashes go away. Everyone I know that has tried this has seen results in a couple of days (I usually do it twice a day for 3-4 days). It doesn't stain your child, or usually the tub or towels (although I usually use dark colored towels) the rash goes away and there are no chemicals or medications involved that may make things worse. Good luck and best wishes.

If you're breastfeeding, try cutting out dairy and eggs first, then peanuts and possibly wheat as well if he's still rashy. You may need to treat the current rash with a prescription steroid cream or over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream to get rid it before you can tell the difference with the dietary changes.

If he's on formula, try a soy or hypo-allergenic formula.

Both of my girls had eczema caused by my diet - it's hard to cut that stuff out and expensive to buy the special formula, but it's worth it to see baby-soft skin again.

Good luck.

Hi T.!

Congrats on being a new mom - that's awesome! The advice I have for you (as a seasoned mom of five) is yes, switch out your home to non-caustic products for your entire family's health. We shop with an online wholesale shopping club where we get safe, non-caustic, healthier, ecofriendly/green products for our entire home for less money that we used to pay for store brands. I'd be happy to get you the info on how you can shop with them too - just call me at home ###-###-#### or email me a good number and time to reach you.

I'd also recommend to have him looked at by his doctor. The time/effort/copay will be well worth it if it can help to resolve it (especially if it is weeping). All rashes are different and are caused by various etiologies. One scary day, my little guy had a rash that changed color (it became purple!) and when I called, my doctor said to take him to the ER right away. After he was evaluated by 4 different doctors & specialists, they told me it was caused by a virus and that it will resolve, BUT they had to rule out that may have been a type of hemorrhagic rash which would have been critical.

I think that at least calling your doctor wouldn't hurt. Also, removing all of the variables that are in your control (like those harsh, harmful chemicals in everyday household cleaners, bath&body, and even baby products) is a "no-brainer" as well!

Hope this helps you and your new little guy! Look forward to talking with you too!

~A. C.

A little bit about me
I'm a 38 yr old mom of 2 & step-mom of 3, wife to my hubby & best friend, Speech Pathologist by degree but my passion is working from home (I love my job!) ~ www.Great2bHomeOnline.com

Hi! While a trip to the doctors is always a good idea when you are worried, my first thought is a dairy allergy. When you are breastfeeding, if you eat/drink any dairy, the proteins will get into your breastmilk and cause a rash on a sensitive baby. If I were you, I would try cutting out all dairy (milk, eggs, yogurt, cheese) for 2 weeks and see what happens. If he gets better, you could try adding things back - it may be that he's sensitive to milk, but not eggs, for example. It's not hard to cut out this stuff for a short time, and if it doesn't help, no harm done. But if it does help, this could make a huge difference to your baby.

Also, I have found pediatricians to be quite variable in how seriously they take this. My own ped, who I otherwise like, pretty much dismissed me when I asked if my son could have a dairy allergy at that age and had me try aveeno lotion and use All Free and Clear detergent. Neither of these things helped at all. Friends convinced me to give avoiding dairy a try, and it make a huge difference for him. My sister had a similar experience.

My experience was that I could eat cheese and and eggs, but I couldn't eat yogurt or drink a glass of milk. My sister couldn't have any of it without her little on breaking out. On the plus side, my little guy outgrew his allergy by the time he was 1, so now he can eat anything. So don't worry too much if it turns out he is allergic to milk - just avoid it for now, and wait and see.

If you're clueless about babies you might want to get What to Expect the First Year. It's fabulous.

My son had this same problem and I thought the same thing (if it's caused by detergent why is it on areas not covered by clothing?) I switched detergents anyway and I started washing my clothes in the more expensive detergent since his face would rest on my sleeve as I nursed him (I used all free and clear -it's less expensive). I also used aquaphore on his face constantly (he always looked greasey but it seemed to work) I did take him into the doctor (my grandmas theroy is "if you're face looked like that would you go to the doctor?") and was told he had eczma. I continued this routine for a while and one day it hit me that his skin had cleared up since I hadn't been eating as many eggs (I breastfeed). I tested it out and it seemed to be true. Good luck. I don't know if any of this helps but I know it can be difficult trying to figure out whats going on with these little ones.

Hi T.. Not to sound alarming, but that sounds like a scarlet fever rash. I am not a doctor, so my suggestion would be have him looked at. Better safe than sorry is wat i go by.

Good luck and god bless

Sounds like eczema. My lo had it too when I was nursing. I cut out dairy and it got MUCH better. He still can't have any dairy, he still gets it and throws up. My older boy is also allergic.

I cut out obvious forms, not like milk in bread or anything, but some do have to do that.

It is probably just an "infant rash". My daughter got a rash too and I took her to the doctors. The doctor called it an infant rash and said that it looks worse than it is and it will go away on its own. She said that the cause is the hormones in the breastmilk. No treatment is necessary.

6 weeks is when the maternal hormones are gone from the baby's system, so things that were ok before seem to come out at that time. It should be looked at by a doctor but is probably nothing more than dry skin.

About laundry detergents, My little girl (5 weeks) broke out in a rash at the hospital from the detergent they used. I use All Free and Clear at home for my 2 year old and he has not had any problems, my daughter has done great with that detergent too with her ultra sensitive skin and it is less expensive than Dreft! I would try it just to rule out the laundry detergent. It really does not sound like it is the detergent though.

T.,
My daughter is almost 10 moths old and she wa the same way. I was talking to a friend of mine who's father is a pediatrician and she told me to switch hime to Aveeno bath & Body wash and to wash her clothes in All Free & Clear and warm water (to get out any oils). She told me that all the nice "Baby" detergent has the nice scent in it. the nice scent is put into the detergent by adding oils. A lot of babies are sensitive to the oils. I noticed a difference in my daughter after about a week. I still bathe her with Aveeno and she is rash free. It is worth the try. I would also let you doctor know about the rash, but they wil probably tell you to try switching detergent. Good Luck!
C.

I read your profile and see that you have cats. This is just a thought but maybe it is possible that he is allergic. I know it's a long shot but my little cousin couldn't be anywhere near cats/dogs cause he would break out in a rash. If that's not the case then I would try using All Free & Clear. My father-in-law has to use it because he has bad eczema and for him it has caused a major difference. I know how you feel about doctors...all you're trying to do is take care of your child and all they're thinking about is the money. I hope this helps and your little one is doing much better :)

Hi T.,

Congrats on your new baby! I'm sorry to hear about his rash. This happened to my son once - the rash was awful - but I can't remember what the Dr said had caused. It did go away, but took over a week. Since you can never be too careful, I would say take your baby to the Dr. You want to make sure it isn't serious. Also, if you haven't changed your detergent recently, then it probably isn't that either. You can read about food allergies on Kelly mom: <http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.htm...; You can try eliminating dairy from your diet to see if that helps. The good thing about going to the Dr is that they can generally tell just by "looking" at the rash what type of rash it is (e.g. viral, allergic, irritated, etc). So it is probably worth the quick visit to make sure it isn't something serious.

Good luck!

J.

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You really should go to the doctor. Could be excema or some other skin condition caused by food allergies, or something else. It is NOT your detergent, although you could try an extra rinse cycle to be sure. I would just get to the doctor's and find out what he/she thinks.

T.,
Personally I would get it looked at by a doctor. It may be eczema. There have been lots of posts/responses on this site about eczema, so you could look at those for some suggestions. If it IS eczema, you may find that it will get better once the weather warms up. I'm sure the Dreft is gentle enough. Use VERY mild soap--Dove is good. I found that some of the "gentle" baby washes actually irritated MY eczema when I would bathe my son. The dermatologist told me to use Dove. Even plain water is OK. Don't bathe him every day. Try to keep the area dry.
Have you considered going to a MedExpress or something like that? It will be quick and they will charge your insurance co-pay. Good luck!

My son is now 16 months old and began with a rash when was about 3 months old. It turned out to be a slight case of eczema, though he did have any weeping areas as your son has. We used Aveeno baby wash, made sure the detergents were mild, and also used Aquaphor on his skin, which is safe to use around the face. As a mom with twins, I understand about the doctor's office fiasco, but as an employee of a medical malpractice firm, I also understand the need and importance of a doctor's opinion, especially with the first occurrence of something like this.

Congrats on you little one!!

* Your description covers numerous things, here's what I was told*
I just took my 4 month old for a come n go rash that she has had since birth. It started on her cheek, went to the next one and next was in all her joint areas. A couple days ago it spread everywhere looking like little bumps. Redness varied. I was informed yesterday that she has atopic dermatitus.

Yeah, I switched all my household products a few months ago to non-caustic ones from the store I work with. I cut out all dairy switching to soy since I'm breastfeeding.
My doctors office did just that at first- said oh, just put lotion on her she has some baby ezcema it'll clear up.
When I went back a week later to see the main doctor he was immediately concerned due to her age and sent me to the dermatologist who diagnosed her with the dermatitus, which is a form of ezcema that is not curable but controllable.

Her rash was mainly her cheeks, bright red and would get shiny looking. Behind her knees we had the pus.

She now has to get 2 baths a day in a special lotion, get moisturized right after(I'm using Renew cream from my health&wellness company)then right after that a prescription cream (cringe - steroid) for a week to see how that helps. Already I'm seeing a difference!!

Hopefully, your answer will be more positive from your doctors!! Good luck!

Hi T.,

First congrats on your bundle of joy! You did not say what kind of soap you are bathing him with. Aveeno baby is great for sensitive skin, newborns and babies with eczema. I would definitely see the doctor to rule out a skin problem and/or allergies. Are you wearing perfume or scented lotion that may rub his body? Just trying to rule out things the dr may point out! Best of luck.

A couple of things...this may be cradle cap that has migrated toward the face and neck. Since it started in that area, I would explore that. My daughter had the same issue / symptoms and the doctor prescribed an ointment to put on it.

Also, your baby may be allergic to something like you had mentioned. Could be laundry soap, could be brand of diapers, body wash, etc...It may take a little trial and error on your part to find out what he is allergic to, but it's worth a shot to try out different products to see what is best for him.

I would highly suggest you taking him to see the doctor though. Only they will be able to tell you for sure.

He's so young, I would definitely take him to the doctor or at the very least, call the pediatrician and talk to a nurse. Most peds have a nurses line where you can ask questions and they are very helpful.

I always hated taking infants to the doctor's office but you are better safe than sorry.

Hi T., My name is K. and I am an LPN. I had worked for a Pediatricians office for 8 years and it sounds like your son may have seborrhagic dermatitis from what you explained as the rash on his face, dry and weeping. I would take him to the Dr.s and they can diagnose him and order a cream for him. I cannot not diagnose and it sounds familair to what I have seen in my past experience. It is not life threatening and whenever a mom called with a child experiencing a rash we always brought them in for a visit because rashes are hard to diagnose over the phone. Hope this helps.K. C

Hi T.,
My four month old son has all kind of skin problems (baby acne, excema, cradle cap, etc.) It got really bad on his head, cheeks and behind the ears, and we saw the doctor about it. He prescribed a steroid cream for his face, and it has worked wonders. I'd definitely recommend seeing the doctor. To everyone else's points, it's better to be safe. I also use the Cephadil and Aquaphor lotions on him, and they seem to really help with the dryness. I know I have very sensitive skin, so I think he takes after mommy....unfortunately. :)

Your baby probably has eczema. Do you or any of your family members have a history of eczema, atopic dermatitis, seasonal allergies, or asthma? It is all related. I'm a dermatologist and would recommend consulting your pediatrician or seeing a dermatologist to be evaluated. Meanwhile, just keep the skin moist by using a thick bland cream (I personally love cetaphil)or petrolatum. Petrolatum (ie. vaseline petroleum jelly or aquaphor) is especially great on the face. I would avoid bathing the baby too often and when you do bath him, be quick and avoid harsh soaps. Water tends to dry the skin.

I would consult with your doctor. My son had a similar like rash. The doctor said it was from him producing too much yeast, which is what causes dandruff. We were told that it starts at the scalp and then spreads to the rest of the body. He would get a bumpy like rash on his face and neck the worst and then a little on his legs and arms. He would have a yellowish crusty/seeping on his ears. We started washing our son with Cetaphil. It is a mild soap and lotion that you can find at Walmart, very inexpensive. We also got a script from the doctor for a nonsteriod cream. It seemed to do the trick. If this sounds like it might be the same and you would like the name of the cream, I can look it up. I hope this was of some help. My son is now 10 months old and we are just using Head and Shoulders now and doing great!
S.

T.,
try expressing some breast milk and putting it on a spot a few times a day for a few days to see if it helps. It really is the 'miracle cure'!
smiles,
L., Brianna & baby

T.,
I absolutely agree with the "nothing wrong & please pay at the door", especially when you don't have that money. This rash will most likely turn out to be normal, but I would rather be safe than sorry and pay that money than to have the guilt if it isn't normal. When they are that little, they are too precious for you not to be double sure of their health.

Good luck and don't worry too much until you are given a reason to worry from the doctor
A.

My son had the same thing and I changed MY laundry detergent and it went away! He was having a reaction to rubbing against our clothing, pillows, blankets (etc) I started using ALL free clear and haven't seen the rash since. HTH!
~V.