My One Year Old Has a Rash After Going to the Beach

Oh my gosh! I thought my son was the only one who got that. :) He had the same rash you are describing, but with no fever. We just assumed it was irritation from the sand, or bug bites like others have mentioned. They went away quickly (within a day or two) on their own though, with no treatment necessary, he said they didn't itch and weren't uncomfortable at all. It just made me uncomfortable to look at it! Maybe the fever is caused by something else?

It sounds like an allergic reaction to something. My son had the same thing happen to something at my mom's house. Fever and little red spots all over his body. The doctor told me to give him some Benadryl and anti-itch cream. With that it started to get better and the Benadryl helped him sleep through the itching!

We went to the beach last year and I spent a lot of time playing in the sand, especially the wet sand, with my kids. The parts of my body that were in or covered with the sand got rashy/bitten. Apparently there is such a thing as sand flees, and they went to town on me. They are supposed to be worse when the seaweed junk is high.

If his temperature fluctuates up and down go back to the doctor. It could possibly be scarlet fever, which may or may not go with a sore and inflamed throat. It's a bacterial infection easily treated by antibiotics.

Hi J.
Sounds like you may have gotten into some sand flees- which are very common at the beaches along the texas coast.
Use the creme if it starts itching- and you can bath your baby in an oatmeal bath and use corn starch to dry up the spots. Also, Calimine lotion is good for drying up itchy spots and prevent itching. be sure and keep under the fingernails clean as possible so when they do scratch an infection will not occur.
good luck and blessings

Hi. We went to South Padre Island on Mother's Day. I found these little creatures (looked almost like lint) in my suit which were biting me and were REALLY itchy and showed them to the Park Rangers. The Rangers said the creatures were called sea lice (one of many animals with that name) and that "it's that time of year for them to be reproducing". They are NOT the kind of lice that spreads from person to person, they only live in salt water and they die soon if out of water too long. They do bite and enough of them will look like a rash. He may have had a reaction to the bites if he got enough. I only had a few bites since I noticed them immediately and showered them out of my suit. I also noticed A LOT of other people getting out of the water scratching all over, especially where the swim suits held water against the skin.

Ewww. Getting itchy just remembering them.

Two of my kids had that same rash after going to the beach a few months ago, but they didn't have fevers. Our doctor said that it was an allergic reaction to something and we just applied a cream for a few days. It went away and we didn't have any further problems with it. Good luck.

Sounds like an allergy rash. Have you tried bathing him with oatmeal? This is soothing for any skin irritations, bug bites, dry skin, rashes, scrapes. The easiest way I've found is to put minute oats in a muslin tea bag. You can also sew the oats into a small material bag. Use this wet just like a washcloth, and the soothing oat milk will wash all over. Definitly try creams after the bath, and listen to the doctor!

Might be sand lice. Or heat rash. Or an allergic reaction to any sunscreen you used? Try an Aveeno bath, Bendryl or Calamine if it starts itching. Funny thing is, at about that age, my daughter had the same thing happen to her. We finally realized it was some red punch drink we gave her. Never gave it to her again, never happened again. Allergic reactions can be bizarre. Did the Dr check for scarletina (sp?). I know that was going around for awhile.

It's sand fleas. Very common, but if he has a fever, need to take him to the doctor.

What beach did you go to?

did your pedi check him for strep? both my kids broke out in a rash with strep....actually, once we all got it so bad that my husband did also.

good luck,
d

What beach was it, My daugther wants to take her 7 mo old to Galveston beach this week and after reading your request I'm scared for my grandson.

I don't know what beach you were at but we are at Galveston for the week and while at the beach today my 13yr old went out on her boogy board, came back right away with a rash, bumps and slight stinging on her leg. Soon after that we saw about 10 baby jellyfish coming to the shore from the waves, ocean. They are EVERYWHERE right now so be careful! It was not so bad because they are small but they still hurt!

Typically a rash is just a rash it doesn't typically come with a fever. Fever is a sign of infection. With an armpit (auxillary) temp of 102.5 (add one degree to the thermommer reading for auxillary temps) and spots that just break out and don't itch I would almost wonder if it's roseola. Roseola is like chicken pox in that it is part of the herpes A family. My daughter had it and exploded into a rash of red bumps mostlly located on her chest abdomen and back. I would take your child back to the doctor and ask him if that may be a possibility. The doctor told me to give my daughter benedryl to help with the itching and inflamation and tylonol/motrin to help control the fever. With your child being at the beach who knows what's in the sand or water. I've heard of multiple cases of pink eye from kids who went to the beach in the Corpus Christi/ Port A area.

The beach may not have anything to do with it. It probably does, but have him checked for rosiola not sur on spelling. This is the age when they get it & it is a rash mainly on the trunk & with a fever of 100 to 104. Ask your Dr about it, the beach could just be a coincident. I know my daughter got this around this age & several of her frineds too. Just a thought.

I would have your child checked for roseola and strep. Either of these can have a rash and fever combined but no itch. If it does itch, I would thnk it was sand fleas.

The same thing happened to my girls and nephew after we went to the beach. The hotel we stayed at had a hot tub which the kids were in. The pediatrician said it was caused by the hot tub. At the time, there was construction going on so it wasn't as clean as it normally would be. He advised us to use Aveeno. It did go away within a few days. Not sure if this is your case but that's what caused the rash for our kiddos.

Good luck!!

I dont know if you took him in the water or not, but as a youngster, I had the same thing from a jelly-fish. You dont necessarily have to be stung directly from them. If one is laying dead on the beach, it is still possible to have an allergic reaction. Not implying that he rolled around on a dead fish, but you never know whats underneath the sand.

Good Luck in your research,
Margaret :)

It's been almost 30 years now so my memory isn't super clear but the first time we took our infant son to a campsite for a day he came home with a rash and had a fever for some time. I recall it being attributed to the heat.

Also, since people mentioned jelly fish the news in Houston did mention there were a record number, 321, of jelly fish stings treated in Galveston this past weekend.

Very interesting. I wonder if he had a reaction to the sand?
Or a reaction to the sun screen, or heat reaction.

I know that I had a friend that really cannot deal with sand. She is not sure if it is the salt or the sand, but she gets terrible hives.. She cannot deal with the beach.

there are times that the water has a higer level of something. when it does fishermen are advised to stay out of the water. there are always traces of the stuff. Sometimes its just more than others. I cannot remember what it is. Try doing a search and looking online images at different rashes. If it does not go away in a few days I think you should get a second opnion. Good luck. Pray that his rash goes away fast.