My son is four months old, in the last month he has had two overnights - one at a friends the other at my parents. Both times he has broken out with red marks and bumps on his face. He used blankets at each house that were not brought by me. I am wondering if he could be having a reaction to whatever detergent my friend and parents use (or to any detergent different then the one I have been using). It seems to clear up within 12 hours of being home. There are dogs and cats at my friends but none at my parents. Does anyone have experience with reactions to detergent - does this sound like what it could be? He also cut two teeth yesterday so it could be the drool and slober from chewing on his hands and a coincidence that I noticed it after these trips.
My three year old can't handle anything with perfumes. She gets little hives like you described and tends to get very crabby. For laundry I use scent free/dye free. I use vinegar as fabric softener and dryer balls in the dryer. I also have to use scent free lotions for her. If it continues I would bring him to an allergist to rule anything else out.
my son, Greg, cannot use Tide detergent. Found out just like this...had red bumps all over him - as my mom had washed his footie PJs...gave him some benadryl and they were gone in about one hour....
I don't think it's the dogs or the cats - as it wouldn't be localized...so ask them what detergent they used....if it was Tide...then you know you can't use Tide with your son.
I have to use Arm & Hammer Free & Clear and All Free & clear...those are the ones that don't give my son reactions.
good luck!!
I'm very allergic to Tide, makes me look like I have chicken pox. So yes, it's a possibility.
My husband is totally allergic to Tide... Never fails....He breaks out.
My kids have problems with the fabric softener dryer sheets. I stopped using them when my oldest was an infant and was advised to not use them by a nurse at his clinic. My youngest son sometimes gets a rash on his face/chin at my parents' cabin and I suspect the dryer sheets my mom uses. Next summer we are bringing our own pillow cases.
Could be the detergent. Also if they use fabric softener, that could be it. I break out in hives if I'm around anything treated with Downy. :( One of my girls is the same way.
Definitely could be detergent or fabric softener. My 2 ½ year old has sensitive skin/eczema and most detergents/fabric softeners break him out. He couldn’t even use Dreft as an infant. I typically use any detergents that are the Free and Clear of dyes, perfumes etc (such as Purex, All, or Tide Free) as well as BOUNCE FREE dryer sheets. He does well with any of those.
I think it could be either detergent or drool. I would probably start bringing your own sheets and stuff (for the record blankets with a 4 month old make me nervous, but it's your choice!) to try and avoid this reaction again. I think it's more likely that. It also could be dryer sheets. Both my kids got red bumps if I used fabric softener. My daughter grew out of it but my son has more sensitive skin so I just don't use it any more! If your son spends a lot of time at your mom's house you might just buy her a bottle of dreft (or whatever you use) to keep there and wash his things with so it's easier on you! My kids also did get red faces and sometimes bumps if they were super drooly, mostly around the chin and neck area.
My DD can't tolerate detergents that are not "free and clear" so we moved the whole family to Tide's version (I think it works better). I'm personally sensitive to the Mountain Fresh scent so absolutely it could be the detergent.
It could also be food. I thought for the longest time my DD had a reaction to something else and it was apples. She broke out all over her face, but especially around her mouth.
I am sensitive to dreft, and it sounds like the same reaction I have so it is a possibility.
I became allergic to Tide when it was invented. All the big commercial makers like Lever Bros (Unilever) and Proctor and Gamble manufacture poisonous detergents. Before you go any further make certain your parents use Ecover or Planet for anything your child uses from towels to clothing.
Forget dryer sheets and bleach and watch your cleaning products. His allergies will only get worse since our government doesn't give a hoot about cleaning up the air we breathe.
I'm allergic to those bounce fabric softener sheets. Last time I tried one, my clothes gave me a red itchy rash. Detergents can cause a rash, so can wool blankets.
I agree, it could definitely be a detergent or fabric softener. When my child was a baby, she also broke out on her face when the person holding her up against their chest was wearing perfume or strong scented lotions. All of the scents and chemicals around us can be really tricky with sensitive skin! We used to send our own sheets and blanket anywhere our child would sleep. Now that she's close to 4 years old, her skin is less sensitive, but we still have to be pretty careful.
