My 6-month-old son has had some mild eczema under his neck and on and off on his back and belly since he was very young. We have always used unscented detergents, soaps, and lotions. Last week things got out of control. The back of my son's head broke out into a rash and eventually started oozing, then crusted up, then started oozing again. Within one week, the raw, oozing patches were on his calves and elbows (where he has NEVER had any signs of eczema before), and back. After seeing his pediatrician and a dermatologist, they diagnosed it as a bad eczema outbreak and prescribed Bactrim in case of an infection and put him on a topical steroid. Since then, his entire body has a pink bumpy rash that looks like eczema...he looks terrible and has been very itchy. The oozing patches have dried up and are very hard and bumpy now. I don't understand how this could happen so suddenly and how he can now have some variation of eczema all over his body (except for in his diaper area). Has anyone's infant/child ever had this type of issue? I am breastfeeding and we introduced rice and oatmeal cereals around 5 months of age, and we've only given him sweet potatoes, squash, and peas - all of which we stopped when the rash occurred. Can a food allergy to something in my breastmilk (such as dairy, soy, etc) develop over time and cause something like this to happen? I am concerned due to the sudden severity of this and also the fact that it spread like it did. I'd appreciate anyone's insight and advice!
Have you tried Aveeno Hydrocortizone Cream?
Every time my son broke out with eczema we used that, per his pedi's orders, and it worked great.
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have you already given the bactrim? if he developed the pink bumpy rash all over his body after the bactrim, it could actually be an allergic reaction to the bactrim in which case you need to stop the medicine ASAP and take him back to the dr. allergic reactions to antibiotics are no joke ( i myself am allergic to bactrim and have had a bad reaction to it).
Are you kidding me Diane B? You want her to supplement when the baby is already having a severe reaction to something? You want to introduce MORE new thingsto his diet at this time? You think that is WISE? And as for getting the nutrients he needs? That is what BREASTMILK is for. At his age food is for tasting and experimentation. He gets everything he needs from mom. The last thing she should do is add an allergy bomb (cow milk or soy formula) to his diet when she isn't even sure what is causing his rash. Bad advice. Bad Bad Bad. Listen mom- please do some research on this, speak to another doctor, before you think about supplementing. I'm not a crazy lactivist person- I'm not unreasonable. I'm just a mom with four kids and one child with some crappy food allergies. I'll be thinking of you.
My son had similar symptoms when he was a baby. My Dr. recommended Acid Mantle Cream. Your pharmacist will probably have to special order it. It is the most wonderful stuff! I tell everone about it!
I agree with the responses about food allergies. Also, my son's excema flaired up crazy when summer came around - the sweating, humidity, etc really set it off. That might be a part of it. Try to keep him dry as much as possible. At 1 year old we found out my son was allergic to dairy, eggs, and peanuts, it is a big change in your life, but it is not so bad once you get used to it. Good luck!
Oh my goodness.... Sounds EXACTLY like my daughter. She had mild eczema from about 6 weeks of age, but mild. She was 100% breastfed. At 6 months we introduce Rice Cereal and then a couple of fruits and peas. Then one day (literally over-night) she woke up covered head to toe as you describe. Well, when we went in to the doctor, I asked for a blood test for allergies. She came back allergic to Wheat, Milk & Eggs. She was getting it through my breastmilk. The allergist says that many times when solids are introduced into the gut, it can spark a systemic reaction with a rash as you decribed. So after consulting the peds, the allergist, the dermatologist and the gastro doctor; they all agreed. I did away with those things in my diet and her skin cleared up in less than a week.
Now right now is a peak allergy time. My daughter is covered right now head to toe and her eyes are black/red. She has not had anything to eat that is on her allergy profile, so it is enviromental.
I sure hope this helps. I guess I would take him in for an allergy test and hold off on the solids (to rest the gut). Then find out exactly what it is.... Good Luck... I have so been there. Did not make for fun 6 month pictures. :(
Could be soy or milk from your diet. Those are both high allergens. You can start by eliminating them and see how he does....
One of the most exasperating things about allergies is that they can appear at any time, get worse with repeated exposures, and even go away with or without treatment.
I hope you get your little guy some relief. I've been an itchy, allergic person my whole life, and so have my sisters. The good news is, it's survivable.
Have you been outside a lot lately? I am not saying that it is not eczema, but maybe an allergic reaction to something outside that is touching his skin. I think it is possible that he is allergic to something, maybe something you are eating, or an outside allergen. He might be allergic to the lotion also, have you call the dr back?
I agree it may be a reaction to some of the new foods - the digestive system isn't prepared to handle it. I disagree about eliminating all of those foods! It just gets worse and worse as he gets older! What would be much better for your child is to add the nutrients he needs to digest the wonderful new foods he is eating. You need to supplement. It will make you both much happier. I'm a nutritional consultant and will be happy to help you if you have about 20 minutes to spend with me on the phone. It's not an email type of solution!
I haven't read everyone else's answers but I think your pedi. should refer you to an allergist immediately. You could try eliminating all solids and then slowly introducing them back in one at a time to see what's causing the reaction. Have any of the foods you have introduced contained any milk- even as a trace ingredient? My sons are both horribly allergic to milk, but it did/does not effect them at all when I drink it and then breast feed. Don't delay getting an allergist appointment- it can take months to get in to see a specific doctor, but if you're lucky you can find one with a cancellation. We see a great dr. at Children's Hospital Boston. Good luck!!
It sounds like it is something you may be eating. My first child has eczema and it flairs up more in the summer from the humidity. When I start to notice it, I use Arbonne ABC Baby Oil after bath. This helps wonderfully! If you are looking for a natural product to use instead of antibiotics (when its not oozing of course) then I highly recommend using this. Have you asked the dr about getting blood taken to do some allergy testing on him? Good luck!
Diane B. is a nutritional consultant - and doesn't know about breastfeeding/allergies/ and the gazillion benefits that come with breastfeeding - especially when allergies and sensitivities are a concern?! Yow. I'll join in in the bad bad advice classification...
My second child had food sensitivities and I learned a lot and connected with MANY breastfeeding mom's in the same boat.
It absolutely can build up and then outbreak 6 months later. Start by eliminating dairy. It's the most popular and with any luck it will be that simple. I saw a different in my son's skin in 3 days of omitting it. That's not every child's turnover time, but it's an easy start. You can also search Dr. Sears, elimination diet - which might be the best choice to quickly figure this out.
It's a pain, but not really that big of a deal - Healthy alternatives to EVERYTHING are so readily available -
I personally made the choice to sacrifice my diet and taste buds for a short time (relatively - in a life time - even 2 years is short) - in exchange for the likelyhood of my son growing out of a food sensitivity or reaping the best ability to combat a food allergy. (We lucked out with a sensitivity and it being overcome by his second birthday.)
I wish you great luck on figuring this out. Just educate yourself and see it through. If eczema is the warning sign - isn't it really a gift?
You guys will work this out.
Sounds like a pretty severe allergy. I'm no dr, but I understand the fear when your child is suddenly covered in rash. Has he been on an antibiotic? My kids are allergic to ammoxicillan. He even could be allergic to the cereal. Could have been the veggies and it's just not out of his system yet. My son is allergic to grass and lotions and after a flair up you can keep him away from it but the rash continues for a while. Things that are in his system already will need time to flush out. Good luck! It's really a trial thing that you have to figure out over time.
My son suffered with eczema, it was especially bad when he was a baby. As he has grown older, the severity has reduced...something that will hopefully also happen for your son.
Season changes and heat were the worst for my son. I always kept him "lubed up", that is to say, I was always putting lotion on him. When he had a break out, I would put the steroid on him first, wait 20 minutes, and then put on the lotion; per the doctors orders. At other times, I simply tried to keep him lotioned up.
Children who have eczema often also have allergies or asthma. These children often just have a very hyper histamine response...which can cause some unfortunate and uncomfortable symptoms.
If the rash is all over the body, and looks a wee bit differet, I would contact the doctor and have your child reassessed. You may also want to ask to see a pediatric allergist.
Hang in there. Be dilligent with the creams. I know it is hard but it will get better.
Eczema is definitely a symptom of a food allergy (although it may not always be due to food. However, his outbreak sounds like it was triggered internally instead of from soaps/detergent). And yes, a food intolerance/allergy can worsen over time. An infant/toddler phase allergy to cows milk is very common in young children. There is also a correlation will children being allergic to both milk and soy, but it's not always the case. But his eczema could have been triggered from some other dietary food... And keep in mind that since you're breast feeding, it could also be a reaction to whatever you may have eaten.
I would suggest you start with cows milk; cut it totally from his diet and yours. You'll have to start reading food ingredient labels... Avoid food that lists milk, cassien, whey, butter. See if that helps... Then do soy if that doesn't clear it up. There is a formula that is neither milk nor soy; ask your pedi what it is if you need to (you can always mix half breast milk and half formula if your concerned about nutrients will you cut out foods from your diet.)
EDIT: By the way, if you're cutting out milk, you should make sure your baby soap doesn't contain milk. Buttermilk based soap is common in some baby soaps.
I just want to share a little. You probably know that eczema is linked to allergies. Our body's can tolerate only so much and then it will react, usually. I have a son who has eczema and we just have to be careful, we have not diagnosed anything but this is frustrating nonetheless, all sorts of problems. Our Pediatrician said to lotion him up heavily, as though you can't even hold on to him, this will protect his skin as well, a couple of times a day. Eucerin, with auqufer technology was doctor recomended for our baby, mainly and a creamier one during the day. Hydrocortizone cream on smaller spots. I wouldn't suggest getting allergy testing done because they have a hard time nailing down the allergy until after the age of two. Of course that is up to you. You probably know now the common areas of eczema, places where moisture "hides", so just be careful. otherwise maybe seeing a dermatolagist could help with clarification on skin treatment, it doesn't seem like the breakout is good. All the best.
