My 8 week old, EBF son has a rash that comes and goes. It's everywhere! It can be on his face, tummy, chest, back, arms, and legs. Sometimes it is light pink and completely flat. Sometimes it is light pink and raised slightly into lots of little bumps and pink/ light redish looking skin surrounding it. Sometimes you wouldn't even know it's there except that under really good light you'll still see it. It seems to flair up with heat or friction. But sometimes it flairs up and I have no clue why. Moisturizing it with aquaphor seems to help as does a tiny bit of hydrocortizone cream. His skin is super soft - not at all dry. What could this be? Could it be eczema? (Is it possible to have soft skin and eczema?) I've cut all the common allergens out of my diet. (If it was a food allergy, would moisturizing/hydrocortizone cream cause it to go away within hours?) Any other thoughts? He has a doctor appointment on Tuesday, so I'll be bringing it up there, as well. Thanks!
Thanks for the responses! The doctor said it looked like heat rash and typical sensitive baby skin. Not eczema. So that's a relief. :) He says it definitely looks like typical heat rash and is quite common for babies. And it does disappear after a while of being very cool and calm, so it makes sense. Again, thanks for the responses!
Babies have rashes all kinds of rashes all the time. If it goes away its not eczema. I wouldn't worry about it.
My EBF newborn had all kinds of rashes, some eczema like and some more like heat rash, cradle cap, baby acne, etc. I think the baby acne strikes at about 8 weeks. You are probably going to lots of pediatrician appointments at this age, and unless it really seems off to you, I wouldn't make an urgent appointment just for this. I also seem to recall my son got raised bumps everywhere when he wore Carter's fleece pjs, and I realized they were polyester when everything else was cotton.
Sounds like an allergy to me. And yes, hydrocortizone would help with a food allergy, so that doesn't help diagnose one way or the other. Is your child gassy, have reflux, or seem to have tummy pain? Those would all point to a food intolerance as well.
My kids had that, and it was due to a cow's milk intolerance. I had to stop drinking milk (and eating ice cream and cheese) and then it went away.
If you've already tried all the foods (dairy, eggs, wheat, nuts), try other eliminating other common allergens - stop using fabric softener, make sure you are using a fragrance free laundry detergent. Make sure you aren't using scented body gel in the shower or wearing perfume.
My granddaughter has eczema and it did manifest it's self when she was a baby. Her skin was soft and not dry at the beginning.
I urge you to take her to a doctor for a diagnosis. It may be eczema. It may be something else. Makes no sense to worry about it and try out different treatments if you don't know what it is. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis.
Yes.
Newborns can have all kinds of rashes - even acne.
They are still getting use to being out of the womb.
While inside you he was exposed to all your hormones and the skin can reflect a kind of withdrawal from that for quite a few months.
Cradle cap (infantile seborrheic dermatitis) is really common.
It looks horrible but it doesn't bother them at all.
My son had it at 2 months - I soaked his scalp in olive oil and with a very soft mushroom brush gently massaged his scalp till the scales loosened.
Then I had to wash his hair a few times to get the oil out of his hair but his scalp was fine after that.
It might be he's sensitive to what ever you're using for laundry soap.
I had to double rinse my son's clothes and bedding and use no softeners for his first year.
And sometimes rashes turn up for no reason anyone can figure out.
See what the Dr says.
my baby sure did. our first pediatrician was sure it was an allergy to the formula with which i supplemented breastfeeding and had me switch to soy. she insisted it had to be that even when he projectile vomited across the room.
new pediatrician suggested it was laundry soap, which turned out to be the case. when i went to all fragrance-free, baby skin cleared up a lot.
he's just an allergy-prone guy, though. even at 22 he still gets rashes and congestion at the drop of a hat. sounds like you're doing everything right.
khairete
S.
