My son's complexion seems rather yellow lately. He is nearly a year old & suffered from jaundice as a newborn...received light therapy & made a full recovery. He seems normal otherwise...very active & playful...not lethargic, which I've read is another symptom of jaundice. Does anyone know if older babies can get jaundice? Should I be alarmed & call the pediatrician or just wait until his check-up in a few weeks. He doesn't have a fever or loss of appetite or trouble with BM's or wet diapers either. His main problem has been fussiness & refusing to go to sleep, but that's been his norm since birth & now going through teething certainly isn't helping. Any ideas?
Thank you to everyone for your responses! I did check his eyes & they were not yellow...I suspect that it could actually be a combination of his diet & not getting enough natural sunlight. Yes, he does eat carrots, sweet potato, squash, & tomato-based foods often enough that it might effect his coloring, but he also eats green beans, peas, & other green vegies, too! I'll keep an eye on his diet to see if there's a correlation. As I mentioned before, we are wrapping up a home renovation which has banished us to the lower level of the house, where we don't get a lot of natural light & we've been so busy with it that we don't get to go out as often as we'd like...hope to get our schedules back on track as we finish up with the house! Thanks again for all your advice! JUST AN UPDATE...I did call the pediatrician's office & my gut feeling (which was that it really was nothing) was confirmed...not to worry...yellow complexion likely caused by the beta-carotene in his diet. As long as the whites of his eyes were not "yellow", then it is probably not jaundice or anything else serious...okay to wait until his check-up in a few weeks. BTW, he doesn't look as yellow anymore...staggering his yellow-orange foods more. THANKS!
I would absolutely take him to the doctor regarding this. Anyone can suffer from jaundice regardless of age, and it can be a sign of an improperly or malfunctioning organ. Personally, I would rather be safe then sorry.
Is he eating vegetables? If so, yellow & orange vegetables can cause their skin to yellow (if they eat too many in a row)!!!
Does he eat a lot of carrot or sweet potato? My daughter's skin took on a slightly 'jaundice' look around that age and it was due to the amount of orange veg she was eating. We cut back and it returned to normal. Just a thought!
Does he seem yellow to other people as well?
Eating a lot of food containing beta-carotene (carrots) could have this effect (not to mention that type of light and clothes he is wearing could make him seem like a bit yellow :-)) but I would go to pediatrician asap anyway. Better be safe than sorry.
Good luck.
Living in the north can certainly make all of us sallow complected. I would wrap him warmly and take him out for a walk on the mild days. Get some vitamins naturally from the sun. Even moving his swing into a sunbeam coming from a window that catches the afternoon sun. Good luck
I don't know if this is serious or not but neither do you. Why not call the doctor's office and explain the situation to them and ask them if the doctor whould see him now or if you can wait a couple of weeks. They will check with the doctor and tell you. I suspect the doctor will want to see you. I have always taken the stand that you are better safe than sorry. I am a 62 year old mother of two and grandmother of two.
I call my pediatrician even about little questions. Mine has nurses to answer questions. I would call just to ask. Many times they can clear up any concerns you have over the phone.
B.,
If he really seems jaundiced to you, don't waste time and take him to see the pediatrician. Sometimes it is hard to tell if your child is really a little yellow; check his eyes do the whites of his eyes look yellow as well?
Has your son been eating a lot of yellow/orange vegetables lately? I'm pretty sure that can cause a yellowing of the skin.
Both my sons turned yellow at this age, as did my sister when she was little. It had nothing to do with jaundice...they all just loved their yellow/orange veggies too much!!! If your son is eating a lot of yellow/orange veggies, then I would bet that is the problem!! Certainly get him checked when you go to the dr. the next time, but I wouldn't be too alarmed!
My advice is to ALWAYS notify your doctor if you have any health concerns about your child. This doesn't mean you have to panic and rush to the office: you can usually describe symptoms over the phone to the pediatrician or a nurse and they'll know if you need to be seen right away or if it can wait until your next scheduled visit.
And remember, your mommy instincts are your best defense- if you feel like something is wrong, don't ignore the feeling. :)
I think you should immediately go to your doctor.Request bloodwork be done. K.
Hi B.,
Is he eating alot of jar baby food? This has a tendency to turn them a yellow-orangey color due to their high content of vitamin A. Not sure if this helps or not but it could be the problem (or at least part of it).
Good Luck.
M.
If you honestly think he looks yellow then I would contact your pediatrician, it is better to be too worrisome than not worrisome enough when it comes to their health. It may be nothing, but you will feel better knowing for sure. JMO K. EB
As my mom always said, "when in doubt, check it out". Jaundice can occur at an age. If your child's acting differently than normal and his skin really seems yellowish, I would go sooner than later. Jaundice might not be the issue at all, but something else(hepatitis has similar symptoms) could be going on.
That's just my $0.02.
I would definitely call your pediatrician because jaundice can indicate several other problems that may not show other symptoms right away. My 5 year old looked jaundiced to me and within 2 days had an extremely enlarged liver. She was ultimately diagnosed with mono, but had exhibited none of the other traditional symptoms.
Does he eat a lot of orange and yellow baby food? My two little ones both look kinda yellow/orange like jaundice when they eat too many carrots, sweet pots, tomato based foods. At this age, if it is jaundice he most likely has something going on with his liver, but it's probably the food. Just check his eyes like someone else mentioned. If it does worry you then take him to the doctor.
I would call the doctor, just to be sure. but when my daughter was young, she was a very picky eater (ok, she still is, LOL.) She went through a jag where she ate sweet potatoes and carrots a lot. She did start looking a little jaundiced so I became concerned and took her to the doctor. Yep, it was the carotene that was causing her skin to change color. We had a good laugh.
Having said that and not being a doctor myself, I would reiterate - a call to your pediatrician would save you several weeks of fretting.
If your son is eating a lot of yellow and orange vegetables and friut, it can cause his skin to look yellow or even orange. Don't be afraid to contact your pediatrician; that's what he/she went to school for;helping children AND their parents. You aren't expected to know everything! Good luck,
Jaundice at a later age can come from breastfeeding. Check with your pediatrician!
Check his eyes. If the whites of his eyes look "yellow" he needs to be seen by a Dr ASAP. Otherwise, Im not sure. I would probably call the dr just to be sure there is no need to be alarmed. It could possibly be your lighting. Have you tried to look at him in more direct sunlight? Its not normal for jaundice to show up again unless there is a more serious issue. It doesnt sound like he is "sick" so I am thinking it might possibly be the lighting -- but Dr's are there to be asked questions, so if you seem concerned, ASK:)
Good Luck and let us know how it turns out
Is he eating alot of sweet potatoes or carrots? Sometimes what you feed them can show up in their complexion. Even green vegatables too, like broccoli. I would ask the pediatrician too.
A little about me:
40 year old married with 3 boys ages 3,6,9. Working mom.
My son became jaundiced at 22 months. Went to G.P. and he said it was from the veggies!! NOT!! Two days later my instints sent me back to his office and I made him take a blood test right there. The doctor came in and told me to go to the nearest hospital STAT. My son's hemoglobin was down to 47 ( normal is 120 ) He could have died if his hemog had gone lower. He ended up having " hereditary spherocytosis" a blood disorder that makes the spleen enlarge itself during"crisis" times and suck up the red blood cells. I am the carrier and did not know that I had this disorder,looking back, in my life, I was also misdiagosed, no one knew it was "spherocytosis". We have to always watch our spleen and blood for the rest of our lives. GO to the DOCTORS!! DON"T self diagnose!! Be aggresive as a parent, follow your instints!
