Does anyone have a child that breaks out in tiny bumps after being in the grass. My son keeps having this happen and it seems to be getting worse. We bath him as soon as he comes inside, but it really doesn't seem to help. His whole body now has the bumps all over him and today was the first time I noticed him itching and complaining of itching. We were at the pediatricians office today for my other son and I brought this issue up again with him. He just recommends Hydrocortisone. You can't continually put a steriod on a childs entire body without side effects, so I was hoping for a more natural way to help it. I know I have used Melaluca oil for spots of itching myself and it helped, but is there anyother adivce out there. He is 3yo and there is no way I can keep him out of the grass!
I had forgotten to mention I had taken my son to the allergist last year for a cough that wouldn't go away and I thought maybe it was an allergy. At that time he was not allergic to grass, but I know that can change over time. I was planning to take him back to the allergist, but also wanted to know some natural remedies. Anyway.........I did take him to the allergist and she said it sounds like a grass allergy but will wait to test him in a few months after his eczema is resolved. In the mean time she put him on a low dose of Zyrtec for 1 week, Eucerin lotion and a prescription steriod for 4 days. This is to get everything until control. Thank you for all of the responses.
Hi,
You've mentioned the product (Melaluca) that I find to help. There's a cream they have you can also use.
It sounds to me that if it is recurring like that, that there is an allergy... I would seek the advice of another doctor. Or maybe an allergist.
K.,
Take him to an allergist. They can determine what he is allergic to and give you an oral med if needed. I didn't find out I had allergies until my 30s. Wouldn't you know, grass pollen is one of them.
I have been told to take a Bendryl before I am in the grass, wear long pants or put a pad/blanket under my knees when I garden and then shower as soon as I come inside (with cool water). All of that really seems to help.
There may be another allergy that you don't know of, so get it figured out now.
Good luck!
Hi K.!
I agree 110% with you on using the steroid cream! My daughter has a prescription for it and I absolutely refuse to use it because of possible side effects! She has a rare disease called Mastocytosis- it effects everything from the skin(thankfully only mild skin problems for her) to systemically with her when exposed to a trigger. A member of our support group is also a nurse and made something we call Magic Masto Lotion (MML). If you go to www.mastokids.org you will find this on the left hand side of the page. It will give you directions on how to make it. It is Vanicream, NasalCrom and a tiny bit of glycerin (if you want). The molecules in the Nasalcrom are too large to pass through the skin so it does not get into thier system. It has been a life saver to many of us parents with kids who have it! Read the FAQ also for more info and ask your pharmacist if you are leery like I was. Cromolyn Sodium is the active ingredient and is used for allergies in all kinds of ways- GI, Eyes, Systemically, Sinuses etc...
Anyhow, we have also used it on diaper rash, prickly heat, skeeter bites, allergic reactions to medications and bee bites as well! I actually used it on hubby today since he was trimming trees and bushes and got attacked by thorns and broke out in hives and a rash.... instant relief!!! It really is magic to us! If you do a search in the forums you will read tons of stuff about it in there since we deal with a lot of skin issues (also take a look at some of the pics since these kids really suffer a lot with itching)
I would see either an allergist or dermatologist since this has been an ongoing thing and like you said- you can not keep him out of the grass! Maybe during the summer months you can give him Zyrtec or Claritin daily to help avoid reactions like this. We have our daughter(almost 3) on Claritin Reditab 1/2 of a 10 mg daily and it has helped immensely!
If you have any questions feel free to ask! Good luck and many blessings for a happy summer!
My son has an allergic reaction also. My son breaks out in this awful rash every year from Spring through Fall. It comes and goes, seeps as it heals. It is awful. We had him on a lot of different medicines, none work to stop it. His allergist basically said, it is NOT preventable only treatable. It may be a plant growing in the grass, it may be a fertilizer etc etc. We were never able to pinpoint my son's allergy even with all the tests available.
Do NOT use hydrocortosone for too long. It is not good for your son's skin. Our allergist's game plan was to coat my son's skin in this "shield" type lotion everytime he goes outside. Apparently, my allergist does not have a young son and does not understand the silliness of that comment :)
The medications that they eventually put my son on are: Flutacasone Propionate (prescription) and we treat the itching with Claritin. It comes in child dose that disolves on their tongue.
The trick we found is to treat the first little spot immediately. My allergist said the reaction spreads as my son scratches and moves the allergin around his body. This is what works for us:
At first site of bumps we put on the fluticasone cream and give a Claritin. That keeps it from itching as it heals and keeps the rash from spreading. Right now my son has it down the frong of his cheek. Poor thing.
Also, as your son gets older...keep in mind that you will be at the dr a lot because you may never pinpoint exactly what it is! My son's school has sent him home every year for this rash, every year they tell me it is scabies. I take my son in to the dr who sends the school back a note saying it is allergic reaction. Now every Spring AND Fall we get a note from the dr BEFORE any reaction for the school to keep on file. Gool Luck.
Both my children are allergic to the grass and one to the sun as well. I used oatmeal soap for bathing and unscented moisture lotion. It seemed to help greatly. I had to give in to over the counter allergy medicine when it got to bad. It worked. Good Luck.
Yes, indeed it is summer and season for all those crazy little itchy rashes! My son also ails from allergies and sensitive skin. FYI a steroidal cream should not be used for more than two weeks, if a single outbreak exceeds that another medication should be used and baby should see a dermatologist. Melaluca can be used on those itchy spots and an antihistamine can help for the itching as well. Something like Children's Claritin would be great! My son also has bad luck with benadryl, so claritin works for us. There are natural remedies available, I have tried a few myself, but found the claritin and hydrocortizone work best for us. You may have different outcome. I also prefer the lotion called Sarna, it isn't like lube, it actually absorbs and helps keep the skin soft and supple, as the summer can dry out their little skin too!
You could try an oatmeal bath:
http://babyparenting.about.com/cs/healthissues/a/oatmealb...
http://www.solveyourproblem.com/natural-health/colloidal_...
I got sun poisoning once and it's very itchy! The oatmeal bath helped tremendously. I used cheap store-bought regular oatmeal and ground it up in the blender.
Be careful, it will make him slippery. It might be a good idea to put a bath towel on the bottom of the tub so he doesn't slide around (you can toss the towel in the washer when you're done). I did it in a bath/shower so after the bath I stood up and rinsed off in the shower.
Hope that helps!
maybe you should take him to an allergist...
