Strange Red Bumps on Toddler

Hi. So sorry you are going through this.
I would go to the pedi dermatologist or pedi at this point. I usually wait 2-3 days to deal with something on my own then I seek help.

Good Luck, Jilly

Could it be an allergy to the bedding, detergent or anything else in the house that is new or used on her body? Did she get a hold of your hairspray or anything else? Try benedryl see if it clears it up (30 min or less) and if it does then it is an allergy .. now to figure out what she is allergic to.

Headlice tend to leave bites on the back of the neck if there is hair hanging there. I would check her head for headlice: in bright light by a sunny window or a bright lamp comb the hair at the nape of the neck and behind the ears and look for tiny whitish clear-like oval eggs attached to the hair about 1/4" from the scalp. It is rare you will see live lice since they move fast, but if you slather her hair with conditioner and then comb her hair with a metal lice comb (buy one of these, the plastic ones that come with the treatment for lice do not work) and then swish the comb in a bowl of hot water, you will see little reddish lice float in the water - if she has head lice.
Alternately, could it just be a heat rash? Is he overheated in bed at night, getting sweaty and then having it dry up can be really irritating.

It still could be bedbugs, even if her marks don't seem to "match" -- are you looking at Internet photos of these bites on other people? Different people's skin reacts different ways.

If it is bedbugs, washing sheets will not get rid of them. They can live in mattresses, especially the edges where there is usually a thick "cord" that surrounds the top and bottom edges of the mattress. You will have to peel that edge back and look very, very hard under and around it for them. Look online for tutorials about how to find and identify bedbugs. If they are in her room they likely are in her stuffed toys -- which MUST be cleaned or possibly thrown out -- and maybe even other places like other beds in the house. Get a professional in to get rid of them if you must. Your pediatricians might be able to refer you to companies that specialize in getting rid of bedbugs.

By the way, be sure to see the veterinarian for a good flea and tick treatment for your cats and keep it up so they no longer bring in any fleas. If they have had a good treatment like Frontline they should not be bringing fleas into the house at all!

My daughter had molluscum for about a year and a half starting when she was about 2- eventually they just went away on their own:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molluscum_contagiosum.

I'd see a dermatologist. Possibilities to consider:

internal or external parasites: fleas, bedbugs, lice, scabies etc.

virus: molluscum, chickenpox, and a zillion other viruses can cause bumps

bacteria: various bacterial infections can cause bumps

fungus: fungal infections can cause bumps and itching

external allergy (contact dermatitis): She may have touched something that is causing a skin reaction. This could be anything from the soap you use for laundry to poison ivy.

internal allergy (hives): She may have inhaled or eaten something that caused a reaction in her skin

itch-scratch cycle: The act of scratching the skin can irritate the skin and cause itchy bumps. This cycle

Physical irritation: Pressure from your socks or mud drying on your skin can make your skin itch. This is different from contact dermatitis, which is an allergic reaction. There may be some texture somewhere in her life that is irritating her skin.

Heat or cold: Some people's skin react to heat or cold with itchy bumps.

Stress: Psychosomatic bumps may emerge in response to significant stress. To be clear, psychosomatic bumps are not "imaginary". They're a physical reaction caused by the brain. If you look at something gross and vomit, this is another example of psychosomatic illness.

Also remember that these things can stack up on top of each other. For example, you can have an insect bite that triggers the itch-scratch cycle which causes it to get infected by both bacteria and fungus.

The dermatologist may be able to take a quick look and say "oh yes, that's X". They may also be stumped (they often are). But even if they are stumped, they might be able to help you eliminate some possibilities from the above list. Eventually, you'll either figure it out or they will go away on their own.

Good luck!

Did she recently get her shots? Both of my boys are allergic to the MMR shot and got German Measles shortly after their shots. They broke out in little red bumps everywhere and became itchy. Took them back to their dr and she she said it was German Measles, to limit sun exposure especially to the eyes and to just let it run it's course.

You've had some good suggestions, but one nobody has mentioned is the possibility that she is allergic to shampoo, soap, or laundry detergent. My son is allergic to some common ingredient in various soaps, and we learned last summer when he was hospitalized and broke out in a rash while there that even some supposedly hypoallergenic laundry detergents can break him out. They let me bring sheets from home, and his rash literally disappeared overnight. Have you changed laundry soap, bath soap, or shampoo lately?

Does she have a fever or appear to be sick in any way? The bumps sound like chicken pox... though roseola is a common childhood illness at that age that results in a rash on the torso. I'd take her back to the dr.

I would see ea dermatologist if they stay there much longer. There are other things kids can get from animals, fleas, other rashes of all kinds. They are a hard thing to diagnose really.

We've had an outbreak of chicken pox in my area...they look like ant bites.