20 Month Old Son Has Odd Rash

Hi C., It could be an allergic reaction to something. I would advise taking him to his Doctor. M. H.

It does sound like excema, 2 of my boys had it. I used the Aveeno/Aquaphor stuff and it never worked very well on my boys. This did. Put baby oil in his bath water, then I would use
hydrocortisone cream on their skin, then cover it with a layer of petroleum jelly. This usually only took 2 days to clear up. It could be in response to the weather change; that's when my boys always get it. You could also try 1/2 teaspoon of benadryl to see if that helps it.
Good luck.

I've had something similar all my 57 years on my upperarms and since they don't bother me I don't worry about them. Call a dermatoligist (skin) If allergy starting taking away from him one item aat a time for 2 weeks and look for a change.

Have you looked into keritosis polaris (spelling?) or baby acne? Sounds like one of those, but I'm sure not a dermatologist... I do have KP, but none of my children have it.

My son had them all over his face too. My pediatrician recommended Eucerin lotion and it worked. I tried the Eucerin moisturizer and the calming lotion and found the calming lotion worked the best. I hope this helps.

My son went through spells with allergic reactions to perfumes on me or scented wipes. He would break out in tiny red bumps everywhere. Just be careful with exposing him to different perfumed items.

Hello,

It looks like everyone has said the same thing, but I just wanted to say that I agree. My son has the same problem. When he was about 6 mos or so, I took him to the pediatrician, and was told it is just a mild form of eczema (sp?!?). I just keep him lotioned up, and it takes care of the bumps. It gets worse in the hot weather, almost like a heat rash, but still doesn't seem to bother him at all. Like you said, I think it bothers me more than him! He only takes a bath every other day now too, which also helps, & was recommended by the dr. Good luck! :)

Check with your pharm to see the correct dosage of of Benadryl and give it to him as often as dirrected. If that doesn't help then it probably isn't an alergy. Is he having cold symptoms? Sometimes rashes come along with colds. Call you ped b/c it could be serious.

It is probably a bad case of dry skin. My son has the same symptoms and his doctor said it is dry skin. Check with your pediatrician to make sure it isn't eczema.

What's making my toddler's skin so dry?

Children can get dry skin just like adults do. In fact, because young skin is more delicate, it's more susceptible to becoming dry.

Cold, dry outdoor air and indoor heating can rob skin of its natural moisture in the winter. And if your toddler is prone to dry skin, he'll break out in dry patches in the summer as well, because the summer sun, air conditioning, salt water, and the chlorine in pool water can all be drying.
What can I do about my child's dry skin?

Cut back on bath time
Bathing dries a child's skin because it removes the skin's natural oils along with the dirt. But as long as you take a few precautions, even daily baths shouldn't be a problem, says Seth Orlow, director of pediatric dermatology at New York University School of Medicine.

Instead of a 30-minute bath, cut bath time down to about ten minutes. Use warm water — not hot — and soap up sparingly. In fact, Orlow suggests using a fragrance-free, soap-free cleanser, which is much less harsh than regular soap.

Let your toddler have his playtime in the tub before you wash him, so he won't be sitting in soapy water. And don't leave the cleansing bar floating in the tub. You'll probably want to cut bubble baths out of your child's routine — or at least limit them to special occasions.

While bath oils may seem like a good idea, they can make the tub dangerously slippery, and most of the oil slides down the drain anyway. Applying an emollient after bathing is a better route.

Slather on the moisturizer
Once you take your toddler out of the bath, quickly and lightly dry him with a towel, then apply moisturizer immediately. Applying the moisturizer within minutes of getting your toddler out of the tub will seal in the water that's still in his skin from the bath.

As far as moisturizers go, the general rule is the thicker the better. If your toddler's skin is still dry even with daily moisturizing, try switching from a lotion to a thicker cream or ointment.

You might also want to consider moisturizing twice a day — once after bathing and once during the day. If your toddler doesn't have the patience for a midday slather, you might let him listen to a favorite song or watch a video while you apply the moisturizer.

Don't let salt or chlorine dry on his skin
Chlorine and salt water can both be very drying. After a swim in the pool or ocean, rinse off your toddler with tap water, and then apply moisturizer while his skin's still damp.

Keep your child well hydrated
Dry skin lacks water. Offer your toddler plenty to drink year-round to replace the moisture that's evaporating from his skin.

Keep in mind that drinking a lot won't do anything if you don't moisturize as well. It's like pouring water into a bucket with a hole, says Orlow. Without moisturizer to hold in the water, your child's skin won't properly hydrate.

Run a humidifier
If the air in your home is dry, use a cool mist humidifier in your child's room.

Protect your child from the elements
Make sure your toddler wears mittens in cold weather to keep his hands from becoming dry and chapped from the cold and the wind. In summer, take steps to protect him from sunburn.

Could dry skin be a sign of some other kind of condition?

If your toddler has itchy red patches on his skin, it's possible he has eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis. Sometimes even eczema will clear up with regular moisturizing, though, so you needn't rush to the doctor unless the patches don't get better or your child is itchy or uncomfortable.

In rare cases, dry skin can indicate a genetic condition called ichthyosis. Ichthyosis shows up as dry skin with scaling and, occasionally, redness. It's also generally accompanied by a thickening of the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. If your doctor suspects that your child has ichthyosis, she'll probably refer you to a dermatologist for treatment.
Should I talk with the doctor about my toddler's dry skin?

At your child's next doctor's visit, ask for recommendations for battling dry skin. Schedule a visit if you think your toddler has signs of eczema or ichthyosis (above). Also call for an appointment if your child's skin doesn't improve with home treatments or you see any signs of an infection, like a yellow discharge or swelling around a crack in his skin.

HI. My son had the same thing a while back (also at about 20 months) and it ending up going away on its own.

Without being a doctor or seeing it myself, it sounds like Ecxema. My son has it; a mild case like what you describe. The doctor gave us some lotion to put on it after his bath (which is when it is most noticeable). It's very common, and not very serious if it's mild. Many cases are kept in check just by keeping the skin lotioned. I'd make a routine appointment and show the doctor, just in case it is something more. Good luck!

Hi C... I get that myself .. I THINK its a heat rash. It has never botered me , Just thought I would let you know.

Hi C., what you are describing sounds very much like what my son gets on and off and he's been getting it since birth. I spoke to the pediatrician and he suggested it was a dry skin problem and recommended Aquafor by Eucerin. I use it (a little goes a long way since it's greasy) and in a couple of days it clears up. I know, it doesn't bother the baby but it feels "rough" to us and baby skin shouldn't feel rough. Try the Aquafor. It works on my son.

Hey well i once went through the same thing with my then 15 mth old. Come to find out he was allergic to dogs, puppys whatever, it took me a min to realize that it could be a pet allergic reaction or it maybe the carpet. Sounds like my kids whom have incredibily sensitive skin.

Do you have any pets?

Hi. It sounds like what my 3 year old has (and has had off and on for a year & a halfish). If so, it's just a glorified form of dry skin. My pediatrician recommended bathing him with a gentle loofah type sponge (I just use those colorful fluffy things) with a sensitive skin cleanser (Aveeno is a good one) and to make sure that I am very liberal with a GOOD lotion (Eucerin, Aveen, etc).

I also try not to bathe him every day unless he's dirty... I think that over exposure to the water can dry the skin out too. I also try to limit his time in the bath water... which can be hard when they are having fun =).

It comes and goes. It doesn't bother him... I think it just bothers me =). Good luck!

--P.

Hey C.,

Have you taken him to the doctor yet? I would definitely do that first. It is totally possible that it is a reaction to food, detergent, etc. but I would want a doctor to have a look at it. Also, my son had very dry skin behind his ears and it took me 15 months to find something that would heal it. I use a lotion called Renew and it worked within 3 days to clear up his skin. I also use a detergent that is chemical, toxin, and poison free called Mela Power. We have no problems with irritated skin problems in our family and I believe these products have a lot to do with it. Feel free to contact me if you would like and I can tell you where to get these products.

All the best to you!
T.
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I agree. Two of my boys have the same thing. It's a colorless, itchless, sandpaper feeling rash. On the oldest, it more noticible on the back and chest. The youngest gets it more often on the inside of his elbows. The pediatrician said it was eczema and gave them a lotion to put on. I also agree that frequent bathing exacerbates the symptoms, so I try not to bathe my boys every day unless they get really dirty. We've been dealing with this for a couple of years now, and it hasn't slowed them down a bit! It doesn't seem bother them at all.

The rash is definitely a reaction to something. The best thing is do is take "away/change" everything you think might be causing the rash (change the detergent to hypoallerginic, think about any NEW foods he has recently eaten, etc) then add them back 1 week. Just like when you started feeding him baby food - You add one thing back for one whole week. If there's no reaction, you add another thing (you don't take away the first one you added since there was no reaction you know that isn't the cause). This is the only way to find out what the "problem/allergy" is. The body can't tell us what's wrong (unfortunatley) so their little bodies react with rashes and then it's up to us to figure out what's wrong.

In the meantime to help the bumps go down use Neosporin.

C.,

This definitely sounds like eczema. Something that I found that works really well for my son. He has extremely sensitive skin still and is 3 1/2, I still use the dreft detergent on his clothes. I only use aveeno bathing products as well as lotions and sunscreens on him. Since doing this I have not had but one or two outbreaks.

Hope this helps and good luck to you.

S.
35 y/o SAHM of 3 boys
13, 6 and 3

So glad you posted this! I'm going through the same thing right now and obviously it bothers me more than my daughter. She's almost 11 mos old and it just showed up a couple weeks ago. Hate to think she might have exima considering we're big outdoor people, but it sounds like it's managible. Good luck :)

Has he been running a fever at all? My son had this a couple of weeks ago and it turned out he had strep throat.