Rash Appeared Then Disappeard on My Toddler

Updated on July 02, 2010
K.J. asks from Spring Hill, TN
13 answers

Today since the weather was a little cooler than usual, I let my 16 month old daughter play outside for a longer than usual. (We usually play outside several times a week but only for a short period of time since it has been so hot in our area.) She started getting little red marks on her face, but I thought it was just because she had taken a spill down our little hill. After a while, I started noticing the bumps/welts on one of her arms. Then it kept getting worse and worse. It was after hours so her pediatrician was out of reach. I was going to call and leave a message with the nurse but a few minutes after I brought her inside and changed her clothes, the rash almost completely disappeared. She still has some teeny red dots on her, but the big red splotches were instantly gone. Any idea to what this could be and if I should call her ped tomorrow? I don't want to keep her inside, because she loves being outside so much, but if it could potentially be something dangerous, I don't want to take the chance.

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So What Happened?

I called the doctor today just to let them know what happened. They said what I suspected; I should just watch her and if it happens again to call back. We did some water play today so she didn't get in the grass much, but the rash did not appear this afternoon. Thank you everyone for all your input! I really appreciate it and it helps a worrying mommy feel a little more at ease! ^_^

Featured Answers

D.B.

answers from Memphis on

May I ask if you've noticed anything else like her cheeks being warm & red, almost like they'd been slapped? The reason I ask is there is a viral condition called Fifths Disease and it worsens in the sun. Usually a rash appears where sunlight touches the skin and the face looks red, especially on the cheeks. My kids have had it in the past & I never kept them inside because they played well and it didn't seem to bother them at all, it just looked like it should, know what I mean?

You can look up Fifths Disease online & see if that's what you're seeing.

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P.M.

answers from Portland on

I have sensitive skin and allergies to all sorts of things. When I was a kid, if I rolled down a grassy hill, I'd be covered with itchy welts (hives) for a few hours, during which time they would gradually clear up. I didn't experiment with this sort of play often – the results were too miserable.

If your cutie encountered grass or weeds as she took her spill, and if the welts looked sort of watery, and particularly if they were itchy, then she may well have had hives. If the lingering red dots are primarily in the same places the welts were, then they could be tiny injuries to her delicate skin from grass blades or weed stems, and so they will probably linger longest.

Any child can have "allergic" skin like this, but it's most common in blond or red-haired kids with pale complexions.

If you become convinced that her bumps were hives, you might want to invest in a tube of a wonderful cream called Florasone, available at your health food store. For me, this stuff clears up an itch almost instantly, and hives go down much faster. No side effects, and doesn't weaken the skin cells the way cortisone creams can.

6 moms found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from San Antonio on

don't freak out and don't keep her inside. She just had a small allergic reaction to something outside. It is not a big deal. The rash went away, so what is the problem? I know you want to be the protector and keep your baby safe, but don't live in fear of the back yard or a little rash. Children have survived much much worse than a rash that disappeared really quickly! If we were that fragile, the human race would have died out long ago. :)

-- to give you some perspective, my baby survived amoebic dyssentary (we were missionaries in the third world-- the result of this was that she was potty trained at 14 months) my husband survived Dengue fever and I survived Malaria. We're all just fine.

You might make an apt. with an alergist if this happens often. Certainly keep some benedryl in the house, just in case and make sure that when it happens she doesn't have trouble breathing. But really, don't worry.

Enjoy your summer!

5 moms found this helpful
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V.C.

answers from Wheeling on

I have more questions than answers, but you can console yourself after reading. LOL These are just general questions to always ask yourself when concerned about anything wrong with your child:
Did it seem to bother her (itch, burn, cause her throat to swell and inhibit breathing)? If so, did an OTC cream help alleviate the symptoms?
Did it last long or get worse, or did it clear up spontaneously?
Did it return after clearing up? If so, was it in the same places and of the same intensity, or less or more intense?
Might it have been from something she ate (tomatoes, strawberries, watermelon -- the red fruits especially have a tendency to cause allergy/rash).
Every little childhood malady doesn't need to be seen by a doctor, but if it's recurrent, intense, worsening, distressing, and/or of unidentifiable cause after close consideration, by all means at least call a hospital or urgent care clinic and ask to talk to a Ped. nurse about it.

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J.L.

answers from Charlotte on

My daughter has a similar thing. I can't remember the name, but I do know it got worse in hot weather. I would bath her and then put on Cetaphil. It used to be all over. She is now 7 and it is only on the back of her arms. It is a form of dry skin. It will get better over time. It never bothered my daughter at all it just looked bad. I would see if it seems to be more prevelant during summer months.

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K.H.

answers from Huntington on

Grass allergy, perhaps? I have sensitive skin and get red welps from grass that go a way fairly quickly.

Benedryl is OK for little ones in the right dose...

4 moms found this helpful

L.S.

answers from Dallas on

My son had several episodes like this when he was between 9 and 12 months. His whole body would break out in red welps in a cow print shape. They would be risen off his skin and cover his enitre body. It seemed to always happen after we would play outside. I would completely freak out everytime and rush him to his dr's or the ER and noone could ever give me an answer to what it was. I would look up pics of different rashes online and couldn't ever find anything that compared to his. The dr told me to keep a journal of what he did or ate so I could compare the days that he would break out. At first I thought it had to be a grass allergy but then somedays he would play outside all day long and had no reaction what so ever. Then, right before his first birthday, I finally came to my own conclusion to what it could be. We had had a normal day, ate his normal foods, hadn't been outside at all and I gave him his first haircut and he completely broke out. Now of course this is my own opinion of what it was, not a dr's. I believe he just had extremely sensitive skin. If a small blade of hair landed wrong on his skin it would welp up, if a blade of grass poked him the wrong way it welped up. After that I started making sure he was for the most part covered up when he wanted to play outside and there was freshly mowed grass and I made sure to cover him up before cutting his hair. I started really thinking about all the little things that could poke him or aggravate his skin and we never had a problem with it after that.
It might be a good idea to let your ped know just in case she does have an allergy to something. Also you could ask if she is old enough to have some sort of benedryl if the problem arises again. I ended up buying oatmeal bath powder and would let him soak in it for about 15 mins and that normally cleared things up for him pretty quickly!
I know that it is very scary to see your child welp up and not know what is causing it!! Ive completely been there! Good luck finding a solution that fits you and your daughter!!

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

My granddaughter loves to roll down grassy hills. Sometimes, but not always, she gets itchy and then scratches her arms. This results in red welts on her skin. I suggest that your daughter rolled over something to which her skin was allergic or sensitive. The tiny dots can be what's left of hives or they could be broken capillaries from scratching.

Because my granddaughter has asthma we watch her carefully any time she has such a reaction. One time her breathing was raspy after rolling down the hill and she had to use her inhaler. If the rash/welts had not gone away I would have given her an antihistamine.

If this is the first time this has happened and she doesn't have asthma, I'd just wait to see if it happens again. If it happens more than a couple of times you probably should take her to the doctor for allergy tests. Allergies get worse over time.

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S.P.

answers from Nashville on

My daughter is allergic to fresh moxed grass and this happens to her when she comes in contact. Once I realized the cause, I learned to try and avoid and then treat with Aveeno baths and creams and such. If it continues and you don't find a common cause (such as rolling down the hill), then I would have her tested for allergies. This way you will know what to avoid and will have the proper things on hand to treat her when it happens.

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R.M.

answers from Nashville on

For rashes, definitely call the pediatrician, even if they have faded. Call and talk to the nurse line and just tell them what happened, they can advise whether you should bring her in or not. My son had a mystery rash once that came on suddenly and disappeared pretty fast, my ped still wanted to see him. They might not figure it out, but you can't stay inside all summer. Good luck.

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A.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

Grass allergy or whatever she may have been playing on. If it is gone now its probably no real concern.

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K.D.

answers from Dallas on

It may be the grass, I used to get little red spots on my legs when I sat on the grass. That sounds a little more severe though, like hives. Lots of people are allergic to grass, look it up.

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E.M.

answers from Louisville on

sounds like an allergy to the grass....see what happens tomorrow when she plays outside if it happens again call the doctor

2 moms found this helpful
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