About 4 nights ago at bedtime, my son started complaining about an itchy back and cried and cried unless I scratched his back. If i stopped for a second he would say 'real fast mom'. It took 3 hours for him to fall asleep.
After it happened again the 2nd night I decided maybe his increased amount of juice was an issue - on our vacation 3 weeks ago he decided milk was yucky. He used to drink a gallon of milk every 3 days and won't touch it now. So day 3 I said no more juice after 5p, only water or milk (he chose water)- that night he went to sleep no problems (but he had skipped nap and was exhausted). Last night same rules, but we were back to itchy back. He didn't fall asleep until after 11p. My husband thought he was faking it just to get the attention, but my gut tells me not. He would try to lie there for a few moments and then i could see him twitching and he'd start crying. I fell asleep lying next to him and he woke me up having dragged the baby powder out from somewhere and asked me to put it on his back.
Forgot to mention that I looked closely under bright light and didn't see anything like redness or bumps on any of the nights.
My thought was maybe new laundry detergent or something but he only complains after he has been lying down for a while.
Thoughts?
I should have mentioned that my son has a few sensory issues and despises lotions of any kind, so i tricked him by dousing him with baby oil while he was bathing and that seemed to help the first night, but the next morning he woke up complaining of itching and his back this time was a huge bumpy/rashy mess. So, in the end i think it was the detergent. Not sure why it was only bugging him at night, maybe as one person suggested because he was warmer? or maybe because that is the only time he slowed down enough to notice. But i switched to a dye/fragrance free detergent and softerner - rewashed all his things and no more complaints. thanks for all the help!
Hi, S.:
Two quick thoughts: I, too, have had itchy skin after I lie down for a few minutes switched from soap to shower gel because it was drying out my skin. Does lotion help at all? Also, a little out there, but itchy skin, especially a back, is sign of allergies. Maybe not the juice (or maybe so?), but perhaps a "general" reaction to spring or something you came across on vacation.
Hope he can get some relief.
His skin is probably just dry. The air this time of year does dry out skin. I have the same problem with myself. Try using an oatmeal bath (Aveeno or your store brand), that calms itchiness, and using a lotion specifically designed to moisturize. While it is possible that he's doing it just for attention, I would be more inclined to think of dry skin.
My kids do that and it just tends to be dry skin. Maybe some lotion is all you need...?
Perhaps your son needs lotion on his skin.
Maybe he's just suffering from dry skin. Have you tried using lotion on his back?
My guess since he doesn't have a visible rash is too much sugar in his system (maybe an allergy to yeast?). First I'd call the dr ASAP to rule out anything internally serious, then if all is well there I'd cut down his sugars and carbohydrate intake to near nothing for a few weeks and see if that doesn't help.
About 10 years ago I was exposed to a cleaner that I was allergic to from a tanning bed (I know tanning is not good, I was in college =)) and I have never icthed like that in my life. I had no rash or other visible signs and thought I was going crazy it itched so bad. I did get a medication from my doctor and was told cool showers only as warm would open pores more and allow it to spread. So I guess my tought is had he been introduced to anything new--detergent, clothes, etc. I hope he finds relief soon as it can be miserable!
you didn't mention what his skin looks like. when my son has an itchy back it's because he had something he is allergic to. i can see raised red bumps on his back. so to treat the itchy back, i give him children's benadryl or apply cortizone on his back. of course..that's if it's an allergic reaction.
could it be there might be a foreign object on his bed? we found out the hard way that my son accidently broke a light fixture and had tiny glass pieces on his bedding. of course he didn't tell us and we found out when hubby stepped on a piece of glass.
or another thought is the detergent on the bedding. have you changed that recently? i would suggest switching to something that is nonallergenic.
switch out that laundry detergent! It's the heat of his body triggering & releasing the allergens...seriously, you itch more when warm.
Ask your pharmacist if he is too young to use a lotion called "Sarna" on. It is an anti-itch lotion that is used in a lot of the compounds that we make at the pharmacy where I work. It is sold over the counter, and is really great when it comes to relieving minor skin itching!!! Maybe you could start putting it on his back BEFORE you put him to bed, and as someone else said, really play up the "magic anti itch lotion" aspect of it. Could you consider putting an undershirt on underneath his pajamas, just in case it is a contact problem from the sheets.
Good luck!!!
I would contact his pedatrician and explain since many things and some serious internal can cause itching, without noticable skin redness.
Call for peace of mind also, safe than sorry.
Just dry skin.
You mentioned he is drinking a lot less milk than he used to ..... replace some of that lost liquid with something else.
Lotion will help, also a humidifier in his room.
He is probably enjoying the extra comfort of having you relax him off to sleep, too.
;)
S.,
i would try some lotion as soon as he starts it. let him know that this is "magic itch lotion" so that if it is an attention thing, it might nip it in the bud. i highly recommend "dermarest" eczema medicated lotion, if regular lotion won't do. it has "immediate itch relief" and hydrocortizone. (any hydrocortizone lotion may do, but my "expertise" is in eczema, that's my son's particular trial!) i have used it at times and it is a great moisturizer. i'm sure you'll get lots of good advice for moisturizers, but just another option. good luck! after three hours i'd have been tempted to tell him he was on his own! lol!
BED MITES. They are actually there. If you have his mattress tested you will be surprised. Even new ones have been known to have bed bugs. You can't see them; but maybe he is more sensitive that anyone else. Couldn't hurt to check.
My daughter has excema, the first thing the doctors have always asked me is if I have recently switched laundry detergents. I have to use the baby detergent on my kids clothes, and actually started using it on everyones because of lack of time to do several different loads. At walmart, they sell Baby All. That is probably the cheapest your going to get.
It probably only happens at night because hes actually laying on the clothes for a long time. It is kinda weird that he doesnt have a rash or anything. I mean if it were dry skin, you could probably tell its dry.....weird. Try using a sensitive detergent.
It could be a reaction to the juice. That stuff has SO much sugar in it. There are more Cons than Pros in juice. I would just give him water, if thats the only thing he will drink, its a lot better than just drinking juice.
Thats all I got! Hope it gets better soon!
