Always Looks Rashy?...

[Xero]

My son Eli is about 7 months old, and I would say he's got pretty fair skin and it's easily irritated. But I don't see a reason for the way he looks sometimes. First of all, his whole body (looking up close only) kind of almost always looks just a LITTLE bit rashy. Like tiny little red dots here and there just all over. Nothing you would see just looking at him, but when you're looking for it you can see it. A lot of the time he'll get a rash just above his private area too, under his diaper. It's a little worse than what it looks like on his body, but not bad enough that I wonder if he's allergic to the diapers. (he's allergic to a lot of diapers, it doesn't look like this.)

And other than that, his cheeks and sometimes chin are ALWAYS red and appear a bit dry no matter what I do!! I am constantly putting baby oil and Aquafor on his face, and I don't use soap on his face in the bath, and if I wipe his face off at all, I only use a wash cloth with water (cause wipes dry him out worse). Sometimes it helps for a little while, but not that much and it always comes back.

Can anybody help me with this? Anything that could be wrong with him? Anything I can do? Anything? Lol.

 

[fallon]

I have the same problem with my boy...he's in Cloth diapers now and I only use wash cloths with a homemade solution on his skin. As far as lotions and such I use and organic cream on his bottom but when things get red and dry everywhere else I use aquaphor (sp?) or eucirin on him and his skin usually clears up right away. Is it dry in your house at all? I also found that running a humidifer in his room helped a lot too

 

[fallon]

I wanted to add also that Logan's skin get's really bad when he's teething...red blotches everywhere, but it gets the worst around his diaper area (just under the top and at the legs holes) anf down his legs, along with his cheeks and chin

 

[Lissa]

He may be teething and sleeping in his drool. Try laying him on a thick blanket when he naps so that the drool gets absorbed in the blanket and doesn't irritate his cheeks.

 

[Trina]

Looks like eczema. Both my kids have it, but since switching over to all perfume and dye free/sensitive skin soaps and detergents, etc. it rarely flares. We use soap sparingly (sensitive skin Dove) and Eucerin moisturizer cream often. Frequent bathing can irritate it. For that reason, unless really dirty, my kids bathe/shower every other day, instead of daily.

 

[Trina]

Oh, there was a diaper rash cream that worked great on the cheeks, but I can't remember the name. Not the white cream. It was similar to vaseline, but not as gross or greasy. Hmmm...

 

[Trina]

I think this is it. A&D ointment. Our ped. recommended it. I put a light layer on their cheeks when teething or out in the cold.


Buy A+D Original Ointment, Diaper Rash and All-Purpose Skincare Formula Online at drugstore.com

 

[Kaytee]

Aquaphor, is great for that. I agree with Trina though sounds like excyma.
Also there is a cream that I LOVE its called London frogg jelly. You can order it on line. Great stuff!!!

The rash under is diaper area may be an allergy to Latex. Most diapers have latex in them and it is in the waist area. Huggies Natural fit and seventh generation do not have latex in them. Other diaper brands are switching over to latex free now too but not sure which other ones

 

[musicmom]

My daughter had this and it was because she drooled when she slept and the air would aggrevate it. I'd do the aquafor at night on his face.

 

[Xero]

Wow! I do think he is teething, and maybe I just don't notice it, but I don't think he drools when he sleeps... I didn't think to check though, so I can't say for sure. I do put aquaphor on his cheeks before bed. I've heard teething can make the cheeks red and that, so I know it's not helping haha.

fallon: Oh hmm yeah it is in my opinion dry, we use a wood burning stove for heat (although less lately with the warming up) so I know there's dry air going around the house. I've been planning on getting a humidifier, but more for his breathing to improve than the thought of his skin. I guess I should go get that.

Trina: Eczema? Really? How could you tell if that was it? How could I tell the difference between that and something else? Oh and I only give Eli a bath every other day in the same circumstances as well. He gets worse if I bathe him too often. And about the special soaps, do you or does anyone else have any suggestions on what I should bathe him with or lotion him with after the bath? I put baby oil in his hair and that never has a problem, maybe I should use it on his whole body? I really like lotion better than oil though... I think he has sensitive skin, but I don't know what to wash him with in that case. Thank you for the ointment suggestion too. *

Kaytee: You know what! By the looks of it, I think that might be the problem. I wish I had the time and energy to use cloth diapers on him, but I don't. I also wish those Huggies Natural fits didn't cost so much lol, but I'll have to deal with it if that's the only thing that will help his rash. I didn't even know some diapers used latex! I never would have thought of it, thank you so much. I'm going to go get some of those certain Huggies tonight I think and see how it works out for that particular part of his rash.

Thanks for the replies from everyone, by the way.

 

[Trina]

Trina: Eczema? Really? How could you tell if that was it? How could I tell the difference between that and something else? Oh and I only give Eli a bath every other day in the same circumstances as well. He gets worse if I bathe him too often. And about the special soaps, do you or does anyone else have any suggestions on what I should bathe him with or lotion him with after the bath? I put baby oil in his hair and that never has a problem, maybe I should use it on his whole body? I really like lotion better than oil though... I think he has sensitive skin, but I don't know what to wash him with in that case. Thank you for the ointment suggestion too. *

My son was about the same age with similar skin issues when our ped. dxed him with eczema. He advised switching to perfume and dye free soaps and detergents, not to bathe daily and to moisturize often with Eucerin or Cetaphil. (We can't use Cetaphil due to severe nut allergies. Cetaphil contains nut oils.) DD has eczema, too.

 

[HappyMomma]

My son was about the same age with similar skin issues when our ped. dxed him with eczema. He advised switching to perfume and dye free soaps and detergents, not to bathe daily and to moisturize often with Eucerin or Cetaphil. (We can't use Cetaphil due to severe nut allergies. Cetaphil contains nut oils.) DD has eczema, too.

I could be wrong, but it seems that eczema is a fairly common occurance in children. My Dd gets it as well.

 

[Xero]

Hm...Well, I have an appointment on the 21st with his pediatrician so I guess I should probably ask him about it. I just don't think that's it... The rash I'm talking about is so small and almost unnoticable unless you're looking for it, and I've had eczema myself before and it seems like a totally different thing. It just bothers me because it's always there. I use baby detergent... I don't know. It's hard to say, so I'll ask his doctor. Maybe his face. But other than that, I think I have to use some other kind of soap and lotion. I just don't know what's good as far as that goes, like what brands to get.

Although the rash on his face is different, a lot more noticeable and looks uncomfortable. It looks more like dryness than rashiness, so maybe it is eczema. I just wonder about the rash on the rest of his body. I got the Huggies Natural Fit diapers today while I was out getting groceries and I'll start using them as soon as I'm out of the Luvs (I almost am). I hope they help, they're pricey.

Kaytee: Do you know, are the Pampers Cruisers latex-free too? Just wondering, because Pampers fit him nicer than Huggies for some reason and the Cruisers are top dollar just like the Natural Fits so I wonder if they're similar so I can buy those.

 

[Kaytee]

From what I heard, all diapers are starting to switch to latex free, but most have not yet. Just plan too.
Huggies are expensive, if you have a Costco, costco brand is made by Huggies, They may be cheaper for you that way.
I know for us, we did use Huggies Natural Fit, but they still caused problems for Nichole. We had to switch to the cloth and her rash was gone within a few days. It was so bad at points that is bled and she would scream and cry when I told her we had to change her. They are pricey, but you can get deals if you look around.

ok hold up, I am talking to my friend whose dd has excyma and latex allergy. She says to buy a size bigger diaper and fold them down at the belly like y ou did for newborn. that might help

 

[musicmom]

Has he recently gotten over a cold or virus? Or could he be getting one? My daughter would sometimes get this when she was fighting off something.

 

[Xero]

Kaytee: Oh that poor little thing! Eli's rash is never that bad. If it ever got like that and no other diaper worked, I admit I would go to cloth diapers before ever letting him suffer, but if that isn't the case then I'd rather use disposables. I'd spend the money if it meant him feeling better. Hopefully they help. And he's already in size 4 diapers at 21lbs so he's just at the very beginning of fitting in the size he wears right now, so 5's would be overkill lol.

Musicmom: I know what you mean... The one time Eli had an ear infection, he had a rash and the doctor said that was what caused it. But it was very different, like I said this rash is just barely visible but always there. And he's always had it for as long as I can remember, it's just not extreme enough to worry about looking for medicine or a sickness or something. I forget about it sometimes even lol. I just wonder if he's sensitive to something. Except his cheeks, like I said, they're a different story. And I wonder if it bothers him... Also, he's been sick since then and doesn't get a rash anymore. He got over a cold a few weeks ago, but that seems like it was kind of a long time ago. Anyway he always has this rash. The fact that it's always there is what has me wondering if it's something I'm using on him or somthing he's around or just in general some kind of skin condition.

 

[Xero]

Oh, and we don't have a Costco around here for some reason.

 

[HappyMomma]

Has he recently gotten over a cold or virus? Or could he be getting one? My daughter would sometimes get this when she was fighting off something.

Dd seems to always get a rash before she comes down with something. Everytime I see bumps, I'm like "Oh no, now what has she got?"

 

[musicmom]

Has he been tested for strep? Sometimes they get the "sandpaper" rash.

 

[Xero]

Has he been tested for strep? Sometimes they get the "sandpaper" rash.

No... Why would I have him tested for that? Just wondering, because doesn't that involve a significant amount of sickness? Or is strep different in babies? Maybe I don't know what strep is... lol.

By the way, I love your avatar, it's so cute.