Allergic Rashes on Your Baby

Ok, so I had one of my first scares at a new Mommy- my baby daughter broke out into a large, hot rash last night.  After spending hours looking for what it could be, wondering if it was teething or not, I looked through my own medical books (yes, I was Pre-Med) and thought I found the answer:  Allergic Hives.

What threw me was that it seemed to start on her ears, then her neck, then her tummy, and then her thighs.  In adults, hives generally start on the back or tummy.

Now, let's be clear what hives are:  Hives are an allergic rash caused by something you ingested or got bit by or got stung by- basically, the rash is coming from the inside out.  The rash is your body's Mast cells (a type of white blood cell) releasing histamine.  (Yes, it's the same type of histamine as in "antihistamines") The inflammation occurs throughout all your body's tissues, but the inflammation appears on your skin as large, flat, hot, red rash patches.

It's very important to note the difference between hives (patches) and spots (like chicken pox).  Hives are different from teething rash or a drool rash that is caused by extra blood flow to the face/gums and the baby drooling as a result or rubbing her face often.

When I spoke with the doctor, she indicated that hives appear in the warmest places on the body for babies. So, the ears, the neck, the arm pits, the inguinal areas...etc.  The treatment was a minuscule amount of Children's Benedryl of Children's Zyrtec.

So, what to notice about hives vs. teething or a drool rash:
1. It is all over the body (check your baby's torso for the rash).
2. The rash is hot.
3. The rash is large patches- like a big sunburn- rather than dry, chapped skin.

What you should do for hives:

1. Think about what your baby has come in contact with that is new or different.  Often, allergic reactions are caused by the second or third exposure to something.
2. CALL THE DOCTOR.
3. If your baby is having trouble breathing AT ALL, GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM!
4. If your baby is just miserable but deemed safe by the doctor, you can:
1. Dress her in cool clothing, preferably something all cotton.  
2. You can also give her a cool (not cold) bath.  This will help the heat of the inflammation.
3. If your doctor says to do so, you can give some Children's Benedryl.  Since this is not recommended without a dosage amount from your doctor for children under age 2, you MUST get the dosage from your doctor.  DO NOT GO OVER THE DOSAGE or you could be damaging your baby's liver.

Sorry that I didn't get a picture for you, but here's a picture of adult hives so you can check it out on you baby, should the need arise.

Hives on a Child I don't know

Patchy appearance of hives on the skin