[jheald]

Recently our 11 month old AA boy has started getting lots of little bumps all over his face, neck and arms. Has anyone else run across this?

Janet

[vegangoddess]

our son has that right now..... kinda like prickly heat... he had a small patch earlier in the season it was round and made of little bumps.... my pediatrician said it was like a contact dermatitis... to put a very small amount of cortisone cream on it.... it was like a dry patch..... it does not seem to bother him...... but if any one knows of what it is.....i too am curious.

[LisaCA]

I don't think this is race related but is just a heat rash. If you have any doubt (maybe your child has been exposed to something), ask your doc.

[jheald]

My sons bumps are not in any particular pattern...they are just randomly everywhere. Noticed some appearing on his legs and feet now too. Strange!

Janet

[crick]

Seems like it could be a heat rash. Or it could be an allergic reaction to something. Have you changed soaps, laundry soaps, lotions etc. recently? Since it's summer, has he been crawling around the grass or maybe swimming in a pool?

You might call your dr's office or one of the nurse hotlines and describe it to them. If he isn't showing any other health symptoms, they might be able to recommend an over the counter creme or something.

[Linny]

I'd check in with your MD, but I suspect it is just one of those GOK (God Only Knows) kind of things. I believe that we mommas just have a heightened awareness of anything from our babies, and otherwise (or if we've had more than one baby), it would not seem like too much. But the bottom line is, "make sure" by speaking with the MD.
I have to tell you that we had had two infant children, before our third baby came along. But, when the third one came, she was only one day young. I know I had her in the ER and MD more than any other child we had ever had; because every little thing was a BIG THING to me...and I was scared to death I wouldn't catch something serious if it came!
Every time, it was minor stuff.....but I was glad I checked it out. And so the same for you....make sure---it's probably no big thing----but just be sure.

Sincerely,

Linny

[Munchikin]

My nearly 10 month old son has this too. I think its just maybe a reaction to something new he's eating. It does clear up, just keep his face clean. I wash my son's face 2 or 3 times a day with baby soap, then moisturize, and it helps it clear up faster. he tends to get it with certain foods, dairy especially. Yogurt really made his face/neck break out.

Good luck, I hope it clears up soon.

[rastachris]

My DS and DD both have this sort of thing - theirs looks more like goose pimples. Their Ped says it's something to do with hair follicles and that it will go away. What my kids have doesn't bother them in the least and I don't do anything more for their skin other than keep it very moist/lubricated with creams and lotions.

If your childs' rash is warmer to the touch than the rest of his/her skin, they prickly heat or heat rash may be the culprit, especially in areas of the skin that tend to sweat the most. Itching or discomfort may be eczema or another type of rash and may be an environmental or food-related allergy.

It's always a good idea to contact your doctor when you're unsure.

Good luck!

[rastachris]

Also, if baby - regardless of race - tends to break out around the mouth or neck from food, drool or excess moisture, like from a binkie, apply a thin coat of petroleum jelly to protect the skin. My son sometimes gets a rash around his mouth from his binkie. A thin coat of Vaseline clears it up after a few days.

[jheald]

Thanks everyone. Last night I discovered the bumps had spread to his back and now they definitely look like "clumps" of eczema. He has also started scratching a little at his neck and cheeks. I still have my dd's "old" eczema meds that she needed once so I'm going to try those and try eliminating the cows milk as that has been the most consistent change in his life over the past week and half.

I just wasn't sure because the way it started did not look familiar to me as heat rash or eczema.

Janet

[redhedded]

Could be a heat rash but should go away quickly if it is. I would be apt to think it is an allergy/sensitivity to a food or product. My daughter had a similar reaction several times when I used Aveeno baby wash when she was a baby. It took me several trials to determine the cause. Every time the reaction was the same. She had the same reaction to both peaches and pears as a 7-13 month old. She is now three and can eat both.

My son has eczema (and we suspect many food allergies). It developed at about 2-3 months, which pediatrician and dermatologist said is typical, though many many people, including children, get it later. His skin looked similar with very tiny white raised bumps all over just before he presented with eczema.

Hi Janet. I posted this yesterday on a different thread about skin issues. (Some dip gave me negative rep points and requested that I stop "sharing" my experience/advice; I thought it funny!) That is exactly how my son's eczema first presented, before there were dry patchy, scaly areas, there were tiny bumps. A heat rash disappears pretty quickly without treatment once the skin is cooled. We use hydrocortisone mixed with 1/2 Cetaphil and it has been really successful, though my B's eczema is still severe. We do two weeks of treatment, 2 x a day, then go one week with only lotion, no hydrocortisone. I notice that each time he is off of hydrocortisone, his skin is improved from the previous time that he was off. Good luck.

Edited to add: Before using HC, we tried Aquaphor (yuck!), Eucerin, Natural Essentials for eczema, California Baby, Shea butter, olive oil, changed detergents, changed bar soaps from baby soap to Dove then no soap and now use Ivory (only thing that has worked for us.) Changing formula from cow based to soy was the first thing we did; unfortunately for us, it made little difference. What works for each child is so different, I wish you luck on your quest to "clear" it up.

[jheald]

I have Cedaphil all over the house for myself so mixing that with the Hydrocortisone will be simple.

Thanks again!
Janet