Toddler with Rash

Updated on April 30, 2008
L.J. asks from Vancouver, WA
27 answers

My 2 year old has had small bumps on his side from his arm down to his diaper. It's about 2 inches wide all the way down. It is mostly the color of his skin and sometimes some of the bumps are pink/irritated. It doesn't bother him. We've been putting lotion on. At his 2 year check up last week the dr said it looked like it was a rash caused by heat and friction. We do hold him quite a bit (as he loves to be held) and it's always on that side. It's not under his jeans or diaper where I'd think he also gets hot and he is balanced on our hip a lot where hid diaper is. She just said to put an over the counter hydrocortizone cream on it 2-3 times a day. My husband doesn't like hydrocortizone because he thinks it will just mask the problem. Has anyone else expirienced this? Any suggestions? Remedies to try? Do you really think it may be from heat/friction?

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So What Happened?

This weekend we changed his bath soap and shampoo from Huggies to Johnson's natural care. It is MUCH better already. I also have senstive skin so he may have just gotten that from me. We do already use a "Free and Clear" laundry detergent. I'm sure it's not eczema because I've seen eczema before and this is completely different. Thanks for all the tips and advice.

Featured Answers

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C.D.

answers from Spokane on

Hi... I suggest that you switch laundry soap for a couple of weeks to see if it might be an alergy to an ingedient. My children and I all have sensitive skin and have found that All Free is the best for us... Blessings, C.

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H.T.

answers from Anchorage on

My 15 month old gets a heat rash all over her upper body any time she gets too warm. If you keep you house really warm perhap drop the temp 5 degrees or have him wear slighty lighter clothing on while in the house.
H. T.

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N.S.

answers from Seattle on

Hi L.,

My son had what sounds like the same kind of thing. Eventally the bumps got all red and dry and really bothered him. his Dr said it was exsama and she put him on a Rx cream that has really helped.

best of luck

More Answers

M.B.

answers from Seattle on

L.,

One of my two children had the same thing, but I can't remember which. Now that the weather is starting to get nice let him run around in his diaper, that should help ALOT.

Hope this helps,
Melissa

1 mom found this helpful
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T.F.

answers from Eugene on

I just took my son to the dr for a circular rash on his face - it's been there for a few weeks and he has little bumps all over his stomach and nipples. Dr said it's a mild kind of exema. We thought it may have been ringworm - but it's exema. And he is having us put on the Hydrocortizone 1% on twice a day and it is helping tremendously. The rash is almost gone.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Portland on

It sounds like the same problem my 2 year old son has. Does it also feel dry? My son's is eczema. Hydrocortizone cream is the treatment for eczema, but I didn't want to use it either. We use a lotion called U-Lactin by Allerderm. It is sold behind the pharmacy counter, but is not prescription. It is a very effective lotion for eczema because it contains 10% Urea. Your pediatrician might not have heard of it, but ask a pediatric dermatologist... that is where we got the suggestion.

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E.E.

answers from Eugene on

Hi L.,
I'm with your husband and I have to say I think that's awesome that your husband has this mind set.

If it is eczema there are underlying issues with sensitivities to food most likely.

And yes the cotrizone cream will help but this will not treat the underlying cause for the rash, it will just come back if this is a food sensitivity issue.

I say one of the best things you could do is to find a good probiotic that you can give to him and give it to him daily. There is a lot of information all over the internet about the benefits of probiotics and eczema.

in the mean time, it is good to use gentle cleaning products, I would look for something from Seventh Generation depending on where you live, you can find that brand at Market of Choice, Capella, Sundance, Red Barn, Kiva all here in Eugene.

Also, if you go to a natural foods store or nutritional store you will be able to find a good probiotic that a child can take....Sundance Natural Foods in Eugene has one of the best, most knowledgeable people in the supplements department, she is AMAZING and she knows tons of stuff, her name is L..

Also, for washing in the shower/bath I sell a very good product that will not dry out the skin and a very good lotion that will help with the rash.

Miessence Organics Sunflower body wash: http://elyorganics.com/products/13201/

Miessence Certified Organics Intensive Body Cream: http://elyorganics.com/products/13420/

I have a special in the mom perks if you are interested...and also Capella in Eugene carries both of these products.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

Warm regards,
E. E.
http://elyorganics.com/

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

Cortizone does help the body to heal. It does NOT just mask the problem. Have him do some research at the library or on the Internet.

My granddaughter has eczema which is cleared up with the use of cortizone. In the case of eczema it's true it doesn't solve the cause of the eczema. Medical science doesn't know what causes exzema. But it does heal the rash.

I've used hydrocortizone on poison ivy that wouldn't heal. The rash went away. I've used it on hives. I've used it on angry looking scratches from a cat to heal those.

I'd try the hydrocortizone. If it doesn't clear up the rash then you can try something else. Sigh! This is for your husband. If you're not going to take the doctor's advice, why go? The doctor has had years and years of training. If you don't understand why something might work, then call the dr and discuas it with him. When you take your child to the doctor but don't trust his treatment you have just wasted the fee. Usually somewhere around $150.

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M.H.

answers from Seattle on

it strikes me that if you think it is caused by always holding on that side, you could switch sides for a few days and see if things get better. That might help narrow down the problem so you can decide how you want to respond to it. If you know its just heat rash you may as well fix it without concern.

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L.H.

answers from Spokane on

Hi, I am also a mother of 3 all under the age of 6. My daughter sorta had the same rash last week. I really think it was some sort of virus. First she had the rash and then a few days later she got a cold. I use clear laundry soap on her clothing and I am very picky about being clean. My doctor has always told me to use dove soap on there gentle skin. Well, I hope I was a little help.
L.

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T.B.

answers from Seattle on

Visit a dermatologist! They are skin specialists!

We recently had our 4 year old 'diagnosed' with warts by his pediatrician, but I felt so uneasy about treating it as warts. We took him to a dermatologist and she immediately diagnosed him with lichen striatus... a uncommon condition that resolves on its own.

Good luck!

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K.B.

answers from Spokane on

I'm sorry I don't have advice, but I am eager to hear what others will say. My 4 year-old also has this same sounding rash only on the sides of her face. We've always just thought it's from sleeping on her pillow and have tried every pillow case, detergent, etc. imaginable. We tried the hydro. cream too- but it does just mask the problem. As soon as we stop- the bumps are back. Good luck to you in finding a real answer, and I hope you'll share it with me!

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A.D.

answers from Portland on

L.,
It sounds suspicious to me. I agree with your husband, however when our son would have rashes on his trunk, our pediatrician would have us use the .5% hydrocortizone which is half the strength.
Have you ruled out food sensitivities like nuts, wheat, dairy? Also do you use scented laundry soap or other scented laundry items like Clorox for colors or dryer sheets? Just having it in one spot doesn't mean it isn't a sensitivity to these chemicals. It just may be where his body shows it.
Our youngest gets eczema rashes only on the sides of his hips. I only get one spot of eczema on the side of my face.
We are all different.
Check out the food and chemical sensitivity. That just may be the answer without medication.
Best of luck.

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B.A.

answers from Portland on

Hi L.!
The good news is, it doesn't seem to make him uncomfortable. It is so rough when out little ones don't feel well. I have a 5mth old, and she is a hot body. She sweats through the night and gets heat rash quite often. The only thing I have found that works for us is calendula cream. We get it from our local health food store. I use the Baby Weleda brand. My naturopath suggested it, because I just couldn't get her heat rash to go away. Cortizone does help with Exema if that is what he's got, but it kind of sounds more like a heat rash to me. Hope this helps. Good luck! Let us know how it all works out. :)
-B. A McMinnville, OR

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A.R.

answers from Seattle on

I can not for the life of me remember what my pediatrician called it, but it does sound like a rash that 2 of my children have; the only difference I can discern is that my kids' rashes are on the backs of their arms or on their legs. Hydrocortisone cream does help and I strongly recommend Aveeno. According to my pediatrician, it is a hereditary thing and lo and behold, my husband has the same mysterious bumps on the backs of his arms.

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S.S.

answers from Portland on

My almost 2 year old son had the same sounding thing on his left leg. I think t was a mild patch of eczema for him since all our kids have this to some degree. What made it go away for him was wearing a hazelwood necklace. I know...it sounds weird, but apparently The wood absorbs the body's excess acid and helps with teething pain, eczema, acid reflux, acne, diaper rash,etc.
My 5 month old has terrible eczema and I bought one not thinking it would help much but my friend said it really helped her son's acid reflux(she was able to take him off Zantac because of it). To my surprise, it worked!
Her eczema almost completely clears up when she wears it.

So anyway...I love these so much I built a website so other people could learn about them and get some relief!
If you want more info visit www.hazelaid.com
Good luck!

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E.W.

answers from Portland on

From your description it is a pretty good chance your doctor is right. If his arm is close to his body a lot the heat does not have a chance to escape. That can very well cause a rash like that. I agree with letting him run around without a shirt. Also try the hydrocortizone creme. (I say creme because it absorbs into the skin.) If it is a heat rash it will clear up. If you use the creme as prescribed by the doctor and it does not help or gets worse see a dermatologist. I also agree about the Dreft and Downy. Great stuff! My son has a dry skin condition and we dealt with rash issues. He never had a problem with those to laundry products. Don't let some of the responses scare you. If it were food alergies his rash would be more prominent on his stomach. Excema usually is more concentrated in the folds of the elbows and the back of the legs and is accompanied with dry skin.

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C.P.

answers from Seattle on

Have your doctor test for strep. I took my son in when he was 3 for a weird rash in his underware area and it was strep.

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K.R.

answers from Seattle on

Try to use Aveeno (oatmeal) lotion and no fragance. Try to put daily or twice daily. And try to avoid heat, fragance or laundry soap. Wait to see any improve about 2 wks.

K.

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A.B.

answers from Spokane on

My son had something like that when he was 6 months old. Much to my surprise, it was caused by my laundry soap or softener. I was using Tide and Bounce sheets. I switched to Dreft and Downy and the rash was gone immediately. He still has remnants of the rough spots on the back of his arms that the doctor said will probably never go away-he's now 5. He is a red head with very fair skin-I don' know if that has anything to do with it???

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L.P.

answers from Seattle on

Hi L.,
My son had a rash that sounds similar, hard to know for sure, but it ended up that our laundry detergent irritated his skin. When his clothes got warm or rubbed on his skin the detergent caused him some irritation. We changed to a biodegradable, chemical free soap and that seemed to help. We also like the Aveeno lotion for him because he seems to be pretty sensitive, and keeping his skin from drying out seemed to help. Just my 2 cents! Good luck!
L.

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K.M.

answers from Seattle on

my daughter had roseola?? it is a rash that is mainly on their trunk and goes into the diaper. nothing you can do about it. it goes away in a few days or so. not sure if that is it.

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K.S.

answers from Seattle on

Hello L.,

What kind of soaps are you using? Laundry detergent? Cleaning supplies? We have something natural that has really been great for my son called Melagel. Give me a call! ###-###-####
K.

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M.S.

answers from Portland on

Hi L. - zinc oxide works wonders - available w/o rx. My son has excema and the zinc oxide has worked more effectively than any hydocortisone cream - prescription or OTC. Hope this helps - Happy Friday! M.

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A.B.

answers from Portland on

Only a couple of suggestions. You could try putting corn starch or baby powder on that side. It could be that he sweats just a little and gets the rash there worst because his diaper absorbs the sweat down lower. It could also be a rash due to the detergent your using. Sometimes the sweat/moisture is what activates the reaction. My daughter had a reaction just on the back of her neck from a pillowcase my mom had given her becuase she sweats a lot in her sleep. If it's that what it is it will take 2-3 washings with a different detergent to see a noticable improvement in the rash.

P.s. Hydracortizone will only work (make the rash go away) if an allergy is causing the problem so your husband need not worry that it would mask the problem.

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L.B.

answers from Seattle on

Our baby girl had what I thought was baby acne on her face, small bumps that were red. Our Dr. said it was the same thing a heat rash instead of baby acne. He told us to dress her less. At night we were putting her in PJ's, swaddling and put a hat on her. We dressed her down by just PJ's, no onsie, and the rash went away. We did not put lotion or hydrocortizone on her. Good luck.

E.B.

answers from Seattle on

My three year old has little little bumps from his diaper area and down his legs. the ones on his diaper area are smal enough and the only ones that come and go, so i dont worry about them. The ones are on his legs just spread out and make his skin feel a little rough. I have never really worried about them because they dont bother him..I just figure it is his skin type...my family tends to have weirdo skin problems eben though i dont. I would just watch it maybe when you are hom elet him run around in just his diaper to give the areas a little air to breath...if it is still bothering you in a few weeks i would go get a second opinion from another doc or take him to a dermotolgist(?).

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