Dont Spend Too Much Time In The Sun
While theres nothing wrong with enjoying some sunshine with your little bundle of joy, dont spend too long in the sun. The heat the sunlight brings can lead to baby heat rash.
Heat rash isnt the only concern when it comes to fun in the sun. Too much direct sunlight can cause sunburn and poses dangers to your babys sensitive skin. Caution is the name of the game!
Avoid direct sunlight and peak sun hours , dress your baby in protective clothing like a sun hat and loose clothing and apply baby-safe sunscreen.
We recommend a mineral sunscreen that protects your babys delicate skin without the use of questionable ingredients often found in chemical sunscreen. Click here to read about the differences between these two types of sunscreen.
Our SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Lotion offers safe and effective sun protection for babies as well as adults .
Made with 93% naturally derived ingredients including coconut oil, macadamia oil, and vitamin E, this reef-safe sunscreen hydrates your babys skin while warding off the suns rays.
If you prefer spray-on mineral sunscreen, check out our SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen Spray. Or, pack a travel-friendly SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Stick for compact sun protection!
No matter which Mustela sunscreen you choose, rest assured that its approved by the National Eczema Association and free of harmful ingredients.
What Are The Symptoms Of Eczema
Skin will look dry, red, raised and scaly, and will be quite itchyyoull probably see your kid scratching, sometimes to the point of drawing blood. Infants may have patches of eczema on their arms, legs, scalp, forehead and cheeks . In toddlers, eczema can worsen in elbow creases and behind the kneesanywhere the skin may become irritated by heat and clothing. It can worsen in dry winter air or with heat and sweat in summer. Fragrances and chemicals in lotions, detergents and shampoos, as well as polyester clothing, may also further irritate the skin.
What Else Could It Be
People may also confuse other skin conditions, such as erythema toxicum neonatorum and chickenpox, with baby acne or eczema.
Erythema toxicum neonatorum is a harmless skin condition that may occur within the first couple of days of life. It causes small spots and pimples of 14 millimeters in diameter on the arms and legs. Notably, the rash does not appear on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet.
It typically clears up by itself within 514 days.
Chickenpox is a contagious skin disease that causes a rash of blister-like spots and pimples on the stomach, back, and face. The rash can spread across the whole body and tends to occur alongside itching, tiredness, and fever.
Chickenpox can lead to severe complications in babies, so anyone who suspects chickenpox in a baby should take them to see a doctor immediately.
The following are answers to frequently asked questions on acne and eczema in children:
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When To See A Doctor
Think its silly to consult a doctor for baby heat rash? Think again. There are lots of rashes in infants and babies that can easily be confused for the more benign heat rash. Pediatricians can help to determine if a rash is concerning, so it is best to contact them to discuss evaluation and treatment, says Dr. Siddiqui. Parents should always seek medical attention if unsure of the diagnosis or the rash seems to be persisting or worsening.
Baby Eczema Vs Other Skin Conditions
There are few things softer and sweeter than a babyâs new skin. So it can be surprising for parents to learn just how many rashes and skin conditions can affect babies!As weâve already discovered, baby eczema, or atopic dermatitis, is more common than not. The National Eczema Association explains: Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common types of eczema, affecting 13% of all children under the age of 18 in the United States.However, baby eczema is definitely not the only skin condition that might appear on our little ones. Here will go over some other common ones and how to distinguish them from baby eczema.
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What Causes Heat Rash
Also known as prickly heat or miliaria, heat rash in babies occurs when excessive sweating clogs sweat glands, trapping perspiration beneath the skin and resulting in telltale red bumps or blisters.
Heat rash is most common in the summer, when weather is hot and humid. Tight or too-warm clothing can make it worse.
What Does An Allergy Rash Look Like On A Baby
As your baby is exposed to new environments, foods, creams, lotions, etc. they may experience an allergic reaction. While most allergic reactions are minor, some allergies may require medical attention. The two most common allergic reaction side effects are:
- Hives – hives can appear anywhere on the body as pink, blotchy bumps
- Eczema – eczema appears as dry, itchy, flaky patches of skin
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When To Get Medical Treatment
With most cases of heat rash, once you start cooling off, the rash will likely start to improve. But if it doesnt, you may want to contact your healthcare professional, especially if the rash is accompanied by other symptoms such as:
- swollen lymph nodes
- redness, warmth and swelling in the affected area
With eczema, let your doctor or healthcare professional know if you think youre developing an infection. If you scratch an itchy patch and it starts bleeding, theres a chance that the open wound could get infected. If you notice pus oozing from a lesion, be sure to get it checked out by a doctor.
If your eczema develops in adulthood, consider making an appointment with a healthcare professional to get it checked out. They will examine the rash carefully and may do some tests to rule out other possible causes.
If youre a new parent, its helpful to know that newborns often develop a variety of different types of rashes. Seborrheic dermatitis is very common in babies, and heat rash can be, too. Most kinds of rashes can be easily dealt with at home. But if youre concerned and arent sure what to do, go ahead and contact your childs doctor to get some guidance.
Although heat rash and eczema arent always preventable, there are some steps you can take to lower your risk of these skin rashes.
Why Did My Child Develop Eczema
The exact cause of eczema is unknown. Researchers do know that children who develop eczema do so because of a combination of genes and environmental triggers. When something outside the body switches on the immune system, skin cells dont behave as they should causing flare ups.
We also know that children who come from families with a history of atopic dermatitis, asthma, or hay fever are more likely to develop atopic dermatitis.
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How Can You Tell If Your Baby Has Heat Rash
- Slight inflammation or puffiness
- Irritation and discomfort
If youve noticed these telltale signs on your babys skin, they may be suffering from heat rash.
Keep an extra close eye on your babys chest, neck, diaper area, or armpits.
Your baby is more likely to develop heat rash in these places because they are the areas that usually produce the most sweat. Clothing also tends to fit tightly around those parts of their body.
So how can you tell baby heat rash apart from other skin conditions, like eczema or cradle cap?
What Causes Baby Eczema
A combination of genetic and environmental factors causes baby eczema. These factors include:
- Skin irritants and allergens: Several things in your babys environment can bother your childs skin. If your child has an allergy, symptoms of eczema can flare up on their skin. Common environmental irritants and allergens include fabrics, soaps and certain foods.
- Immune system reaction: Your babys immune system defends against foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses that can make your child sick. If your baby has eczema, their immune system can overreact and confuse healthy skin cells and small irritants in your babys environment as a foreign invader. As a result, your babys immune system will attack your babys skin cells which can cause symptoms of eczema.
- Genetics: During conception, the egg and sperm cells meet to give your child the building blocks of their body, which are their genes. Sometimes, changes to your babys DNA happen , which can affect how your babys body functions and develops. An eczema diagnosis could cause a lack of proteins in your babys body that are responsible for maintaining their skins protective barrier. If your childs protective barrier in their skin isnt working as expected, they could experience symptoms of eczema.
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Ways To Prevent Baby Eczema
Eczema itself cannot be prevented, but knowing and avoiding triggers can help prevent flare-ups of the condition.
Some ways to reduce triggers include:
- Keep your child out of cold, dry air.
- If they are 6 months or older, make sure your child gets an annual flu shot.
- Read labels on products to help your family avoid common irritants.
- Double-rinse your laundry to remove detergent residue.
Some Treatments And Home Remedies For Heat Rash In Babies Include:
- Avoid powders, lotions, and oils as they can further clog pores and sweat glands
- If baby has eczema and heat rash, ask their doctor the best way to treat both
- Rinse with water and if necessary, only use a very mild soap
- Be sure to dry the skin well to avoid further irritation
- You can use a fan to help keep babys skin cool and soothed as it heals, though be sure to keep babys overall body temperature comfortable not too hot and not too cold
- Allow babys skin to breath and be uncovered. If at home, allow them to have no clothes, and even a bit of time diaper free. While theres a risk of mess, if the heat rash is in the diaper area, a bit of airing out may help heal and sooth irritation.
- Loose fitting clothing is better than tighter, restrictive clothing.
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Be Gentle With Your Babys Skin
This may seem obvious, but its worth repeating: always be gentle with your little ones skin! Be careful not to rub or scratch your babys skin when dressing them. You can even let your little one air-dry after a bath to cool off if you have the time.
If youre not air-drying after bathtime, pat your baby dry with a soft towel and only use gentle skincare products that are specially designed for a babys delicate skin.
Baby Heat Rash Treatment
If your baby is suffering from heat rash, here are some treatments and home remedies you can try to cool them down and get their skin back to normal.
It’s worth noting that baby heat rash can also occur in the wintertime if you apply ointment on the skin that blocks your baby’s pores and sweat glands.
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Hand Foot And Mouth Disease
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a highly contagious viral infection. HFMD commonly causes blisters or sores to appear in or around the mouth or on the hands or feet. The rash may be seen in one or more of these locations.
The rash looks like red blisters or bumps. As the disease progresses, the sores may crust over. The spots may be harder to identify on darker skin tones.
While it can occur in anyone, its more commonly seen in children under 5 years old.
Additional symptoms may include:
Because HFMD is a viral infection, there is no treatment. People typically recover within 7 to 10 days.
Talk with your babys pediatrician to determine if you can offer baby acetaminophen to help make your child more comfortable while they recover. Your pediatrician may also recommend ibuprofen in babies 6 months and older.
A pediatrician may also be able to recommend over-the-counter or prescription topical ointments to help relieve pain from the sores.
Limit acidic or spicy foods, such as citrus, as these can irritate the sores. Instead, offer cold foods, like popsicles, to help soothe sores in the mouth. Its also important to keep your child isolated and out of care settings until the sores have healed. HFMD is extremely contagious.
Heat Rash: Sweating That Leads To Bumpy Red Skin
Inverse psoriasis is a type of psoriasis that forms in the armpits and skin folds under breasts or in groin areas, making the skin red and shiny. Sweating makes this type of psoriasis worse. Heat rash also makes your skin red and forms in skin folds of the groin, breasts, and armpits. Heat rash occurs in hot, humid conditions. Sweating can cause your pores to get blocked and result in a bumpy, red skin rash that stings. Heat rash is more common in newborns, but can also affect older children and adults.
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Will A Humidifier Help With Eczema
A humidifier puts moisture back into the air. Since dry air can aggravate eczema, you can see why some people think a humidifier might help.
But theres no scientific evidence that humidifiers can help people with eczema. And allergy-causing dust mites and bacteria also love to live in warm, moist places.
So although very dry air can make eczema worse, combating this with a humidifier isnt recommended unless you live in a particularly dry or cold place.
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Location Plays A Big Part
Babies from 1 month to 2 years old tend to get eczema on their cheeks and scalp. Older children will generally have it on the folds of their wrists, knees and ankles. If your child has a red, itchy and scaly rash that isnt in a classic location for eczema, it could be allergic contact dermatitis, meaning they might be allergic to something theyre coming into contact with such as soap, shampoo or lotion.
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How To Treat Babys Heat Rash
A baby with miliaria needs to chill out literally. Some heat rash treatment ideas to help cool off those pricklies:
- Use a mild soap and tepid water during bath time to help soothe babys skin. Gently pat dry.
- Keep affected skin dry. If its extra hot, use a fan to help wick away sweat.
- Skip powders, oils and lotions, which will only make the rash worse by further blocking the pores.
- Give your baby a break from clothes on the play mat or let him take a naked stroll or crawl around the house.
What Is Baby Heat Rash
Baby heat rash, also called prickly heat or miliaria, is not a contagious skin rash. As the name suggests, heat rash is a skin condition that develops when your babys skin gets too hot. More specifically, heat rash is caused when sweat gets stuck in your babys pores.
When your babys body becomes hot, their skin begins to produce sweat . Normally, drops of sweat would simply be released through pores. However, babies have tiny pores that can easily become clogged.
Heat rash is the result of sweat getting caught in those small pores as it tries to reach the surface of your little ones skin.
Summer is the most common season for heat rash because we all sweat a bit more during the hot summer months. Humid climates can also contribute to heat rash. But this skin condition doesnt only occur when the temperature is high!
It can also form when its cold, especially if your baby is wearing many layers of clothing. Remember to de-layer when you go indoors.
Fortunately, heat rash isnt a serious condition. Its perfectly normal for babies to get heat rash, and with proper treatment, it usually goes away after a few days.
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Affected Areas Of The Body
The two conditions tend to affect different parts of the body, although there is some overlap.
Baby acne breakouts tend to occur on the:
Eczema often develops on a babys elbows and knees between 6 and 12 months of age.
It will sometimes also spread to other areas, but it does not affect the diaper area. A rash in this area may be a diaper rash.
Baby acne and eczema require different treatments.
What Causes Eczema In Children
Researchers dont know exactly what causes baby eczema, but they believe its most likely due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Eczema is not contagious.
Infants are more likely to develop eczema if family members have a history of eczema, hay fever, or asthma.
While these conditions dont cause one another, infants are more likely to develop hay fever or asthma if they already have baby eczema.
Scientists believe eczema results from an immune-system dysfunction that affects the skin barrier and its ability to hold in moisture.
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Baby Heat Rash And Tips For Baby Skin Care In Summer: Symptoms Causes & Treatment
9 minutes
08/06/2021
Here at WaterWipes, we love summer who doesn’t? Its a time for the beach, sunshine, relaxation, barbecues, and fun days spent with your friends and family.
However, while summer appears to be one big ray of sunshine, we cant ignore the long periods of relentless heat and humidity that the season brings and with it issues such as baby heat rash, baby eczema and generally dry skin.
Babies and infants have less control over their environment and are dependent on carers to keep them cool in summer. With this in mind, weve got some top tips as well as advice from expert dermatologists Dr. Cairine Wilkinson, Dr. Pixie McKenna and Dr. Deshan Sebaratnam on baby heat rash treatment and how to care for your little ones skin in summer.
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1. What is baby heat rash?
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2. Baby heat rash symptoms
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3. Baby heat rash treatment – how to treat baby heat rash
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4. How to protect babys skin in summer