Baby or Toddler Skin Rash? Help for parents to find the cause and treatment

- does your baby or toddler skin rash blanch (go pale or white when pressed)?
Press a glass on the rash - you will be able to easily see if the rash goes pale

Rash doesn't blanch on pressure (you can still see the red rash through the glass as you press) - this is a petechial or purpuric rash.
Seek medical attention urgently especially if the rash is appearing before your eyes or your child has a fever.
Not every petechial rash is serious but it could be a serious condition like meningococcal infection, so if your baby or toddler has a petechial rash, it's best to get it checked out immediately.

Rash blanches on pressure - this is an erythematous rash and is not usually an urgent problem.

Erythematous skin rashes may be caused by

slapped cheek disease

seborrheic dermatitis, which includes cradle cap

hand foot and mouth disease, starts with red spots that blister

erythema toxicum - a rash seen in newborn babies

Measles - an infectious disease that is not so common now that children are generally immunized against it

- the most common cause of dry skin in a baby or toddler skin rash is eczema.

- if your child has eczema and scratches a lot or has thickened skin from scratching, you may be interested in using wet wraps. Wet wraps are wet bandages applied over moisturizers with dry bandages on top. They can be effective in moderate to severe eczema when used intermittently.

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Raised spots

- if the center of the spot is depressed, the most likely diagnosis is molluscum contagiosum. This common toddler skin rash is caused by a virus and will eventually disappear without treatment (but this may take months).

-if the spots are very itchy, don't forget that insect bites can look like this.

Raised blisters that crust

If your child has fluid-filled blisters that are grouped together and the fluid inside them looks a golden color or the crusts look golden, this could be impetigo (sometimes called school sores) particularly if they on the face. This rash is very contagious. Your child will need antibiotics.

If there are blisters on the lips or inside the mouth, your child may have cold sores (herpes simplex virus).

If your child starts to get blisters on the body or face or limbs that then crust as new blisters appear, this is probably chicken pox.

Raised red itchy rash with wheals

This type of rash is urticaria and is usually an allergic response. If this is the first time your child has had this type of rash, it is unlikely you will ever find out what caused it. Don't worry, just treat the symptoms - anti-histamines will help the itch and sometimes steroids are prescribed as well to calm the inflammation.

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Birthmarks

Babies can have birthmarks such as:

strawberry hemangioma (nevus) - it looks just like a strawberry and will eventually disappear
stork mark or salmon patch - red mark on the forehead and neck and it will disappear by the first year
Mongolian blue spots - look like bruises but will fade with time

Still not Sure???

If you are still not sure what has caused your baby or toddler skin rash, or if you have a rash and you want to know what it is, see the Diagnose My Skin Rash page.

And now for something completely different. Play the video clip below if you want some inspiration on how to work at home.

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To go to the top of the Baby or Toddler Skin Rash page, click here

To read more about infant skin rash syndromes and birthmarks, click here

To go to the Eczema page, click here

To read about Wet Wraps for Eczema, click here

To go to the Diagnose My Skin Rash page, click here

To return to the Home page, click here

Last reviewed 29 May 2010

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Baby or Toddler Skin Rash?

Red or Pink Skin Rash

Dry skin that is red at times

Raised spots

Raised blisters that crust

Raised red itchy rash with wheals

Birthmarks

Still not Sure???