Is This a Food Allergy

Updated on March 30, 2008
T.P. asks from Downers Grove, IL
30 answers

My daughter is 6 weeks old and has a "rash" on her face. It seems to come and go. After she feeds (Similac Advanced w/ Iron) it gets red. About 20 min later it's just bumpy. It started on her cheeks and is now on her eyebrows and ears and a little on the back of her neck. It is really rough feeling. My doctor said to put Aquaphor on it and keep a food diary to see if it's a food allergy. It's really not workng. We have a 8 week appointment in a week and a half. It's just bugging me.

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S.E.

answers from Chicago on

I would consider trying the Similac with out the Advanced Iron. It does sound like a reaction not baby acne. If the Dr. does nothing go see a allergist.

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K.K.

answers from Chicago on

I would try switching the formula. My daughter has the same issue as I was breast feeding and began supplementing with iron formula and when I switched to soy, the problem was alleviated. you may not need to go to soy but maybe experiment with a lactose free one and seif it disappears.

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M.V.

answers from Chicago on

I'm not an allergist, but it sounds like it might be a dairy allergy. My son reacted to dairy around his mouth and his eczema would get bad when he had dairy. Now that he is dairy free his skin has cleared up almost completely. Aquaphor is great, but if she has an allergy it would be better safe than sorry because Aquaphor won't clear is up by itself. Good luck!

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K.J.

answers from Chicago on

I would stop the formula immediately and talk to your doctor. A 6 week old is only eating one thing so a food diary is not going to tell your doctor anything. I would think he would want to see the rash. Perhaps it's baby acne, but that doesn't come and go just at feedings. Good luck.

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J.M.

answers from Chicago on

Hi T.! My little one had the same reaction when we 1st introduced tomatos to her. I would maybe try a lactose free formula to see if she has the same reaction. If she doesn't have a reaction, maybe she has a dairy allergy? Hope this helps and you get it figured out!

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J.B.

answers from Champaign on

We went through similar issues w/ my daughter who is now 4. We switched detergents to All free for all our laundry and started using Arbonne products. Unfortunately we also switched her formula to Allemintum. We were desperate & I just went along w/ what the dr. said instead of researching. I now know that most babies are not allergic, their delicate systems just take time adjusting. All the special formulas for allergies use corn syrup as there base and mess w/ a babies digestive system. My daughter now has a hard time gaining weight. I also just thought about something. Depending on how you're holding your daughter when you are feeding her she could be having a reaction to the detergent in your shirt or if you wear perfume.

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J.G.

answers from Chicago on

I agree with Deb. My son had eczema on his face basically from week 1. Our pediatrician said to put hydrocortizone 1% on it. When we put the hydro 1% on his face, the eczema would go away, but then come back a few days later. He was primarily breastfed and the doc never mentioned a potential food allergy, so I never cut it out of my diet. I did supplement with cow's milk formula for awhile, and everything seemed fine (except for his face) but when we introduced cereal (mixed with cow's milk formula) at five months he broke out into hives everywhere the cereal and milk touched his skin.

Milk is an allergy a lot of kids outgrow and if you cut it out of your daughter's diet now, it will help. We are currently working with a homeopathic doc to heal my little guy's gut (which studies have shown is connected to cause of food allergies) and help him outgrow his allergies (milk and egg). I only wish we would have caught the allergies A LOT earlier (there were signs -- the eczema) as I feel the more milk he was exposed to before the hives incident contributed to the severity of his allergies. Although, the probiotics, enzymes, and other homeopathic treatments we have been giving him now have helped him tremendously

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M.M.

answers from Chicago on

My .02 - hormones from growth spurt. Sometimes called "baby acne". My son got it more than my daughters. Cheeks, sometimes neck. Very tiny, tiny bumps. Like pink/red sandpaper sometimes. In our case, it was not an allergic reaction. Just a hormonal one. Good luck.

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L.Z.

answers from Chicago on

My Daughter has/had the same rash(from what you are descibing)red spots, some look like pimples and rough feeling especially on the cheeks) It sounds like cradle cap/sebboric(sp) dermatitis. Hers always got worse after she fed(I breastfeed) or when she was upset. She also had the spots on her head hidden in her hair. My doctor said to leave it alone (just a little baby acne)and it will clear up. We actually started to bathe her more often (now every other day,before twice a week) and wash her face several times a day and it did significantly improve. She is now 7 1/2 weeks and she started getting it around 4 weeks. Hope this helps.

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J.F.

answers from Chicago on

Hi T.,
I would say yes that seems like at least a sensitivity. My son was diagnosed with lots of food allergies early in life and sometimes the reactions to the foods came in the form of a rash. I would say try to breastfeed as much as you can and avoid the formula. That is one thing I wished I had done. Statistics show that kids who are breast fed longer have less chances of developing allergies. But if you absolutely must give your child formula, then I'd try switching to maybe a soy based product. I'm sure someone at Whole Foods could point you in the right direction. I hope that helps. Feel free to email me if you have any other thoughs/concerns/questions. ____@____.com :)
Blessings,
J.

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

Hi T., I am a mom of a 6 week old boy who had a very similar sounding rash and our dr. said to use 1% hydrocortisone on it. I was not really wild about the idea of using hydrocortisone but it worked almost overnight and hasn't come back. Good luck, S.

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L.W.

answers from Chicago on

The problem may not be allergies at all. Not only do milk products have growth hormones, milk and milk products are also the main cause of mucus and allergies. I would suggest doing some real research on milk products and how they affect the human body. There are several illnesses linked to milk that the farming industry or the FDA does not recognize or acknowledge--by design.I am a mother of 3 children, a girl 13, a boy 11, and a boy 2. Two of my children have never had milk products and they have lived healthy and productive lives. I did give my daughter milk products when I returned to work and she was about 6 months old. She began experiencing severe ear infections, constipation, respiratory infections, and skin rashes. Once I did my own research on milk and milk products, I began making her almond milk, afalfa tea and spiralina. Her health improved significantly. Do your own research and be open to new suggestions. If you decide to cut out milk all together, be strong because you are going to have a lot of opposition.

Aloe vera may work on that rash.

Good luck!

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C.R.

answers from Chicago on

It sounds to me like what my son had...the Dr told me eczema and to put aquaphor on. The Aquaphor helped a lot, but the rash still came. So, I did some trial and error with what might be the cause. Too hot? Food allergy(you may try switching formulas?)? For me, I discovered my son's rash was being caused by a skin allergy to the fragrance in Dreft laundry detergent. I use an unscented soap for his baths and laundry now, plus the aquaphor to continue to heal his skin from the outbreaks. Good luck becoming a private eye in search of the cause.

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J.G.

answers from Springfield on

T., my son had these "rashes" from almost day one of nursing. My guess is maybe the food diary is for you to keep of what your eating ... that way he knows what's present in your breast milk.

I would tell you to see an allergist if the rash continues. Do NOT switch formulas. I did and that's when he went into anaphylactic shock. He was allergic to the milk proteins in my breast milk and the formula was "too much" for him.

He has a severe milk allergy. I wouldn't wait for the 8 1/2 week appointment. I would call an allergist and describe his rash. As my allergist pointed out, eczema is often caused by a food allergy. Continuing to give your food an allergen can make the allergy worse. My pediatrician is awesome, but she missed his food allergy -- I mean he was 6 weeks old when he had his first reaction. Who would have expected that??? ;)

I'm NOT a doctor and could be completely wrong, but this is from my personal experiences. Let us know what happens.

Jess

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S.X.

answers from Chicago on

neutramagin is a non dairy non (well mostly non) soy based formula (many people stay away from soy because of the natural hormone in it). Sounds like what my son had from dairy.

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M.D.

answers from Chicago on

It sounds like a food allergy but your doc will help answer that question. I do have some help in the taking care of her skin issue. The Arbonne ABC Hair and Body Wash (oil, diaper rash cream and the sunscreen) product is amazing. It is all botanical and test on babies and will help. My 13 year old daughter uses it on her hair and skin cause she had a terrible case of bad scalp like cradle cap and has ezcema too. All their products are good. Call or email if you want more info and I will help if I can!
____@____.com and ###-###-####

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J.Z.

answers from Chicago on

I wouldn't hesitate to ask your daughter's Ped. for a referral to a Pediatric Allergist just to be on the safe side. I wish I had done so with my daughter! Her Ped. is great but just chalked up her eczema to typical baby skin issues like baby acne, cradle cap etc. I exclusively breastfed for 6 1/2 months and she only had the eczema. As soon as a DROP of milk-based formula touched her lips she broke out in hives and began vomiting. Turns out she has fatal food allergies to both dairy and egg. She is 21 months old now and we have adjusted to a lifestyle change so all is well. There are also some great support groups if it comes to that.
From one mom to another, do yourself and your daughter a favor a just get her checked out. What have you got to lose? Hopefully it's nothing but isn't it better to be safe than have to deal with a dangerous situation down the line? I wish you all the best:)

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G.H.

answers from Chicago on

Hold on for the next week appt. so dr. can see for himself what it looks like. As long as baby is not crying (like it's burning her or irretating her) don't worry till you c him (dr.).None of us want to c our child with any kind of rash but be patient mommy; better for dr. to see the rash.

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D.V.

answers from Chicago on

It's your baby, and the Dr doesn't live there to know the anxiety you are feeling or what happens to the baby. It most likely is the "dairy" if the common denominator is that the rash occurs when she eats. I would change her formula to a soy based product.
The longer you keep her on the milk formula, the bigger allergy she may develop. Milk is very difficult to digest in some people ( actually about 50% of the people)

The dietary support is exactly the same as the current formula, read the label and compare. Soy is very good.

IF is isn't the formula, then look at the cleaners and laundry products you are using. My son was 1 year old and was in the hospital 5 times with pneumonia. I found out years later, that the cause was the "brand name" products I was using that was causing the problem. The clothes and bed sheets, blankets,the stuff I cleaned the house with, these were all the things that were the base cause of his asthma attacks.

Bottom line, identify the cause, and eliminate it!
HOpe this helped

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J.C.

answers from Champaign on

for a true food allergy, you need to see a doctor for the accurate diagnosis. At 6 weeks with "rashes" - it sounds like "baby acnes" to me as well. My daughter has a very server case of baby acne, they are harmless, just very annoying - especially when they appear on your beautiful newborn. Search baby acne online and you will see a lot of information. In our case, it took a entire 3 weeks to clear up.

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T.D.

answers from Chicago on

do some research online for cradle cap. Around 6 weeks of age, the hormones you passed to baby during pregnancy have an effect on your baby. THis is when they get cradle cap and baby acne. You should bathe your baby daily as your baby has oily skin. If the prob just started witht he formula the cradle cap is the culprit. TAlk to your ped before switching from any formula as you are probably jsut chasing your tail.

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J.W.

answers from Chicago on

It sounds like it is a milk allergy, typical for new babies b/c the milk proteins are too hard to digest. Whatever you eat will come through in your skin as well. I agree and switch to nurtragimen or the other one. Another good source is the book, Is This Your Child, by Dr. Doris Rapp, www.drrapp.com that discusses the hidden ways you can detect food and enviromental allergies in infants through adults. The rosey cheeks sounds like eczema which can be related to milk and nut allergies, but if you are not b/f they you can rule out the nut allergies. Diaper rash is also another sign of allergies, if you are changing the diaper often. Use softer detergents and organic crib sheets, which can be found at Babies R Us. Good luck!!

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R.R.

answers from Chicago on

Sounds like eczema which can be caused by food allergies. But I don't understand the food diary. If she is only 6 weeks old she is only getting the Similac right? Or are you nursing as well and need to keep a food diary for you?

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J.A.

answers from Chicago on

If you are only feeding her one "food"...the Similac w/ Iron formula, and she has a reaction EVERY time you feed her then it is most likely the culprit. You should call your pediatrician and try to get into see him early next week and then feed your daughter at the doctor's office (make sure that they see she is rash free before feeding).

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K.S.

answers from Chicago on

You could certainly try switching to a rice-based formula to compare after a week or so. I also agree--could be detergents. I use Seventh Generation unscented (powder form is not expensive).

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A.P.

answers from Chicago on

it sounds like eczema. aquafor has lanolin-a common allergen for people w/eczema. use 1% hydorcortizone cream (found anywhere). i love aveeno baby cream. we have eczema problems. my baby is 6 months old. good luck.

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J.E.

answers from Chicago on

is it ecezema? take her to the allergist but your pedatricitan is right on for now. You could always switch to alementium and nutramagin and see fi it goes away after 14 days. any new soaps or detergent sor perfumes on you or her sheets? anyone new watchign her that could ahve it and when they hold her get on her?
listen to you instincts they are always right!
good luck
J.

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J.D.

answers from Chicago on

if it does turn out to be FA www.kidswithfoodallergies.org is a great resource. thousands of parents w/ fa on there - support group, information, recipies etc. You can go there and check out the free info available to everyone. (membership is $25 a year and so worth it!)

good luck!

Trust your gut!

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E.C.

answers from Chicago on

try swtiching her to soy formula for a few days. if she has no reaction then you have your answer in a matter of 2 days. My son used to get a rash on his cheeks and by his mouth and would occassionlly spit up when we gave him his milk. he is allergic to both egss and milk and at 22 months he has already outgrown his egg allergy I have a great pediatric allergist at childrens if you want her number. I wish I would have known about food allergies early everyone thought that he had ezcema. when in reality he was allergic to milk. good luck
E.

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K.H.

answers from Chicago on

sounds alot like baby acne, sortof angry looking and crusty? My daughter had that at exactly that age and I was told it was common.

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