When small red spots occur on the skin of the baby, the mothers start to sort out the options in alarm, which may be an allergy in the baby on the body. They recall what they ate in the last days, what children’s hygiene products they used, with whom they contacted.
But not all dermatological problems on the body are a manifestation of an allergy in infants. Therefore, to determine the cause of skin rashes, you need to visit a doctor.
Based on an external examination, as well as additional laboratory tests, an experienced specialist will determine the source of the rash and select treatment methods.
What does an allergy look like in infants and what else looks like it
A few weeks after birth, the baby has red spots, which parents often take for the manifestation of allergies on the body. Any competent pediatrician will explain to a young mother that such rashes appear due to hormonal changes in the children’s body.
At the age of one month, the child has hyperemic points on the face, neck, and sometimes on the back. The occurrence of such a sign indicates that the baby’s body is freed from maternal hormones and begins to produce its own. All this leads to an imbalance in the body, which is manifested by skin rashes.
After 2-3 weeks, when the hormonal background is restored, the rashes disappear. This condition is called acne in the newborn or a three-week baby rash.
Newly made parents suggest that this is the allergy in newborns, because spots appear on the face, body or even pope. A nursing mother begins to limit herself in nutrition, to follow a diet, but all her attempts do not bring results, because a hormonal rash has no connection with what a woman who is breastfeeding eats. Acne disappears as unexpectedly as it arose, so no specific treatment is required.
How to distinguish an allergy in an infant on the body from other varieties of rashes?
Dermatitis of allergic etiology is characterized by the appearance of concomitant symptoms, in addition to the rash:
- integuments become rough and dry;
- the child becomes restless, a lot of naughty because of the itching bothering him;
- there is a change in the color of feces;
- in some cases, a cough appears.
There are many signs of dermatitis, but they are all individual, as they depend on the reactive characteristics of the child’s body.
There are several types of allergic reactions:
- True allergy – external signs of hypersensitivity of the child’s body appear a couple of hours after contact with a causative factor. In the case of food allergies, skin rashes occur when the body accumulates an excessive amount of allergen. Usually this happens after 2-3 days, and to eliminate redness on the skin quickly does not work. Manifestations can last about 1-2 weeks after the nursing mother excludes from the menu products that cause a specific reaction in the baby.
- Infectious allergy – its occurrence provokes pathogenic microflora. Most often it is staphylococcus or streptococcus. Skin rashes also cause viral infections, which are passed on to the child by inheritance from the parents.
- Atopic allergy – develops when the genetic history of crumbs is weighed down by hypersensitivity reactions, while the baby has a rash on the body after contact with food, respiratory, household or drug antigens. An allergy in a baby is manifested by spots on the face or body, long-term diaper rash on the priest, itching or dry skin.
Why does an allergy manifest on the body?
An allergy to the body in an infant develops as a result of contact with a substance that provokes it.
It could be:
- Dust. Frequent cleaning of the apartment, cleaning carpets with a vacuum cleaner, regular wet cleaning of the floor and other places of accumulation of dust particles will reduce the likelihood of sensitization of the body.
- Cosmetics. For use in children, choose special children’s products, which do not contain dyes, parabens, sodium sulfate and other preservatives and stabilizers.
- Wool. Pets are often allergic to babies. As infectious disease doctors advise, you should not have a cat or dog at the time when your baby was born, since their pile can cause a severe allergic reaction not only on the skin, but also lead to bronchospasm or the development of bronchial asthma.
- Unremoved remnants of household chemicals. It can be a powder on clothes after washing, a detergent on cups and plates, various solutions for mopping, cleaning furniture.
Many parents suggest that the development of hypersensitivity occurs due to errors in the diet of a nursing mother, from which there may be an allergy in infants on the body. Regarding whether a woman who is breastfeeding should strictly adhere to a hypoallergenic diet, the opinion of doctors was divided.
Old-school pediatricians insist that everything that a mother eats comes into the baby’s body with milk, therefore, from the first days after birth and until the end of lactation, it is advised to exclude many foods that can trigger an allergy.
The younger generation of doctors is of the opinion that the diet of a lactating woman does not play an important role in the appearance of allergic reactions in a baby. It is much more important in what conditions the child lives and how often he contacts with what the baby may be allergic to.
There is some truth in each of the statements, so the mother should adhere to the middle ground:
- In the first month after the birth of a baby, follow a diet that excludes foods that are allergens.
- If the child does not have negative reactions (skin rash, itching, peeling), start gradually adding additional products to your menu.
- When expanding the diet, be guided by the rule – try no more than one new product per day, starting with a small amount.
In most cases, by the age of three months, the mother can fully eat, sometimes allowing herself favorite treats such as chocolate, some fruits or a spoonful of honey, provided that the baby is not allergic to these products.
If the baby is allergic from the first days of life, then the mother needs to abandon some groups of products:
- citrus fruits – tangerines, oranges, lemons;
- chocolates and chocolates;
- any kind of nuts;
- smoked meat;
- preservation.
In addition, foods that contain artificial colors, preservatives and other harmful additives should be used with caution: bright carbonated drinks, tea bags with flavors, chips, crackers with different flavors and other products.
Causes of Allergies
In the womb, the baby is in sterile conditions. After birth, his body gradually begins to be populated by microflora, in contact with various types of allergens. Sometimes the result of this interaction is an allergy to the body in infants, when red spots appear on the face, neck and pope.
The protective functions in the baby are not yet fully formed, as a result of which even minimal contact with the stimulus, which would not lead to consequences in the adult, can provoke the occurrence of hypersensitivity.
The causes of allergies to the skin of an infant:
- Genetic predisposition. If at least one of the parents suffers from hypersensitivity to certain types of stimuli, then there is a high likelihood of allergic reactions in the child, as this is inherited.
- Treatment with antibacterial drugs. If an infectious disease occurs in a baby, antibiotic therapy is necessary. The drugs eliminate not only the pathogenic microorganisms that caused the disease, but also negatively affect the natural microflora of the gastrointestinal tract in infants, which leads to an increase in sensitivity to various types of allergens.
- Vaccination. It happens that vaccines use drugs that have a wide range of side effects, one of which is the occurrence of allergies.
- Untimely feeding. Late application of crumbs to the mother’s breast can provoke disruptions in the digestive tract.
- Errors in the nutrition of a nursing mother. With a predisposition of the baby to allergic reactions of the mother, you should adhere to a hypoallergenic diet, which excludes the use of nuts, citrus fruits, honey, as well as some other types of products, because through the milk allergens from the female body get to the baby. Unformed immune defense is not able to cope with them, as a result of which the corresponding reaction occurs.
- Unsuitable mixture. Most artificial feeding products contain casein and albumin from cow’s milk. These foreign proteins are strong allergens, so some children react to the use of such a mixture by causing itching and skin rashes. To solve this problem, choose lactose-free baby food that contains protein hydrolysates, or buy artificial food made from goat milk. More on Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy →
Behind the seeming harmlessness of an allergy that occurs on the skin of an infant, a serious and dangerous condition for a fragile organism is often hidden. Many mothers confuse pathology with diathesis (skin rash), so they hope that the spots on the baby’s body will go away on their own.
Untimely detection of an allergy on the body of a nursing infant delays the start of treatment, which can lead to hypersensitivity at an older age.