Parents mean well when they layer clothes and blankets onto their newborn baby, but a baby with excess layers of clothing can sweat and overheat the same way an adult does. Heat rash and the discoloration it causes to your baby’s skin are not serious conditions, but, the BabyCenter website warns, studies have shown a correlation between overheating and sudden infant death syndrome, commonly abbreviated SIDS. If your baby is sweating, it’s time to take off the blanket.
Identification
Heat rash often appears as several small red bumps on your baby’s skin. The condition commonly affects a baby’s back, neck, shoulders, armpits, elbow creases, chest and diaper region. Mild cases of heat rash do not have discoloration and appear as clear blisters that break easily. Heat rash responsible for redness is known as miliaria rubra and commonly occurs for infants between the first and third weeks of life, according to MayoClinic.com. Your baby might seem irritable due the itchy nature of this type of heat rash. Sometimes bumps are not present and the area with heat rash is just a large, reddened area of skin.
Cause
Heat rash is caused by a combination of sweat, heat and clothing. Your baby’s pores become blocked through excessive sweating. The pores carry sweat to the skin’s surface, but the blockage causes perspiration to become trapped under the skin, causing inflammation. Your baby gets a heat rash so easily because his pores are smaller than adults. He will be more prone to heat rash during the summer, when temperatures and humidity are high and he sweats more. Bundling your baby during the winter causes your baby to sweat and extra layers of clothing and blankets prevent sweat from evaporating from the skin. Heavy creams and ointments, such as those used for infantile eczema, also clog your baby’s pores, making him more susceptible to heat rash. If your baby has a high fever, his risk of heat rash increases.
Treatment
The best method for treating a heat rash is to cool your baby off. Apply a damp washcloth with cool water directly to your baby’s rash. Calamine lotion can relieve itching associated with a heat rash; for more severe forms of heat rash, a corticosteroid cream is often used, but you should always consult your baby’s pediatrician before applying an over-the-counter cream. Keep the skin cool and dry and the rash should clear within 10 days. The goal is to make your baby comfortable, not cold.
Prevention
Keep your baby in an air-conditioned environment on hot, humid days. If you do not have air conditioning, use fans in your home to keep air circulating and allow your baby to wear only a diaper. Avoid using blankets and swaddles. Choose breathable cotton materials to allow sweat to effectively evaporate from her skin. Consider what your baby is wearing and determine if you would be hot in the same thing — because if you would be hot, she probably would is, too. Do not overdress or bundle your baby if she has a fever — even if she has chills.
