Several disorders can cause blisters on a toddler's fingers, from allergies, to injuries, to diseases. If your toddler develops blisters on her fingers, determining the cause is the first step to properly treating them. Blisters generally heal without treatment, although open blisters can present a potential source of infection. Watch for reddening around blisters as a sign of infection.
Diseases
Diseases that can cause blisters on a toddler's fingers include hand, foot and mouth disease, also called Coxsackie virus and chicken pox. The blisters seen in Coxsackie virus may also occur on the feet and in the diaper area and may hurt rather than itch. Coxsackie virus also causes painful mouth sores that can interfere with a toddler's ability to eat. Chicken pox causes multiple blisters, which itch terribly, all over the body. Blisters of chicken pox will break and then form a yellow crust. The fluid inside the blisters contains the virus, so handle open areas carefully and wash after touching them. The varicella vaccination reduces the chance of toddlers developing chicken pox by 90 percent, FamilyDoctor.org reports.
Injuries
Toddlers can injure themselves in a number of ways that can cause blisters on the fingers. Second-degree burns can cause blistered fingers. See your child's doctor if he has blisters from burns on his fingers, MayoClinic.com recommends. Pinching a finger in a door or between two objects can also raise blisters. Repetitive motion, or rubbing something over and over, can also a raise a blister on a finger. Toddlers who suck their fingers often develop blisters or callouses on the fingers. Cover the blisters and don't break them unless your doctor suggests it.
Eczema
Eczema, a skin condition often worsened by allergies or reactions to skin irritants, can cause very tiny blisters on the fingers and other parts of the body. Eczema, which affects 10 percent of children, according to KidsHealth, is not an allergy but an overreaction to allergenic substances. The blisters may break and crust over. Patches of dry, itchy skin -- that almost always develop before age 5 -- are typical of eczema.
Allergies
Oils from plants such as poison ivy, poison sumac and poison oak can cause blisters on a toddler's fingers. Around 85 percent of the population is allergic to urushiol, the oil in the plant, BabyCenter explains. If you find your toddler picking a pretty bouquet of poison ivy or suspect he trod through a patch, expect reddened areas of tiny, itchy blisters on her fingers and other points where she came into contact with the plant. If she gets the oil on her clothing, touching the clothing can spread the oil to her -- or you! Mild cases of poison ivy or other contact allergens respond to calamine lotion and oral antihistamines, but severe cases may require steroids by mouth or injection to decrease the immune reaction.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Hand, Foot, & Mouth Disease (HFMD); March 2011
- FamilyDoctor.org; Chickenpox Vaccine; December 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Burns: First Aid; January 2010
- KidsHealth; Eczema; Patrice Hyde, M.D.; October 2008
- BabyCenter: Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac
- KidsHealth; Blisters, Callouses and Corns; Patrice Hyde, M.D.; February 2008
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