The sensitive skin of babies often proves prone to rashes, and no matter how gently you treat your baby's skin, she will probably develop several rashes in her first year. Although rashes can cause parents to worry, and might become irritating to the baby, in most cases they are harmless. If your baby has other symptoms in addition to a rash, you should consult with your pediatrician. Common skin rashes in babies include diaper rash, heat rash and a "slapped cheek" rash caused by fifth disease.
Diaper Rash
"Diaper rash" is a generic term for any rash in the diaper region. The affected skin is red, usually smooth but it can become scaly, though not itchy. Most often, diaper rash develops because the diaper traps urine and feces close to your baby's skin, irritating it. In those cases, simply changing diapers more frequently and letting the baby's skin air dry between changes will prompt the rash to clear up. For more stubborn cases, a diaper rash ointment can help.
Sometimes diaper rash results from an infection, such as thrush. Thrush is a yeast infection caused by an overgrowth of Candida albicans. If your baby has thrush, in addition to the diaper rash, she will also have a white, milky coating inside her mouth, and feeding might become painful. Your pediatrician will probably prescribe an anti-fungal medication to treat thrush.
Heat Rash
Heat rash, or prickly heat, develops when your baby overheats and sweats. It looks like small reddish bumps over a faint red rash all over the body, but especially around the sweat glands, such as on the face and chest and in the bends of elbows and knees. Heat rash is itchy, but harmless, and it will go away on its own. To soothe the itch, you can bathe your baby in lukewarm water, pat her with a towel and then let her air dry. You should not use anything that could irritate her skin more, like bubble bath or lotions.
Fifth Disease
Fifth disease has a characteristic appearance of a bright red rash on the cheeks; it is sometimes called "slapped cheek disease". A few days after the cheek rash, a lacy pink rash appears on the arms and legs. With fifth disease, in addition to the rash, your baby will have a mild fever and might have other flu-like symptoms. Caused by Parvovirus B, fifth disease often proves highly contagious, but by the time the rash appears, the contagious period has passed. Fortunately, fifth disease is a minor illness that will clear up after about a week, although according to the Mayo Clinic, the facial rash might come and go for up to 3 weeks.
References
- "The Children's Hospital Guide to Your Child'd Health and Development"; Alan Woolf, Howard Shane and Margaret Kenna; 2001
- MayoClinic.com: Parvovirus Infection
