Going mad now, what could be causing this awful rash on 6 month old. With photo

[Cocomandarin]

I’m here because I’m giving up with the GP.

my 6 month old has always had eczema and was suspected cmpa as a newborn but eventually she settled on aptamil anti reflux and was fine until we have started weaning.

she has had patches on her elbow and chest that get sore and weep. Steroid cream healed them but soon as stopped it’s back. She also is getting a rash all over her body that isn’t like eczema. More like bumps/ hives. We’ve changed her to cmpa milk and no dairy and it’s still coming up. It does seem to have got worse since she started teething and we have been giving her calpol and ashtons teething powders. The gp just shrugs at me and give her cream but doesn’t understand I have to see her trying to scratch herself face off constantly and cry 😣 can anyone help with what this might be. Ive tried every single thing you can think of for the eczema but nothing gets rid. I now keep reading horror stories about babies with severe allergies that aren’t noticed until it’s too late but I don’t know what it is

Hello, no I haven’t tried antihistamines but will put it on my list. Yes so I’m trying to cut out dairy completely and stick to foods with low likelihood of allergic reactions to see if I can narrow it down. But it says this could contribute to more allergies without exposure so I haven’t a clue what to do

Fairy set off my husband and my stepdaughter with itching and eczema so I never used the Bounty pack Fairy freebies on my babies. Surcare is very gentle

I don’t know. She has been on normal aptamil formula all her life and only ever had the odd patch of dry skin. It has all gone like this since beginning weaning so I don’t know if introducing whole dairy products has heightened her immune response to dairy for some reason or if it’s something else I’ve been giving her. So far changing her to dairy free hasn’t changed it. It could be anything or multiple things at the minute

You could keep a food/rash diary.

Is she in a car seat that’s been sprayed with some sort of cleaning fluid, or lying on a changing mat with cleaning fluid on? Do you wear nail varnish? Use hand cream? Buy some loose cotton T-shirts and loose cotton trousers and wash them with a little vinegar rather than soap.

put some bicarb in her bath water to stop the itch and some neutral oil to moisturise without rubbing.

thanks everyone for your replies. I feel like I’m learning as I go because so far I’ve had no discussion around allergies with her GP or the nurse practitioners at all. We did discuss the fact it can just be atopic eczema and you can just have it. But the thing is it went away for months (was never that bad when she was a tiny baby) and has just gone like this since I started weaning her. The nurse is getting to the point she thinks I’m insane but I’m glad she has had her referral now. Depending on the waiting time I will have to see if I can see someone privately and put it on a credit card. It’s breaking my heart because she’s just learnt to roll and is so excited to but it hurts and she just lays there 😢 have had some great advice about chemicals so thank you

My son had very similar problems as a baby and it was 100% the washing powder. As soon as we changed it cleared up.

Switch from fairy, its highly scented
No fabric softener
Maximum rinse
Consider if could be infected now. My dd had similar and had two courses of antibiotics

Unfortunately you might be in for the long haul. My daughter is teen and still under allergy team. Ask for referral now.

We also give daily antihistamines and steroid spray. Have to be very careful with products and dust.

My dd doesn't actually have any food allergies which is quite surprising. She gets spontaneous hives a lot. But the rash is generally much better.

That very well could be food allergy related. My babybhad the same red and weepy skin. was breastfed so i eliminated cows milk and egg from my own diet which helped. it can take up to a week for it to leave the system though.

Once the skin is open like this, baby will be sensitive to a lot of chemicals in washing. Agree with others, do extra rinse cycle for now. Use thick emollients throughout the day to restore some barrier.

Request for allergy and dermatology referral ASAP. GP should agree especially as what they have suggested hasn't worked.

Depending on the waiting time I will have to see if I can see someone privately and put it on a credit card.
Don't go private. Demand a second opinion.

If you're going to try changing your washing powder, can I also recommend you look in the drawer and seal of your washing machine? Mould and mildew build up horrendously and you need to clean everything with white vinegar and hot water regularly.

Looks like my eczema tbh. Eczema will flare when you stop steroids if it’s aggressive. Mine always does, I’ve been covered in the stuff for about 25 years now. Push for a referral to dermatology, they can do allergy tests and also prescribe immunosuppressants or biologics.

Eczema is shit - it might be allergic but it might not be. Mines not, it’s autoimmune. There’s no cure but there are great medications for controlling it you just need the right regimen and GPs aren’t set up to deal with severe forms.

If it’s started when she’s just become more mobile it could be dust…. Try and vacuum every other day and get an air filter for her bedroom. Dust sets me off.

I frequently do laundry just with water. I don't really know why we're so fixated on detergent for everything. Water cleans just fine. If you're concerned about cleanliness with just water, try a longer wash maybe?

Also, has she ever suffered from oral (or privates) thrush? I had a year of the most horrific hives and rashes a few years back and it was caused by undetected thrush. I had to self diagnose. GP & consultants at the hospital were baffled. Once I'd got rid of the thrush after a month on anti fungals, the hives and rashes went completely.

Looks like urticaria to me @Cocomandarin

Also, looks a little bit like scabies... (It does look more like urticaria though...)

Poor lamb. Hope you manage to get to the bottom of it!

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I’m sorry you’re going through this. A friends baby has recently been through this they ended up going private and the baby had a full allergy screening through a blood test. They diagnosed a few allergies - some nuts, grass pollen and cats. They have a pet cat. Do you have a pet? I think she needs a full allergy screening

Ecover stuff for washing clothes.

What are you bathing her in?

You need a second opinion. It's cruel they are fobbing you off.

Poor little thing. It annoys me that so many GPs will just write every rash off as eczema. I suffered throughout my teens and 20s with awful weepy, itchy skin - absolutely nothing worked (other than strong steroid creams temporarily, and they’ve damaged my skin). I finally convinced them to send me to a dermatologist and got some answers through patch testing. I’d definitely be pushing for a dermatology referral and in the meantime I agree with some of the above suggestions like cutting out laundry detergents to see if it has any effect. I really hope you get it sorted.

Water won’t get rid of grease!

The most copious ingredients in this are palm oil and sunflower oil ( top of the ingredients list). Proceed with caution.

Ask GP for a referral to a dermatologist, it’s causing distress to your daughter over a prolonged period.

Another one recommending to ditch laundry detergent - and it needs to be everyone's washing, try using a launderette/neighbour/family washing machine for a while and just your own for baby. Don't wash her unless you really have to, and don't use anything other than warm water. Keep a food diary, only add one new simple foodstuff every 3 days and then it's really easy to see what it is. No ready made foods. My son was allergic to all sorts of stuff at weaning but luckily grew out of most of it.

We were told two weeks for allergens to leave the system.

What emollient have you been prescribed?

Do you have pets? Could she be allergic to pet hair or dander?