New to this...is my bf baby allergic?

[Josette Marie]

My almost 2 month old gets this like sandpaper rash that's mildly pink. It clears up and now it's in patchs (large) on his elbows and knees. His skin feels rough all over. I exclusively bf.

Both my other boys are allergic to milk. There reaction to milk is loose stools and gas. They are both on lactose free milk. no problem with this.
They do eat cheese sticks (mozzarella)without any problem and also heavy cream doesn't seem to bother them.

My 20 month old seems allergic either to wheat or gluten. His stomach bloats up and his cheeks turn bright pink when he eats pizza, crackers...etc.

I am staying away from dairy. Should I try wheat next? I am confused.I do tend to drink large amounts of ice tea. Is this a likely culprit?
I am using Aveeno to wash him. I use perfume and dye free tide.

Please any help would be most appreciated.

[Benji'sMom]

Originally Posted by Josette Marie

My almost 2 month old gets this like sandpaper rash that's mildly pink. It clears up and now it's in patchs (large) on his elbows and knees. His skin feels rough all over. I exclusively bf.

My son has eczema on his legs and feet, and his skin feels dry all the time. Sometimes it's rashy sometimes not, but it's always dry. Maybe that's it? Putting Aveno Daily Moisturizing Lotion on it every morning really helps.

[quelindo]

We recently discovered that my 23-month old son is gluten intolerant. His skin was often sandpapery -- he had bumps mostly on his cheeks and his upperarms, but other places, too. This was his main symptom. He's been off gluten for a little over two months, and the bumps on his cheeks are gone and the ones on his arms are reduced greatly.

Gluten can cause any number of seemingly unrelated symptoms. If I were you I would cut it out for a month or so and see if your son's skin clears up.

[candletime]

could be, but try getting rid of that Tide, free or not, its full of bad stuff and probably run on the same equipment of the regular tide. try one of the natural laundry detergents out there, or dreft. we use MelaPower.

[Josette Marie]

thanks for all the imput. does gluten intolerence cause bright pink cheeks and gas?

[mclisa]

If one is allergic to milk, they couldn't drink lactose free milk. The milk allergy is to the protein. If they are lactose intolerant then they have trouble digesting the lactose sugar and would tolerate the lactose free milk.

I would try eliminating more foods out of your diet. For your child who isn't tolerating pizza and crackers, think milk or wheat and try getting rid of those. You need to read the lables as some crackers could contain milk or milk products.

[quelindo]

Originally Posted by Josette Marie

thanks for all the imput. does gluten intolerence cause bright pink cheeks and gas?

It can. My son used to get bright pink cheeks, now that I think of it -- along with the bumps. And he had "colic" for his first month or so, where he was squirming and obviously in pain. It can cause all kinds of things, actually:

* gas
* recurring abdominal bloating and pain
* chronic diarrhea
* constipation
* pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool
* weight loss/weight gain
* fatigue
* unexplained anemia (a low count of red blood cells causing fatigue)
* bone or joint pain
* osteoporosis, osteopenia
* behavioral changes
* tingling numbness in the legs (from nerve damage)
* muscle cramps
* seizures
* missed menstrual periods (often because of excessive weight loss)
* infertility, recurrent miscarriage
* delayed growth
* failure to thrive in infants
* pale sores inside the mouth, called aphthous ulcers
* tooth discoloration or loss of enamel
* itchy skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis

and I've even heard of people experiencing other odd things, too. It messes with your absorption of nutrients, so it can affect just about everything. And you can also have NO obvious symptoms and still have the gluten causing problems internally. It's nasty stuff.

[caholcomb]

I agree that dye-free tide may still be harsh. My kids have very sensitive skin and couldn't even tolerate dreft. We use Seventh Generation laundry soap and California Baby Shampoo/Body Wash. These were the mildest products I could find.

There is this multiple food elimination diet we tried (from "Is this your child?" by Dr. Doris Rapp) that helped us detect what was going on with our kids. The idea is to eliminate the top allergens and dyes, additives and preservatives for a few weeks and then slowly add things back in one at a time to watch for a reaction. The book also lists multiple physical (red cheeks, gas) and behavioral symptoms (colicy, irritability) associated with food and environmental allergies/sensitivities. Well worth reading it.

[Josette Marie]

Splenda...I know not good for you but it caused eczema in my newborn.

Ok I know Splenda is not a good thing, but I was using it to drink my ice tea ( I drink alot of icetea in the summer) Well, I was using splenda to sweeten it. Then I remembered that Splenda messes with the good flora...so I stopped using it...the eczema is gone! My little guys skin is silky smooth now. Who would of thought?

[anamama]

Wow! What a discovery! I'm so glad your little guy is doing better.

[luminesce]

Splenda is essentially a pesticide.