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Does my baby have hives or a bad case of Baby Acne?

My 1mo old son has pimple like bumps all over his body. It started on just his face and has slowly progressed down his body. I switched from Breastmilk to Similac Advanced when he was 3wks old. At first I thought that it was just Baby Acne because it was just on his face and right on his chest, but now, its all over his body. Could this be a reaction to the formula? or to the Detergent? Or could it just be a severe case of Baby Acne? or Hives? How can I help this problem?

Public Comments

1. Hives are usually raised and red. My baby had little bumps all over her and they eventually went away on their own. Make sure to use a dye free perfume free detergant. I use all free and clear. It works just fine and Dreft is so expensive. Babies can also develop red bumps from drooling and spitting up.

2. Pimple like bumps sound like baby acne. Hives would look more like red puffy splotches. There are baby acne soaps in the baby aisle at the store. But it will eventually clear up on it's own.

3. You might want his DR to check him out!!! He could be allergic to the formula! My daughter because allergic at 3 months of being on Similac. And as of today..she is no longer lactose and intolerant!!!

4. It wont be hives, sometimes a viral infection can cause a red rash which is common in young babies , or it could be an allergy but if your baby hasnt shown improvement in about a week go to the doctor and get some antibiotics our had the same thing then they cleared up straight away, some colds or viral infections sometimes have mild symptoms that can go unnoticed. Always check their temperature as a good indication. The only other thing could be an allergy to either food, formula, or if you have changed washing powders etc. but honestly go to the doctor first and rule out any sickness


5. My poor baby had the same thing! It took us awhile to figure it out, b/c he was breastfed, but finally we figured out he was allergic to dairy! He's now on soy fornula and his rash/bumps finally cleared up! However, if you give him anything with milk in it (even a little bit of milk in some mash potatoes, for example) he gets hives on his face and then a rash develops on his cheeks.

I mentioned his rash at his 1 month and 2 month checkups, and then even took him in to get it looked at at his 3 month checkup, and the doctor just said it was dermititis. He recommended cortizone cream. It didn't help. Nothing did, but finally eliminating all dairy from his diet.