Please note that I am not a healthcare provider or a doctor. I am sharing our experiences with hives and our pediatrician.
2013 is the year of the hive. We have found out that Red is allergic to a bunch of medications… He was prescribed these certain medications to help alleviate fluid in his ears that were trapped. Apparently, not many people are allergic to these medications, but with a secondary massive case of hives present, even during a high dose of steroids, Red is one of these folks.
Hives looks like red welts – they can be any size, and appear on any part of the body, although hives in the armpits, torso, groin and other soft tissues can indicate an allergic reaction. How should you handle the situation if your child has a rash similar to this?
Follow these simple steps:
Photograph Your Child
Take pictures from all angles. Hives can come, go, change shape and even color opacity. You will want to document how they change, the places that they appear – it can help indicate if a rash is worsening, or help your healthcare provider identify the rash.
Make an Allergic Reaction Hives Log
It can help to know what your child has eaten, had on his/her skin or perhaps if they went somewhere new. Write down everything you have eaten, encountered, etc in the last 24 hours. Every time the rash occurs, consult your log. Consider lotions, detergents, medications, outdoor substances, animals, etc.
Call your nurse
Call your healthcare providers about OTC medications like Benadryl or Motrin that may help with swelling or histamines. This can help your child feel more comfortable during the reaction before you get to your provider’s office. Benadryl can help remedy a small case of hives, which is why it’s so important to take lots of pictures! Plan a visit to your doctor that day if you provider recommends it. Hives can be an initial sign of a worsening reaction. If you need a list of OTC medications that may be right for your family, these are good options for toddlers.
Make your child comfortable
Try an oatmeal bath if your child is itchy, apply cool compresses, take it easy and don’t try to go to new places, or over work them by too much activity, etc. Alternatively, if they hives aren’t bothering your child, simply monitor them for signs of uncomfortability, etc.
Take Notes
Make sure that you write down all your allergies for care providers. If you need an epi pen, make sure that each person that cares for your child (babysitters, nannies, school teachers, family etc) know where it is and how to use it. Be prepared!
Pay Attention
The best thing you can do for your child is to pay attention. Make sure you introduce new foods slowly, that you are monitoring everything they may intake or touch. It’s hard to see such a terrible rash affect your child, but hopefully, some of the above steps can make it a little easier to deal with!
Oh man, poor little dude!
What a great idea!
Awww poor baby. Mines has that eczema a lot
That is such an incredibly generous donation by them, and it looks like you had a lot of fun!
OMG!! I am sorry your son has to go through this, but it looks like you have did your research and now know what to look for!
What a great trip and such a fun thing for Ford to do!!
And don’t panic. My Mom used to put us in a bath with a little oatmeal – I had to do that when I broke out in the hives after my son was born. Great tips!
Ugh, poor baby. These are some really good tips. My son always gets hives when he has a virus.
My son had hives a lot as a baby – scared me the first time he had an outbreak. He suffers from allergies and ashtma too!
Oh no, that is awful. Thanks for sharing all of these tips, so important!
Poor little Red! Those make me itch all over so bad. I’ve had way too many reactions like that to know how miserable they are. I’m glad you found the culprit.
Poor guy. I know the feeling all too well. Thanks for sharing the information.
I’m really impressed that you thought to start recording it all. That is so helpful for diagnosis. Poor little man.
This is such an important post! First time mamas always go straight to good ol’ google for advice – I know I did and still do! I hope this post is found by those mamas in search of an answer!!
This is such a great post for those who may at first panic at the first sight of something like that happening to their child. I’m passing it along to my sister-in-law because while she didn’t have anything like this with my niece, my nephew is turning out to be allergic to a lot of things!
Poor baby 🙁 I hope they don’t make him uncomfortable. Luckily my children have had minimal run ins with any type of allergic reactions this is good information to have.
Oh poor baby I don’t like hives as an adult, that must be uncomfortable. Thank you for the tips.
My son broke out in really bad hives twice when he was really little. We took him off of EVERYTHING on the allergy list, since he was too young to do any testing. He’s never had hives again and we never figured out what it was.
Oh my gosh poor thing and thank you for sharing about the best ways to minimize the symptoms.
My daughter had this a few years ago
It’s scary when it pops up for the first time. I hope you found the culprit!
you’re welcome – it can be manageable!
poor fella!
you’re welcome!
His don’t bother him, it seems. I count that as lucky.
Did you ever find out what caused his hives. My 7 month old daughter has had hives that look exactly like this for 7 weeks. They don’t seem to bother her at all. She has seen a dermatologist and an allergist. The allergist says it’s not an allergy. I feel so helpless.
Yes, 100% did figure it out. It was Amoxicillin, and the rash began appearing the evening of the 3rd dose day. We stopped and at our Pedi’s recommendation, gave liquid Benedryl. He cleared up. There was another OTC medication that caused the same reaction a few years later that we list as an allergen. When he’s 15, we will give an allergy test to see if he has outgrown the allergy or can never have it as an adult. I hope you figure it out. Trust your mom gut and ask for an allergy test!
yes! it’s funny how much you can forget when you don’t spend time doing it every day.
Thank you for the share! I wish I had something like this a few months ago when we had out first allergic episode!
And Dr. Google is a dangerous place to be 😉 Thank you so much!
Absolutely. Taking a log can be a pain, but well worth it in the end!
You’re welcome – Red is feeling much better now!
Oooh I’m glad Red’s don’t itch – I’m so sorry that you are so miserable when you break out! So far, there are 2 culprits.. what’s next?!
You’re welcome!
Seriously – the first time I saw hives I got freaked out – this time they were much more severe!
Poor guy!
Amen – try not to panic! We always have oatmeal baths on hand, mostly for Poison Ivy, but there are so many uses for it!
Thank you – It took me a few breakouts to learn!
How do you care for the eczema? I had that a lot as a child.
I know, right?! He’s much better now.
Be careful about giving Motrin for comfort. Motrin (or any ibuprofen) can also trigger hives in an individual with allergies. You might want to suggest Tylenol instead. You could also give a dose of Benadryl and a dose of Zyrtec at the same time for hives. I have a child with Mastocytosis and have unfortunately learned way too much about hives. 🙁