Dealing With Your Babys Heat Rash

Dealing With Your Babys Heat Rash

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Summer is supposed to be a season filled with fun activities for the entire family to enjoy. However, summer brings with it a host of problems that can affect your baby and a lot of these problems concern the skin. One of these is heat rash.

Heat rash is a skin problem that is characterized by little bumps and sometimes small blisters that erupt when your babys skin gets exposed to a lot of heat. The rash, particularly the tiny bumps, usually appears red, specifically on light skin.

Causes of Heat Rash

Heat rash is, as the name suggests, generally happens more often during hot, humid weather. But be on the lookout for heat rash during winter too. Heat rash can occur if your baby is wearing too many layers of clothing or has a fever

It occurs when your baby gets hot and cant sweat out the heat. Your baby, just like bigger kids and adults, need to sweat to be able to cool down. If she sweats too much, her pores can get clogged and the sweat will not be able to get out; and this is how heat rash occurs. Babies and younger kids are more prone to heat rash because they have smaller pores than adults.

Heat rash usually affects the folds of the skin and parts of your babys body where the clothes fit snugly. This could be the neck, diaper area which includes the bottom and crotch, stomach, and chest. If your baby wears a hat quite often, heat rash could affect her forehead and scalp as well.

Treating Your Babys Heat Rash

Heat rash generally is not painful so it will not hurt your baby. It can be however very itchy and the rash itself may be tender to the touch. Fortunately there are a number of heat rash remedies that you can use.

For starters, cool down your little one. Get her out off the sun and move her into a cool, well ventilated room. Use a cotton towel to absorb the sweat, lightly patting your babys skin instead or wiping or rubbing to prevent further irritation.

You can give your baby a lukewarm bath. Add a bit of baking soda to your babys bath water. About 2 teaspoons to gallon or water should do the trick. After bathing, do not dry your baby using a towel; instead let her air dry.

Some experts advice against applying ointments or creams since these could worsen your babys heat rash by trapping moisture. Opt for prickly heat powders instead. Some prickly heat or heat rash powders have cooling properties that alleviate the itch and help dry out the rash.

Preventing Heat Rash

There are several things you can do to prevent your child from getting heat rash.

First, make sure that your baby is cool and comfortable by dressing her in loose and lightweight clothes, particularly on hot and humid days. Opt for fabrics that that are comfortable, absorbent and lets your babys skin sweat more easily, like cotton. Avoid synthetic fabrics that prevent the skin from sweating efficiently, as well as rough fabrics like wool that can scratch the skin.

On hot days, keep your baby out of the sun and have her stay in a cool, breezy spot indoors or outdoors. Make sure your child is well hydrated and is not overheating.

About the Author:

Deborah Williams is a child care expert consultant on a non-government organization promoting environmentally friendly cleaning products and eco friendly cleaning.

BabyGanics is the manufacturer of natural baby products made with all-natural ingredients for effective and skin care poroducts.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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